The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-07
NO HURRY FOR MILITIA
WILL NOT BE Modified TILL PRES
TDENT CALLS FOR THEM.
Governor Mount Authority for This
Statement-Trained Nurses Are
Talking of Volunteering.

The members of the Indiana National
Guard have been thinking, if President
McKinley's message to Congress recon-
mends armed Intervention, that Governor
Mount will at once order the state troops
modified in Indiana in order that they
might be broken in for active service and
acquire some perfection in drills. guard
duty and camp routine, even If the actual
call for troops to the front did not come
for some time. This is a mistake. Governor
Mount said yesterday that the troops will
not be mobilized until a call for the as
sembling of the National Guard is issued by
the President No declaration of hostilities
by Congress or anything of that sort, short
of call for men by the President, will cause
the troops to be modified There would
be a great deal of expense attached to the
work Of moving the militia to indianapolis
and the cost of maintaining three thousand
men each day would amount to a very
large sum. IF, after the troops were mobil-
lied. hostilities should cease without their
being ordered to the front there might be
some criticism for the Governor having gone
to an unnecessary expense.
THE National Guard" said the Governor,
sis ready for mobilization and If there is
war 1 am, of course. anxious that Indiana
shall be represented as soon as any other
State, but / would not feel justified in call
ing the militia here before the President
made formal call for men. l do not sup
pose that there will be call for volunteers,
as in my opinion the National Guard of the
country will be all the force required. Of
course, that Is a subject that will be de-
termined by the progress Of events. Volun-
teers will not be called for in this State
until the President asks for volunteers. If
he finds volunteer troops are necessary, in
addition to the National Guard he will is
sue a call. designating the number wanted.
Each State would be asked to contribute
given number of volunteers, I suppose, and
then it would be my duty to ask for COM
panies to be formed. / shall await the ac-
ton of the President"
1t is not believed here that the Indiana
militia will be mobilized for a week or ten
days, If at all, as it is believed Congress
will take some days for discussion of the
Presidents message and that declaration
of war is not likely to come within a week.
Nevertheless the military authorities are on
the alert. making every preparation to be
ready to begin moving the troops to In
dianapolis as soon as the Presidents call
for the National Guard comes. Governor
Mount does not believe that there will be a
war of invasion in Cuba He thinks that 1t
will be carried on at sea to a very large
extent and that soldiers will be needed only
on the seaboard for coast defense. Every
one is discussing the dangerous climatic
conditions in Cuba and predictions are gen.
eral that there would be more deaths from
yellow fever than Spanish bullets.
A TRAIN DISPATCHER'S MAP.
Governor Mount has had prepared maps
of the State, showing the location Of the
forty-four companies Of the 1. N. c. One
has been furnished Colonel Darlington.
master of transportation. On the map are
little buttons showing the names Of the
various companies and the regiments to
which they belong. These can be shifted
about over the map like chessmen, show
ing at a. glance the movement Of the troops
and their location. The scheme is much like
that of train dispatcher.
There was an unusually busy day about
Adjutant General 8. Cores headquarters
yesterday. officers Of the National Guard
from over the State were calling to learn
of the prospects for mobilization. wait"
was the expressive word uttered to all of
them. Some are growing very FESTIVE under
the suspense There was a rumor about
the Statehouse In the afternoon that the
Queen of Spain had dissolved her Cabinet,
sent Premier Sagasta back to his castle and
intended to take the reins in her own
hands, granting everything that the United
States is demanding, including the cessation
of war and the evacuation of Cuba. The
Statehouse peace party''-rather small in
numbers-was jubilant The members of
the war party''-which has been hankering
for brush as Governor Mount puts 1t,
!,
mitted that such an event would put an
end to the opportunity for giving Spain
a good dusting.'
Governor Mount has received a note from
Senator Fairbanks announcing that his re-
quest for field guns for the batteries has
been laid before Secretary Alger, and that
it will receive as prompt attention as pos
sible. There are three batteries in Indiana,
one each in this city, Fort Wayne and
Dana. All told, there are four infantry
companies here, three at Fort Wayne, two
at Evansville and one each at Terre Haute,
Roachdale, Greencastle, Vincennes, Wash
ington, Princeton, New Albany. Blooming
ton, Brownstown, Covington, Sheridan,
Rochester, Charlottesville, Kokomo, Water
loo, Auburn, Angola, Ligonier, Knox. Elk
hart, South Bend, Goshen, North Man
chester, Marion, Decatur, Button. Ossian,
Lafayette, Wabash, Columbia City and
Warsaw.
Many offers to enter the armed service
come to the Governor. In case volunteers
are called for by the President he will have
difficulty in making selections. as all cannot
be used. In the State there are nine regi-
ments of Uniformed Rank Knights of
Pythias. The Governor has been informed
that they will be at his disposal if they are
needed. Major General Carnahan says that
the men are well drilled, and would be
ready for service at short notice. Allen
Camp, Sons of Veterans, one hundred
strong, teIegraphed the Governor yesterday
they were ready to be called, as did the
students of Vincennes University.
The women of Indianapolis are proving as
patriotic as the men in this war crisis.
Their patriotism is shown in different
way. They do not want to go to the front
with death-dealing implements In their
hands, but to minister to the wounded and
dying who may be stricken down on the
field of battle. One incident of pathos was
observed the other day when an aged wom-
an called to tender her services as an army
nurse to the Governor. She had lost two
brothers ard her husband in the civil war.
Many other women have offered to go as
army nurses. The subject has been talked
over in the long watches of the night by