The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-01-31
TO PERFECT MILITIA.
President and Others Favor General
 Reorganization.

AeOrgdu1Zag1Ou.
 Walter weIlman's Washington Special to
 Chicago Record-Herald.
 An important movement looking to the perfection of the militia of the United States as an arm of the national military service Is under way here. President Roosevelt. Secretary Root and many oth- CT public men are interested in 1t. bill carrying out the purposes of the promot- CTS was introduced in the House last week by Representative Dick. and in the Senate yesterday by Senator Hawley. Inc bill was drawn by the War Department in consultation with General Dick and with a number of experienced officers of the National Guard and a number of officers of the regular army familiar with the working of our methods of rais- ing volunteer forces existing at the open ing of the Spanish-American war. It has been carefully revised in conference with Adjutants General of the National Guard held in Washington. and has been ap- proved by an overwhelming majority of that body.
 It's design is to substitute a series of practicable provisions for the obsolete militia law of 1892 to define the status and duties of the National Guard, so that. gssout stass r6ons @ ss thSp sstus hes shall be treated under certain specific circumstances and limitations as the or ganized militia of the Constitution. and so that their relation to any volunteer force which may be raised shall be clear ly established.
 Its further design is to increase the ef- fciency of this organized militia and bring about harmonious cooperation between 1t and the regular army In prep aration for war. and for the raising of volunteer forces whenever such forces to make provision so that when volun- teer force is called for there shall he at hand list of trained men who may be organized from the country at large. frxx- txxxSx- It.A Ox,1 HxfE by men whose fitness to hold commissions has been previously ascertained.
 Secretary Root. who. with all his vast responsibilities, is constantly endeavor. of the United States in preparation for the future war which may never come. but which the United States should al- ways be ready for. is very much in earnest in this move. He is supported by great majority of the men who have studied our military system and who know that something must be donc to rid the country of the present obsolete laws and antiguated system. National Guard men of Illinois. Indiana. Ohio and many other States have been consulted and there is now between them and the regular army people an agreement more perfect than any that has hitherto ex- isted. with good prospects for action fy Congress.
 large forces necessary in modern war fare must necessarily be chiefly upon vol unteers," says Secretary Root.
 "The method and procedure of raising volunteer forces should be prescribed in advance. so that instead of waiting to devise plans for a volunteer army until the excitement and haste of impending war makes perfection of design difficult and satisfactory exhcutdon impossible. Congress will have but to direct the ex- ecution of a well understood plan by off, cers. each one of whom has long been familiar with the part he is to play. It should provide for utilizing. in the earlier volunteer organizations called out, the training of those citizens who shall have served already In the regular and vol unteer forces. If the earlier volunteer organizations can be constituted of these trained men much valuable time and expense can be saved and many dangers may be averted during the period while necessary training. Provision should also be made for the selection in ad- vance of the officers of any volunteer force which may be raised Careful se- lection is impossible at the outbreak of a war. It Is entirely practicable in time of peace."
 The proposed law defines the National Guard as the organized militia of the United States and requi-as the organi- Zation, armament and discipline of this militia to conform to that of the reg
  tainment in time of reace of the fitness of persons to hold commissions in the volunteer force when called for; for keep ing roll of the trained mon who have been graduated from the regular army volunteer army or who have served or are serving in the National Guard, SC that they will be immediately available in case of war, and providing for their organization in case of war in the same way as the last force of volunteers sent to the Philippines; for the general or ganization of all other forces in tn, same manner as they were organized ir the Spanish American war Under these provisions we would have whenever war comes the following force:
 First-The regular army.
 Second-Such of the organized militia as the President should see fit to call into the service of the United States for moi exceeding nine months, to suppress in surrection. -epel invasion or execute tho | laws of the union
 Third-A volunteer force of such sig, as Congress should determine, to be com. | posed of:
 (a) Such companies. troops and regi ments of the orga lized militia as should volunteer as bodies with all their officer: and men;
 (b) Of body of men having previou: military training organized by the Pres ident and commanded by the officers whose fitness had been previously as- certained under the provisions of Sec tion '.
 (c) Of such further volunteers as mght be necessarily called forth from tho