The San Francisco call., 1898-03-09
Assessors Are InQuiring for A ble-Bodied
 Citizens.
More Care Being Taken in the Work This Year Than
 Ever Before.
Collector Block Says He Has Had No Orders-Those Who Compose
 the Militia.

with the Deg1nnlng or Marcn the AS sessor's deputies started on their rounds. but this year they have added a feature which in past years has been rather overlooked. It Is the duty of the Assessor in every county but San Francisco to turn in to the Su- pervisors a correct roll of the persons within his district who are liable for military duty; in San Francisco this is done by the Tax Collector.
 Last year there was no roll made out by the Assessor, on the ground that 1t was not his legal duty to attend to 1t, and so the Tax Collector had to make it out by himself with no accurate in formation to go by. This year, how ever, there has been no clash of au- thority; the Assessors deputies are making the canvass at the same time that they are making out the tax roll and the Tax Collector will from the statistics thus gained make out roll more complete than any that has been made in some time
 The section of the Political Code | which provides for the making out Of these military rolls reads as fo!lows
 Section 1897. The District or County As | sessor of each and every. revenue district or county of this State must, at the same | time in each year when he prepares roll containing the taxable inhabitants Of his district or county, enroll all the ln- habitants thereof subject to military | duty, which roll must be sworn to by him | and delivered to the clerk of the Board Of | Supervisors at the time he delivers the assessment roll In the city and county | of San Francisco the Tax Collector must perform the duties by this section im- posed upon Assessors.
 The penalty for a neglect of this duty is fine of not more than 5000 nor less than $500, in addition to such other | penalties as neglect of duty may bring.
 These rolls must be verified by the | Boards of Equalization and copy must be sent to the brigadier-general in whose brigade any particular county may be-
 It is this work which Is being done now more thoroughly than ever before. It has always been a sort of perfume tory duty, but the. situation this year | has made it of the utmost importance, and it is being done we'll.
 Tax Collector Block, who will make 1 out the final rolls. says there have been no orders issued to him to rush matters | in that direction, either from the state l or from the Federal Government, ana | he says so far as he knows no orders | have been issued to Assessor S1ebe. It Is a fact, however, that the assessors are making particular inquiries as to | able bodied citizens, characteristic which in previous years was not proml- nent in the deputies work
 | There is much confusion in regard to the exact meaning of the term militia 1 and just who is and who Is not liable for military duty in this State. Every | person subject to military duty IS a | member of the enrolled militia sec tion 1895 of the Political Code defines those subject to military duty as:
 Every able-bodied male inhabitant of | dians, between the ages or lS ana 40 years, not exempt by law. But no alien is obliged to serve or pear arms agaiIsl | the State to which his allegiance is due.
 The code then goes on to define who is exempt under the law. These are: Ministers of religion, civil and military officers of the United States, officers of foreign Governments, civil officers or the State of California, all persons ex- empt from military duty by the laws of the United States. The United States | exemptions are almost similar.
 It is these militia rolls which the as- sessors are now compiling. When com pleted they will show over 100000 men liable for duty in this city.
 The National Guard is but branch of the enrolled militia. Under the code it is known as the organized and uni formed militia of the State of Cal1for- nia" It is composed of those liable for military duty who are willing to prac- tice such duty in times of peace. Its formation follows that of the regular army until the brigade Is reached; ther that formation becomes more than 8 mere military unit. The brigade not only includes those companies of the National Guard under command of the brigadier- general, but all the militia within its geographical limits, and ir case of draft the assessors rolls woulo be taken out and the ranks would bs filled much in the same manner as 8 lottery is drawn. It is the duty of ths brigadier-g general to keep informed as to how many men he has within the limits of his brigade amenable to mili' tary service, and he must send copies of his rolls to the War Department.
 The rolls now being compiled mus be in the hands of the brfgadier-gene' ral in time to allow him to have his muster rolls made out from them by the first day of October; but 1t can be done sooner, and will be should the oc' casion arise.