The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-03-02
NATIONAL GUARD BILL.
ro BE INTRODUCED AT THE NEXT
SESSION OF CONGRESS.

,.onared by the Committee of the
national Guard Association, Or
..nized at Tampa in 1899, Consist
ing of Gen. Daniel 'Butterfield of
Ncv York, Gen. C. l. Anderson of
,ircinia and Assistant Adjutant
con. Prosky of FIorida--It Pro-
noses to Render Present Defects in
che MiIitin system and to Bring
about Uniformity.
tallahassee Fla. March LOT the
many schemes hich have been proposed
and bills which have been introduced and
,re TO be introduced soon in Congress for
,to PRACTICAL reorganization of the Ma
ional Guard, the only one which has re-
..ei,ed the sanction of the War Depart
,,,sot and in the drawing of which there
ta. been concerted action between the
military authorities of the various states
and of the War Department, is the bill
If the National Guard Association, which
will be introduced in the next Congress.
The New York Press claims that this bin
srnbodies the schemes of no one man and
.,t no one state and its advocates believe
that it advances no sectional or personal
interest.
Nearly two years ago, in January, 500.
tbo National Guard Association was
formed in Tampa. The war with Spain
had showed the defects of the present
National Guard system, and it was the
nurpose of that meeting to consult to-
.ether aud agree upon the provisions of
A. bill to be introduced in Congress to pro-
vide for the uniform organization and in
.truction of the militia of the United
States. so that a force should be created
which might be an efficient second line of
defense for the United States in time of
war Twenty-Five states were represent
ed in this meeting, and many others
which were not represented afterwards
nv letter signified- their sympa thy and
assent.
A committee was appointed by the asso-
riltlon TO prepare a draft of a bill en-
bodving these ideas. On this committee
we're Mai. Gen. Daniel Butterfeld OF New
York. who has been identified for a life
time with the National Guard of New
York City, aud who served with high dis
tinction in the Union army in the Civil
War; Brig. Gen. Chas. l. Anderson, who
for several years, had been adjutant gen.
eral of Virginia, and Col. Winfield Scott
Proskey of Florida, who was assistant
adiutant general of that state during the
spanish war, and who, because of the
great gathering of volunteers in Florida
camps and because of his rank
and office, was peculiarly fortunate in
being able to see the workings of the
present militia system at its worst.
For many months this committee work.
ed hard and steadily. BY direction of
The Secretary of War, Col A L. Mills,
superintendent of the Military Academy
at West Point, and Lieut. Col. George
b Davis, deputy judge advocate gem
cral, on duty at West Point, gave their
advice and counsel to the committee.
Col. Mills was in active service in the
cuban campaign, and was wounded at
Santiago. For his services he was de-
tailed to his present important position.
He had exceptional opportunities to
observe the faults of the present
militia system. On military law, Col Da-
Wis is a recognized authority throughout
the United States. With the aid of these
officers a rough draft of the bill was
4 formulated, and Col. Davis woIked it in
to the finished and legal form IN Which it
now is, so that the bill now has the sane
ton of tbe United States army.
Then copies of the bill were sent to
lie military OF the various
safes and approved by nearly all. The
@jecting states were fatfering reorgan-
ation bills of their own, and this was
prticularly the case with regard to Illi-
l0is the only determined opponent Of the
esociatiOns bill In New York state,
4 Gov. Roosevelt is in, perfect sympathy
8 With the general purpose of the bill.
& as are the line officers of the Guard gen
Taly. Adjt, Gen. Hoffman, though
b backing another bill with similar objects,
81 ommends the bill and, in fact, any meas
q re which will remedy existing evils.
Col. Prosky says of the bill: Perhaps
is most noticeable feature is that it calls
or the expenditure of no money on the
part of the states. The present million
ollar appropriation by the general gov
rnment to the various states for their
military system will not be increased by
my provision of this bill. The
General government wilt spend much
more than that on the United
States Reserves, but it. will have
n its own hands the direction of all the
expenditures. Any state which wishes
10 preserve its present National Guard
viii not be hindered in this desire, by
any provision of the bill. Another strong
feature of the bill is that it does away
with the present haphazard election of
officers many of them unfit, as their Sc
lection will be given into the hands OF
must appear before a proper examining
board, and show their fitness for the po-
Suon sought"