The herald., 1898-11-06
BY GEN. SCHCfIELD.
He Believes Il National Reserve
Should Be Organized Ready
to Serve the Government
at a Moments Notice.

One of the chief problems of this
coming winter. a question that day by
day commands more and more atten-
ton and will not down, is that con-
cerning the national guard of the vari-
GUS states. Shall these bodies of citi-
zen soldiery be reorganized; that IS
shall the entire national guard OF the
country be reorganized and put on
different basis, with the national gov
ernment, perhaps, in more direct con-
troll of it? Or has the guard, after ALL
proved itself adequate and is the old
state of affairs satisfactory!
These are puzzling and much mooted
questions. They are among the great
est questions of the moment. They
conone, consideration and demand
study and the adoption of the most
feasible PLAN This is not problem
to be set aside. 1t is scheduled for ac-
tion and debate in this coming session
of Congress, and not only do men OF
+ha. militia Of the states and the regu-
lar army officers feel keen interest IN
it. but all intelligent laymen, north
and south. east and west are aroused
and have their views.
Because of happenings of immediate
interest this matter has not been di-
rectlv brought up in the public press.
II is being discussed actively every
where. unofficially, nevertheless. Ihe
interest taken in it grows continually
keener and keener. 1t will. therefore,
he of the greatest moment to know the
views. the carefully thought out opin-
ions of experts men who have served
in the guard and the regular army, one
or both, tacticians, men of force and
training who have studied these ques-
tions and know what the guard should
be, and, too, it's limitations.
Such men the writer has recently
sought out and talked with, by word
OF pen and mouth. Interestingly diff
ferent, varied and of all shades of
opinion are their views. What they
say Is here set down at length and in
black and white, that it may be of aid
in the present problem, that it may
help to determine what in future the
national guard of the United States of
America should be.
Before these opinions are given, how
ever there is one point to be brought
forward, one incident to relate. In
camps at Chickamauga, commands di-
rectly alongside of each other, had very
different fates: One regiment of militia
would show an almost perfect bill of
health; another close by it, under
seemingly the same general conditions,
a long list of hospital cases. So marked
were these differences that they could
only be attributed to the methods of
AlA 1.-two off nt1A
army colonel commanding volunteers
pitched his camp in the open, exposed
to a broiling sun, and kept his men
well. Another-a volunteer colonel
allowing his subordinates to suggest
and to consider their comfort-pitched
his in the shade, and had sick roll
OF size. Because of this it has been
claimed that the discipline in the guard
is insufficient. There are those, on the
other hand, who argue the militia are
not to be handled like regular troops
NATIONAL MILITARY RESERVE.
The constitution gives Congress the
power ito raise and support armies"
with no limitation in respect to the
service to be performed and an entirely
distinct power to ''provide for calling
forth the militia" for specific purposes,
namely, 'to execute the laws of the
union, suppress insurrection and repel
invasion"
The appointment of militia officers
and the training OF the militia is re-
served to the states, but there is no.
where in the constitution any sugges-
tion that it shall be left to the states
to appoint any of the officers of the
"armies" which Congress is given
"power to raise and support" On the
contrary, the constitution is manda-
tory that the President shall appoint
'all officers of the United States"
Even if it is possible to regard the vol
unteer troops employed in the civil war
as militia, those employed in the war
with Mexico and in the recent war with
Spain cannot possibly be SO regarded,
for there is no warrant in the consti-
tuition for calling out the militia for
any such purpose. The course hereto
fore pursued by the government of the
United States in leaving to the states
the appointment of the regimental of
ficers of volunteer troops organized
for the national service, was in plain
disregard of this mandate of the con-
stitution. Perhaps it is not necessary
to seek further for an explanation of
the evil effects which experience has
mode of offering the national troops.
Similar results would doubtless follow
the appointment by the several states
Of civil officers in the service of the
United States.
The constitution plainly provides for
two entirely distinct classes of mill
tary forces, namely, United States
armies and state militia, which latter
may, for specific purposes only, be
called into the service of the United
States. The good of the public service.
no less than the mandates of the con-
stitution, requires that the distinction
between these two classes of troops be
strictly observed, in their enlistment. |
appointment of officers, discipline, etc.
the one being purely a national force. |
maintained for national purposes only. |
and the other purely state force for
state purposes, except when it may be
called into the service of the United
States for the purposes specified.
Undoubtedly the militia of the sew
eral states should be fostered by the
general government, and this for the
reason that it must be relied upon in
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