Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-08-15
NATIONAL GUARD.
Capt. Charles G. Morton Dis
cuSses Its Future.
Outlines His Plan With Adjutant Gen.
eral Richards Ideas.
Vital Point 10 Be Observed in Reorganization
OF State Troops.

| VIII be interested in the following ar
ticle on The Future of the National
Guard from the pen of Capt. Charles
| G.. Morton of the 9th Infantry, United
| States of America.
Captain Morton just previous to the
breaking out of the Spanish war had
| been attached to the National Guard
of the State of Maine for instruction,
| and made innumerabe friends during
his two years service, both in and out
side the military branch.
Captain Morton says:
The able editorial on this subject in
the Army and Navy Journal of July s.
| brings up question that must soon
be settled. We have already expand
ed, and one of the problems of expan-
sion is to adjust our military policy
to suit new conditions.
Every National Guard organization
that went into the volunteers will soon
be mustered out. Most of them have
been mustered out already In
some states the regiments have been
! reorganiZed at once. summer camps
have been held, and things are NOV
ing along much as they did before the
war In most cases. however, reor-
pleted, or has not even been attempt
| ed Interest in the guard is as great
as it ever was, but everybody recog
nizes the fact that before long some
thing must be done. The old system
| was failure, and if the guard is to be
kept up it must either become pure
| ly State force or be placed largely I'M
der the control of the general govern
ment, where it can be managed on
uniform and military lines.
An ideal military system for our
country would be to have a regular
| army consisting of large number of
organiza tons, each containing com
paratively small number of enlisted
men in time of peace. but capable of
expansion by a simple order of the
President, when occasion demanded it.
Such a system might enable us TO
consider the National Guard as d
State force, and nothing more.
But even with the present greatly
increased necessity for a large regular
army. it is out of the question to be-
lieve that Congress will increase, to
the necessary extent, either the num-
Der of its members or organizations.
Therefore that plan must be aban-
doned. Volunteers will be used in the
future as they have been in the past
and it but remains to decide whether
they shall be called direct from the
office. the shop and the farm. or
whether the calls shall be filled. as far
as possible. by State troops.
1T should not take long to decide
this point. Granting that the State
troops didn't know much about the
military art (and they now admit iD,
they at least knew what it would have
taken raw troops several months to
learn.
And, moreover. the State troops,
with their friends, are a power not to
be dsregarded. We all know that
their efforts last year defeated the en-
deavors of the administration to pro-
vide an efficient regular army for the
impending war. and caused themselves
to be given legal preference when vol
unteers were called for. Such things
are very apt to happen again, and II
would seem wiser, when powerful
force is encountered, to use it for good
ends rather than stand in total opposi-
ton.
therefore, for the two reasons
given above, and especially for the
former, there seems to be no doubt
that if the National Guard can be put
upon n reasonable footing of military
efficiency it should continue to be re-
garded as a first reserve. to be called
out when the regular army have been
concentrated.
The only question that remains is
how to obtain this reasonable military
efficiency. There are four general
points that must be observed in any
| effort. neither one Of which needs ar
guments in its favor.
Il. Instead of having the troops
| maintained under as many systems as
| there are states, no one OF Whlch is
wholly in accord with sound. military
| sense, put the guard of the whole
country, in all essential features. I'M
der the control of the general govern
ment. being careful not to conflict with
the provisions of the constitution, ana
reserving to each state the regulation
| of details.
| 80. Frame any proposed measure so
as to antagonize neither the regular
army. the National Guard, nor the
people at large. Many bill for mill
tarv reform has failed because 1t was
opposed by one of these classes. 1t is
better to attempt what is practicable
ra Their than what is ideal only.
% Let every one concerned SINK
his personality and push what is best
for the whole country.
"A Begin work now, in order that
as many men as possible who have
had actual field service may be IN
cluded in the new guard, and also that
the new system may soon bring forth
results. While doing this do not OPP
pose the necessary increase and reor-
ganization of the regular army. "A
larger and better army will be heip
and not an injury to the guard.
The first step in recognizing the
National Guard on the above lines
must be taken by Congress. and any
good bill before that body should in
clude the following leading points
/. The creation of a force which can d.
used by the executives of the severd
b states to suppress local disorder. as wei
as by the President, under constitutional
. authorization-an in the latter cas-
4 without the delay incident TO the muster