Waterbury Democrat., 1900-11-22
C0LCALLAHAN' 'SFRHENDS
GIVE EXPRESSION TO THEIR FEELING ABOUT RESIGNATION.

Has Been Used Shabbily-Editor Os-
 born Pitches Into the Adjutant-Gen-
 eral and Hopes for New Official in
 That Position-Talk of Re-electing
 tion-Colonel Burpee Mentioned as
 Probable Successor to Major Van
 keuren.
 The resignation of Colonel Timothy F. Callahan as commander of the Sec ond regiment came as q great surprise to his friends in this city, says the New Haven Union. His friends. espe cially those in the National Guard are much inceused over the fact that he was practically forced out of the posi- tion of colonel and movement is on foot to re-eluct him. It is believed that he would be able to receive neaI- Iy unanimous vote. and i'll that con- tingency, it is believed, he would feel compelled to accept the wishes of his brother officers.
 EN-COlDnel Burpce was asked to-day about the resignation. and he said he was greatly surprised He said that Colonel Callahan was an excellent of fcer and his retirement would De q loss to the service. He added that the colonel was not accorded the usual courtesy that should be extended to officers of a little leeway ill taking his examination. He said there were eff cers in the service that wished to get rid of him, and he was forced out of the service. It was really too bad that such an officer should be thus treated.
 As stated above. local officers in the regiment are feeling very bitter that Colonel Callahan should have been forced to resign. An eX-0ficer and personal friend of the colonel. in speak ing of the matter to-day. said
 Colonel Callahan has served twen- ty-eight years in the National Guard and has had an honorable record. He asked of General Van KUeren that he would postpone his examination before the military board which mot in this city Monday. It was incOnvPnipnt for him to go before the board that day and he wished a later date set as an accommodation. Last Friday the col Onefs request was refused. and the colonel sat right down and wrote his resignation. He felt that if it was so. that after tUenty-eight years faithful service in the guard his reasonable re- quest for a little delay in his eXan1ina- Tion could not be granted it was time for him to resign. and he lost no time in doing so.
 Colonel Burpee was asked to-day if he would accept the appointment of adjutant general of the National Guard and he replied that he had not given the matter any consideration whatso- ever. and that he would think serious ly before he would accept it were it offered h.m. It is reported that the colonel is not a candidate for the post but that his friends in the brigade are trying to induce him to enter the field as candidate. There is DO questioning the good opinion the otfi- cerS of the four regiments entertain toward the colonel. They are unani- mously of the belief that the brigade would be greatly benefited by his ap- pointment; raised to a standard it has never yet stood at. At present the National Guard is believed to be in q state bordering on decentralization and only hard work and q good deal of it could bring the organization back to anything like what it has been Not only that but has become unpOpu- lar with the people and enliStments have not been quite as many during the past few years as before. The post of adjutant general will not therefore be a sinecure to the new appointed He will not only earn his salary, $J,O00 q year, but will be made the target for many a yolIey of newspaper articles Governor Lounsbury's administration is going out under pail of unpopularity. Many who were his admirers when he assumed office are not reckoned among his friends, at least, ill this city, and among military men especially, for without his ap- proval many of the unpopular meas ureS now in vogue could not have been enforced One thing which gives the mention of Colonel Burpees name in this connection considerable Signif- canoe is that only q few months ago when he requested that his name be taken off the retired list he was asked to withdraw his request or not to press it and he complied.
 The New Haven Register said in it's editorial columns last evening: 'The resignation of Colonel | 1lmOthy F. Cal 1ahan from the command of the Second regiment and it's suggestively prompt acceptance by Adjutant General Van Keuren is the culmination of a long controversy which in one way and an other has tended to demoralize the command and weaken the entire Ma tional Guard of the state. It is impos- sible to reconcile it with a temperate and wise administration of headQuar- ters. or for that matter to square it with good military manners. Here in New Haven, Where the "GlSctplined' colonel, for that it what it amounts to, is known as q fine military officer and good citizen, the summary process is resented, and we suspect that if the feelings of the officers of the regiment could be freely expressed the comment would be of the same character. The refusal of the adjutant general to eX cuse Colonel Callahan from an exam- nation at this time, on account of an unusual pressure of official business in the assessors office. which is the cause of the resignation and it's acceptance, will hardly strike the average veteran of the militia dignity. It provoSes a suspicion, which may be unjust, that the headquarters were only too glad to get rid of the colonel. If the affair was one relating to the regular army the adjutant general would be justified fn enforcing q spirit of iron discipline, but to attempt it in militia matters is nothing short of absurd 1t reveals a