The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-01-14
|. N. G. A. MEETING
It Will Be Held in Washington,
D. C., Jan. 20.
IMPORTANT MATTERS COMING UP
Substitution of Regular Army Arma-
ment One of Them-General
n. G.. Legis1atiOn.

i The annual meeting of the Interstate
National Guard association will be held
in Washington JAM 20, and will be at
tended by the adjutant generals and yari-
Gus officers of the national guard through
out the United States. The Minnesota
delegation, consisting of Adjutant General
e. d. Libbey, Colonel C. A. Van Duzee,
Third regiment; Major George C. Lam
bert, battalion of mounted troops. and
Major Fred B. Wood, Second regiment,
will leave for Washington Friday evening.
Major Lambert has been urged to become
candidate for secretary treasurer of the
association, and has consented to allow
his name to be used He has for many
years been prominent worker for ma
tional guard legislation, and 1t was pr1-
marily through his efforts that the SEN
ate recently increased the annual appro
priation from $4,000 to $1,000, 900.
AS chairman of the executive commit
tee of the Minnesota National Guard as
ISOLATION, Major Lambert mailed to the
adjutant general of every state a copy Of
a resolution urging congress to make the
armament of the national guard of the
United States Identical with that of the
regular forces. With this he sent copy
of an amendment to the army appropria-
tion bill, to he introduced by Congressman
Stevens of St. Paul, providing for the ex-
change of the Springfield rifles of the ma
tional guard for the magazine rifle now in
use in the regular army; also providing
for an exchange for such number Of 32
inch breech loading field guns, carriages,
ETC., as are no longer required for use in
the regular army
Roosevelt Favors Change.
President Roosevelt in his late message
strongly urged congress to make the arm
ament of the national guard identical
with that Of the regular army, stating
that the late war had demonstrated that
1t is too late to act when conflict is
impending. Secretary OF War Root in his
last annual report says: with the in
creased facilities for manufacture and
the surplus stock, now on hand, the de-
partment is ready, if congress shall au-
thorize it, to supply the national guard
with the present service rifle now used
in the regular army. / strongly urge that
this authority be given"
Major Lambert has received responses
from many adjutant generals strongly in
dorsing the amendment and guaranteeing
all the support necessary. Senator Nelson
without being requested, wrote the major
that he would take it upon himself to
see that the amendment was attached to
the bill in the senate should it fail in
the house.
Plan of Reorganization.
The main object of the coming meeting
will be to decide on some general plan
Of reorganizing the national guard Of the
country and Of bringing it into closer
touch with the regular army. This car
be done if all the states are given an
equal representation. The bill prepared
by Colonel e. b. Briton Of New York and
recently given much prominence, viii
probably never sbe accepted, as the OPP
position to it will be very strong. In the
light Of past experience guardsmen fee
that bill, in, the framing Of which not
more than five states can have voice
| must inevitably fail. And the fact that
regular army officers also have a place
on the proposed commission does not help
| the matter from the states standpoint
! National guardsmen say they are more
| familiar with the conditions surrounding