Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1898-12-12

depends exclusively upon voluntary
enlistment.
The whole scheme depends upon
linking the militia-the volunteers
and yeomanry-Wit the regular SER
vice, and while the volunteers under
their local title are only an organiza-
ton for defense, the militia are COM
petent for service on call in any part
of the globe. The yeomanry are
not an important part of the service
as they now exist. They are strong
ly social-they furnish their own
mounts, uniforms and equipment,
electing their own officers. to be APP
proved by the lord lieutenant of their
county, and their duties are chiefly
of parade and the county ball. Neither
are they numerous, but they serve to
link in the military spirit through all
grades Of society.
With these forces, however, there
is no Intervention of state sovereignty
between them and the crown. They
exist by act Of Parliament defining
their status, and they are paid from
the eXchequer upon warrant from the
secretary of state for war drawn
to the order of the paymasters of the
regiments with which they are brigad-
ed. The field artillery militia has
something of the same status as our
own. 1t has been thought better to
give the real strength of that body to
the regular service, and various rea-
sons are given for it, chiefly the one
Of economy, for it is said that the
militia officers in this branch should
be very capable men and the organi-
cations of high class to have en-
trusted to them from the ordnance val
liable guns, horses and other equip
ment, for which-not as in the case OF
a rifle and infantry equipment-no
one man can be satisfactorily held
responsible.
Referring now to the future status
OF the state troops. An officer pointed
out the fact that the encouragement
of the social factor with them was
necessity in order that there should
be distinct repressive class in labor
riots. This is frankness of ex-
preston that national guard officers
are not likely to emulate The recog-
milton Of the fact, however, that the
national guard did not meet the re-
quireSnents of foreign war is not con-
fined to army officers or to the war
1t finds expression with
many senators and members of con-
gress, with whom the question is al
ready receiving anxious discussion. 1t
is pointed out that @only two states.
New York and Pennsylvania, fur
nished their quota of troops from the
ranks of the national guard; that
several states, and notably Massachu-
sets, withheld the guard from vol
unteer enlistment upon the plea that
they were the defensive strength of
the state, and recruited an entirely
raw force to fill the demands of the
federal government. 1t is further
pointed out that the men of the ma
tional guard in many thousands OF
cases did not reach the physical stand
ard demanded by the government,
and that the organization Of two-bat-
talon regiments instead OF three made
it practically impossible to accept reg
iments of the guard in their entirety,
as offered by Pennsylvania, but who,
being subsequently accepted, were re-
formed to harmonic with the regular
It would appear that there is a
certainty of changing the military or
ganization of all the states so that
three battalions shall form each line
regiment of the national guard. What
more may be done-wnetner congress
will be able to deal with the ques-
ton effectively or will fail by reason
of jealousies which such interferences
are sure to engender with state Of
1cers-is only matter of speculation.
But the problem is receiving earnest
attention.