The Portland daily press., 1898-03-31
RICHARDS FORBIDS.
The Adjutant General Rises Up Ia
His Might
AND yETOES PROPOSED F0RMA.
TI0N OF NAVAL BRIGADE.

the National Guard So-called-says 1t
VIII Be an Expense to the State, Ak
| though the Contrary Is Guaranteed.
| Until yesterday afternoon the chances
of the city of Portland having division
of naval militia were extremely bright.
Messrs. Clifford and Camp. two of Port
land wide.awake bright young men,
| were the promoters of the idea and had
| done much to make it possibility.
| Through their efforts the secretary of the
! navy had agreed to furnish Portland
division of naval militia with all of the
necessary equipments providing that the
State of Maine would become responsible
for them. The naval authorities were
very much in favor.of a division of the
naval militia being organized here and
were disposed to do all they could legally
and to make the scheme success.
When this proposition from Washington
was received Messrs. Clifford and Camp
wrote Gov. Powers, stating to him the
position they were in, the proposition of
the navy department. and asking him II
he could not accept the property offered
by the navy department in behalf OF the
state. Maine was not to be put to any
expense in the matter whatever and the
only thing that was required from the
state officials was formal request for
the property from the navy departme
| Gov. Powers referred Messrs Clifford
and Camps letter to Adjutant General
Richards.
In the meantime Councilman Lewis A.
Cloudy had introduced resolution in the
joint convention Of the city council ask
ing that one of the old style monitors
then being equipped for service at League
Island navy yard be sent to Portland.
The resolution was passed by the joint
convention, Mr.. Goudy forwarded copy
of it to each one of Names representa-
tives at Washington with a personal let
ter, and the result was that Speaker
Reed went to $50 Secretary Long and
placed in his hands a copy of the resolu-
ton OF the Portland city governments,
and shortly afterwards the monitor Mon
| tauk was ordered here. As soon as this
monitor was ordered to Portland Assls-
| tant Secretary Roosevelt wrote the adJu-
tant general of Maine ano asked that the
| state care for the monitor on her arrival
here This matter also concerned Gen.
Richards, and was another reason for
his coming to Portland yesterday.
In the afternoon Gen. Richards called
| on Mayor Randall. He was accompanied
by Capt. Morton, q S.A., and Col. Ken
dali of the First Regiment, M. N. q.
Gen. Richards seemed to be greatly
i worked up over the letter he had received
from Secretary Roosevelt and was no5
at all pleased to think that the state
would be required to care for the monitor
on her arrival here. In ssrelation to the
formation of naval division in Port
land, he was very outspoken. To Messrs.
Clifford and Camp who met him at the
Mayors office by appointment, Gen.
Richards said that the state law did not
authorize the formation of any organi-
cation of this kind. He quoted from the
statutes of the state to.show that any
such organization as g naval militia
would be illegal The laws Of Maine do
not provide for a naval militia in the
first place and furthermore the law ex-
pressly states that no bodies Of men shall
be organized for the purpose OF bearing
arms except high schools, colleges, q.
A. r. posts and Sons of..Veterans camps,
and "a companies of infantry, two of
cavalry and one of lightiartillery for the
National Guard of the state. On these
gro unds Gen. Richards was not disposed
to do much in the way of aiding the for
nation of a naval division.
Later he stated his other objections to
the organization of naval battalion. 10
another person who talked with him
about the matter Gen. Richards said that
the state law only authorizes the appro-
priation of a small amount OF money each
wear for the maintenance of the National
Guard and that the National Guard ls
now too large to be properly maintained
by the money appropriated for the pur-
nose. Gen, Richards said he would not
he IN favor of the organization of naval
division in Portland as it would be sure
TO become burden upon the state, and
all of the appropriation for military pur
poses which is now made would ba re-
auired to properly maintain the National
Guard.
Gen. Richards was shown that the
Portland division of the naval reserves
would not ask the state for any Of the
money now allotted to the National Guard,
would not expect any state assistance
beyond the acceptance of the offer Of
equipment made by the navy depart
ment and would be ip all things self
maintaining. 1t was now pointed out
to him that to be within the provisions
of the state law the Portland naval d.
vision could organize as light artillery
and become an unattached command I'M
til such time as the state legislature
should recognize it as naval division.
Furthermore it was sugges ted that a
Portland naval division might be of great
assistance to the state at this time in