The herald., 1898-05-01
TIE BRIGADE OFFICERS
CAN ONLY BE APPOINTED BY
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
STRICT MEDICAL EXAMINATION
Ten Per Cent Of the Militia Will
Probably Be Rejected for
Physical Reasons

Besides the officers Of the National
guard, more than two hundred militiamen
have been examined by tine brigade sur
geon, DR.. Choate, and he has been busily
engaged in the work for the past few days.
The doctor says that ten per cent OF the
men he has examined did not have the
physical requirements thar the war de-
partment demands, Ind will, therefore, be
selected.
The officers of the ':igaie all passed the
examination. The militia is composed in
the main of business men and clerks. and
while they are outwardly. r.en Of sound
physique, a critical physical exam nation.
such as is required in times Ike these, dis
proves it.
One of the brigade officars Says there are
400 men in the National guard of the state.
At present there are only from 20 to s. uen
in a company, so more men will have to be
recruited to fill the companies to thel axt-
mum limit before the governor will accept
them. The enlistment OF men Is in con-
slant progress. When The extra men re-
Quired are gathered into the militia It will
swell the number to 1900.
Still presuming that tea or more per cent
of these will be judged incapable for the
purpose, it will leave n little more than
GEO available for the purpose. The call is
for 1000 men, so it is certain that half the
guard will be left behind.
1t is, therefore, apparent that recruiting
for the National guard must go on persist.
emily, for the call, as the number stands at
present, would take all the boys. That is
evidently what the governor meant when
he said In his circular that the volunteers
should be recruited into the guard, SO that
1t may be maintained for home defense.
1t is now an almost absolute certainty
that the mastering in will be done here.
Captain Darlington, who will attend to
this affair, has mail addressed to him,
awaiting his receipt at a hotel in this city.
This may be taken as an indication that
he will be here soon, and that his part;c-
ular branch of the business will be at
tended to in this city.
1t is also suggested by a military man
that the men admitted ~ the government
officials as volunteers from this section
will, after being mustered in by Captain
Darlington and examined by an army sur
geon, be sent direct to Tampa. or whatever
city is the national rendezvous for troops
at the time.
A citizen who has just returned from a
fishing and hunting trip in the company of
Governor Budd and other gentlemen, says
the executive told him he knew as little of
what was going to happen as any mere
civilian. 1t is as much q matter of con-
lecture with him as it is with any one but
the war department at Washington. The
governor claims to have given out al tho
news he is acquainted with, hence his 81
lence for the past few days. He is now
awaiting official notification from Wash
ington, and until that comes, whatever 1t
may be, he will have nothing to say to the
public. 1t is believed that the muster
rolls left the war department last Thurs
day. and. allowing five days for mail trans
portation, they will not arrive in Sacra-
meuto before next Tuesday evening or
Wednesday morning.
Then, and not until then, will the gov
ernor know what his next move is to be.
1t is doubtful if he has as yet determined
what companies he will suggest be mus
tered in. When he does decide, and
makes his decision public, there may be
surprises in store for those who have made
foregone conclusions.
The military laws of this country, as
they refer to the National guards of the
various states, are in a tangle, and it is