The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-04-20
NATIONAL CUARDSMEN KICK
DON'T LIKE THE ORDER CALL
ING FOR VOLUNTEERS

Feel That With the Knowledge They
Have Of Military Tactics They
They Should BE Ordered to the
Front ~ the National Guard and
Under Command of Their Own
Omcers-Chance to Volunteer.
The members and many Of the Of
flcers Of the Minnesota national guard
appear to have worked themselves up
into high state of feeling over the
prospective order calling for volunteers
instead Of the guard. in case Of hos
tilities, and according to older and
more experienced authorities without
much show OF reason.
Whats the good Of it ALL" said one
iratea company commander, whats the
use of having any national guard.
We've worked hard, put In our time
and trouble and money, and now ac-
cordfng to this new proposition the
men who have acquired fair amount
Of military knowledge are to be forced
to enlist and go to the front without
our organizatio and with lot of raw
recruits, and be differed by men COM
misioned by the governor because they
happen to be his political friends. It's
of the guard"
This view Is not an isolated one, but
Is held by a number Of members of
the state sOldiery, who, according to
men Of ripper judgment, have not post
ed themselves as to the true situation
Stated briefly, the national guard of
the various states will not, as the ma
tfonal guard, be mustered into the
service Of the country
Every man and every officer how
ever, may volunteer, and, If found to
be in good physical condition, may be
mustered in. In other words, every
member Of Company D may volunteer,
while Company D as a military or
ganization will not be recognized by
the government. The men in the COM
pany may even be allowed to stay to-
gether, but will be named to suit the
government authorities in the war de-
partment.
The department further reserves the
right to say who shall officer the men
who volunteer, and the commissions
will probably be issued by the governor
In each state, who, 1t must be assumed
Is too anxious to see the volunteers
best advantage not to commission the
best available men to officer them.
Summed UP then, If the call for vol
unteers is issued, Minnesota will be ex-
pected to furnish about 1000 men, less
than half of which will be members OF
the national guard. The present
strength of the guard, according to
figures in the office Of the adjutant
general, is from 1900 to 1000, exclusive
of the recruits taken on during the past
few days.
The recruiting, which is going on
merrily and adding many good men,
will bring UP the aggregate to some
thing over 5000 men. Before any one
of this number can be mustered in for
service by the United States he must
undergo physical examination. This
it is expected, will thin out the ranks
considerably, for the physical exam
inatfon for admission to the national
guard is rather an Indifferent one, and
not by any means as rigorous as that
put up by army physicians. Much OF
the new material being enlisted in the
guard Is excellent, although lacking the
military discipline and general military
information possessed by the guards
men.
This is one Of specific advantage the
guardsman has over the raw recruit
and army men estimate this worth
much to the volunteer army, as 1t re.
quires six months to drill such an army
to point where it may be taken sue.
cessfully into battle. Much Of the dis
appointment In the guard is that the
various organizations cannot go to the
defense of the country as such and
make names for themselves.
1t Is expected that many of the ma
tional guard officers will be given COM
missions in the volunteer army. Theiy
knowledge and experience and practice
will permit them to start new when
they go to the front to acquire such ad-
d1tional information on such matters
as strategy, grand tactics, benefit OF
terrain, security and information, re-
connaissance and such subjects as
make up the study of the regular army
officer
Men who have been face to face with
the enemy in times gone by, point out
that there will be no scarcity Of officers
to command the men who will volun
teer to the defense of the stars and
stripes, even if 1t should be found ne
cessary to call for volunteers two or
three times, and urge that the national
guardsmen should be we'll pleased with
the consciousness that their men will
constitute the bone and sinew Of the
volunteer army, in military knowledge
and discipline even if not in numbers.
Adjt. Gen. Nuremberg said yester-
day that the work of recruiting new
men in the guard was going on stead
lily, and that much excellent material
was being ADDED to the organization,
From several Of the companies of the
guard stationed in the country came
kilograms announcing that the full 100
men had been added to the rolls, while
word from the city companies was to
the effect that the work was most sat-
fsfactory. Gen. Nuremberg confirmed
the information given above that the
national guardsmen may volunteer as
individuals or in companies, but not as
national guard companies What dis
position will be made of any such com
panies as may volunteer is purely prob
lematical.
The adjutant general explains that
permission to leave the state must not
necessarily be issued by the governor,
for the reason that as soon as a ma
tional guardsman volunteers and is
mustered in by the government, it is
taken out of the province of the state
authorities to object or take any action
restraining him.
To Transport Troops.
Contracts have been made by the North
western road for the transportation Of 5000