The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-02-07
FACTS FOR FEN|ANS
Canada Gives Them the Horse
Laugh, to Start On.
IF ANY SHOULD VENTURE
She Is Prepared to Give Them
a Warm Reception
IF ANY SHOULD VENTURE

agains the Dominion by way of testifyini
sympathy with the Beers are regardec
with amused contempt by the Depart
ment of Militia here. The Canadian Sc
cret Service is of course, keeping the cab
met fully informed OF what IS in progress!
among Hibernian orders, and the threat
ened activities have been duly noted a.
the government council meetings; but il
is impossible for people on the northern
side Of the boundary line to treat the
subject as anything more than a piece OF
serfo-comic melodrana.
To be sure, Canada's long frontier OF
more than 5000 miles bristles with neither
bayonets nor bastions; but IT gives few
points of access for a rabble of invading
mararders. The regions of the eastern
st. Lawrence, Niagara. Detroit, and the
forty-ninth parallel west Of Lake Super.
Tor offer the only doors to Canadian ter
ritory for an enemy not in possession of
a lake fleet, and war vessels. according
to international agreement, are barred
from the lakes. Even # Fenian forces
were stretched, unchecked by Washing
ton influence, from the Atlantic to the Pa
cihc Canada would have nothing to fear
for either her eastern or western bound
aries. Quebec, with its inpregnahle fort
ress, regular troops, stores for an army
OF forty thousand, upon lines of commu-
nication radiating in every direction, and
southern side of the river, could easily
be trusted to defend the eastern field. In
the west four or five cities, situated well
back from the boundary, are scattered
over an area Of more than two thousand
miles, and it would require very strong
army indeed, to venture through the ra-
vines Of the prairie where defenders
would be securely intrenched, and to
concentrate at a single point for action
Thus the danger-if any existed-would be
limited TO the province of Ontario, which
is the closest to the centres of Fenian
activity; but at least half Canada's act
i've militia of &c, 900 is located in this prov
ince. and the two openings for an enemy
through Niagara and Detroit regions are
within less than an hours run by rail
from two ofAthe strongest military divis-
ions in the Dominion, those of Toronto
and London.
Canada's Strengths in her militia, and
sman as that may seem in comparison to
European armies, it is so constituted and
distributed that any number of Fenians
would receive a very hearty welcome on
short notice. The army of the Dominion
consists in all of some $4,000 men, 1000
being the permanent force or standing
army, $1,000 the active militia or volun-
teers. There exists III addition a large re-
serve of trained officers and men, who
have served their term in the active mi
lltia and retired ThisS force has COM
pleted course Of INSTRUCTION in drill and
rife-practice, and If called ;on for service
would increase the country's army, to at
least 6oOoo.i ss e s..,s-g
The permanent force. or regulars, in
clude two sduadnonst of@cazalry, two bat
teries of artillery. with SIX. ield-glns each
and five companieSof infantry using the
Lee etford. These troops are stationed
at Winnipeg, Toronto, London. Kingston.
Quebec, st. Johns, P. O., and, Frederic
ton, N. B.-a distribution which nracti-
cally places AZ nucleus of tried .rnen at
every point from which danger could be
lumbia from the line of defence is only
apparent. for the strong Notifications at
Esquinault, the headquarters Of the
British Squadron on the Pacific suffl-
GENTLY protect the far western province.
One thousand. men seem few enough for
a standing army but. each station of fes-
ulars serves as Sch6ol of.instrueti5h for
the officers and men 61 the artSe mill
tia or volunteers, who take Special
courses during the winter months. TIE
regular is in drill and practice a colonial
edition Of the British soldier the only DIFF
being that the former is supposed to have
received sufficient training. while the lat
ter only approximates that standard Of
excellence as he takes advantage of the
special courses open to him.
The active militia, or volunteers, on
whom Canada would have to rely in case
Of invasion, also include cavalry. artillery
and infantry, With some mounted rifles
and marked tendency TO increase them
rather than the cavalrymen. The caval-
~, consisting Of a dozen CORPS, numbers
2,5O0 men. The artillery rausters seven
teen batteries of six guns each, 12-pound
and quick-fring, but the great mass of
volunteers are members of the battallions
of the infantry, which amount to 5000
men. The term Of service is three years.
and officers Of the active militia obtain
their training at the schools Of the per
manent force For training purposes.
there is also the Military College at
Kingston which gives a three years
course and yearly turns out thirty or
forty cadets who receive commissions in
the British army, entering as lieutenants
or take niaces In the Canadian troops.
Each regiment has charge of It's own
arms. equipments. and stores which are
kept al reSinental headquarters. and the
government factory at Quebec nnanufac-
tunes its own ammunition for both rifles
and artillery. For Administrative con-
verience the Dominion is divided into
twelve military districts. embracing both
volunteers and regulars. and Of these dis
tricts there is one IN each Of the younger
and smaller provinces, three are IN Que
bee, and four IN Onta-io-the section
which Fenisns consider most vulnerable.
The district Commander takes his instruc-
tons directly from the general officer
commanding ct OTTAWA. and the major
general AT Ottawa must be a colonel OF
her Mojesty's regular AMY; 50 that the
whole Canadian system Is modelled otter
the British pattern, ani in case OF war
would e1na2ate, not from Ottawa but
from the imperial government.
Probably no militia was ever subjected
to sharper criticism than Canana'S Be-
iRg dependent on party government for
maintenance. i Is, on the one hard. al
ways subjected TO the usual fauit-fnding
Of the political opposition. and on the
other hz7d, being eoznsossa by en- Tn
par.aI oflcer. 4 pu-a,v eoio,ial Min 1.