The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-25
4 NATIONAL MILITIA.
Its Necessity Explained and Plan Pro-
posed for Utilizing the National Guard.

demonstration in our war with Spain OF tho
enormous demands which may suddenly DO
made upon the military resources OF great
nation: II Ia repeated In the experience oil
Great Britain In the South African war. Eng
land. therefore. is turning to its volunteer
organization. and the time IL fitting for us TO
consder In what wav to make our National
Guard system best adapted to meet such pos
siblc emergency.
All those who had TO tako part in the work Of
building service regiments upon the skeletons
which the United States requirements made ot
the National Guard organizations know what
task IL was. hut there were many officers OF the
Guard who had long foreseen these troubles
One OF these was the late Acknowledgement
Josiah Porter Of the State Of New York Dur
ing the nine years OF his service he was con-
stantly aiming to give the National Guard OF
tho State truly military character. and TO
keep its drill and equipment 40 far up to tho
standard OF the regular Army that every or
ganlzation would be ready N take the field
aide by aide with regulars without rcorRaniza-
ton. Unfortunately. as was proved atthe out
break OF the war with Spain. Gen. Porter's
SUCCESSORS In office 10 not seem to have under
stood his purpose. and certainly they had lost
sight NJ the need Of the development so clearly
necessary to his view.
When Gen. Porter wns made Adjutant-Gen-
eral he knew that the Guardsmen Of the State.
although az State organ citations and owing no
direct military duty TO tho National Govern
ment, except as citizens. were convinced that
when the emergency arose they would he
called on for national duty. and all were ready
to respond to such call. He foresaw that in
such an event forces drawn from all over the
country. each with distinctive characteristics.
and all differing from the regular Army.
IN hN ntt lana
had been demonstrated in the case Of
tho heterogeneous mass OF old militia
regiments TINT went 10 pieces 40 dis-
astrously at Bull Run. To get nil the men
into service uniforms was but beginning OF
the work OF Gen. Porter. The Army drill regu-
lations were made those Of the Guard. and M
for as possible the arms and eduIpments were
made the same. The physical requirements
for enlistment wore raised and mnde precise.
Officers were borrowed from the Nationa
Government and kept in tho state service 10
aid In the work Of ssimilation. both by advice
and the instruction Of officers II was Gen.
Porter's idea also to have schools Tor officers
10 insure Ike competency throughout the
State.
When the Spanish war opened, the National
Guard In this and few other States had al
ready reached a degree Of efficiency which
made II ready and capable at any moment 81
taking the field for such limited terms Of aer-
vice a. the State was ever likely to require. and
this had been demonstrated more than once.
But when It came to preparing force for In
definite campaigning the case was different.
The United States very Justly called for men
who could each pass the rigid e1amina-
ton OF the Army surgeons and for
regiments with full ranks. not top-heavy
with commissioned officers. How this broke
up tho organizations. both when they
were preparing for the field and uron their
return into State service. everybody knows:
but only those who saw the work done In the
camps know how great was the labor ~ getting
these practically new regiments uniformed
equipped and into military shape None o,
them had a full regImental equipment ofan
kind. md much ~ what they had was not unit
form with the United States service Worse
II possible. was tho fact that the methods Of
conducting stan work. particularly In the Com
missary and Quartermaster departments were
different from those Of the ARMY, md the
officers who entered tho National Volunteer
service had IN learn new system Of bookkeep-
ing and the use oi new sets OF blanks
There would seem 10 he N better tim. for Com
To net for the remedy Of these grave defects
than now. while the memory Of their unfortu-
nate consequences Il fresh. Tho f'rst is the or
ganIzation Of n national militia under national
authority. Tho United States statutes already
provide FOR bodies OF organized militia in tho
various states and prescribe the manner in
which they may bc called out. huA without
amendment they do not meet modem needs
and conditions. militia separate from the
National Guard Of the States and additional TO
II would be dIflcult II not practically lmpos-
sihle. Consequently tho Guard organ nations
should be made tho basis and their distinctive
titles and traditions should be preserved
This ought not 70 prove difficult II the
United States decided to raise an organizrl
militia force Of 100000 men II would call for
about 10000 men in this State Let this force
be under the Immediate control o' the War De-
partmant through AdJutant- GcEernls 10 hs
appointed for ench State As an induccmpnt
for the states to give up their separate forces
the National Government should agree 10 INV
all the expenses OF maintaining the Guard
except thar in return for still leaving the forcea
within each State liable. IA nj present, TO he
called out In emergencies by the local authori-
ties those authorities should be- required 70
furnish armores nni drill grounds. In case
the troops were called into service hy the local
authorities the special expenses OF putting
them in the field should be raid locally.
The uniform.ng. enupping and drilling OF
the force and the mental and physical REQUIRE
ments for both officers and men should he
entirely under the control OF the War Depar,.
ment hut the local and peculiar features ofthe
national Guard should he retained hv continu
Ing the legal existence In each organization ~ |
lts separate civil and social organizntion |
and also by giving to each thn initiai,ys
In the nominating of officers, IN 10 md |
including Coones, Brigade and Division |
commanders within the States should |
be named by the Governors ana commissioned |
only with the approval OF tho examining author |
itics of the War Department No man shouid |
receive comm ission In such force who lind |
not luv passed an examination hy n comm. |
tent board appointed by the War Department
ana to insure uniformity In knowledge and |
ronvepicncr In qualifying the United States
should utilize officers Of the Army 10 establish
Dut the country.
INQUIRIES made among, National Guard
officers OF this state. OF Massachusetts Con |
nectcut, New Jersey. Pennsylvania Ohio ond
Illinois indicate that such plan would nor |
meot with serious opposition In tho States will |
the strongest and hest-drillod local forces
while II IL the expressed opinion Of mnnv
,omed in the States Of the South and W.st |
where the cost Of the local maintenance -,
militia forces has kept the National tiuard
Town t. mere skeleton organizations N
NEW YORK, Dec, n. FFC
Scientific Theology Demanded.