The Savannah morning news., 1903-12-07

mediate service as the school of the
national volunteer soldier
That as the militia when called into
the service of the United States and
the volunteer forces commanded by the
citizens trained in this school of arms,
will form, together with the regular
troops, but one army subject to the
same command, drawing arms, ammu-
milton and supplies from the same
source, and subject to the same general
system of accountability for property,
1t will be important that all parts of
! this greater army shall have used and
shall be familiar with these same arms,
ammunition, supplies, and forms and
methods of transacting business, and
shall have similar organization and
discipline.
In this act, accordingly, Congress
declared the National Guard organi-
cations to be the organized militia, and
provided for calling them into the serv-
ice of the United States, whenever re-
quired, for the constitutional purposes
! of repelling invasion, suppressing in
| surrection, and executing the laws Of
the Union. And Congress also exer-
cised it's constitutional power to pro-
| vide for organizing, arming, and dis
ciplining the militia by a series Of
provisions designed to promote the
strength, efficiency, and prosperity of
I these militia organizations; to make
| them and the regular army a homoge-
neous force; and to bring about a hab-
it of cooperation and mutual respect
and good understanding between the
officers of the two forces.
ITO accomplish these purposes, the
act provides that the organization
armament, and discipline of the or
ganized militia shall be the same as
that TTaSCriha6 for tho
1t authorizes the Secretary of War to
issue to the militia, at the expense of
the national government, the same
arms. ammunition and supplies which
are nrovided for the regular army.
The requirement of the law that
the organization of the militia shall
conform to that of the regular army
within five years from the date of the
approval of the act is one which main
ly falls upon the states and territories
to, carry out, but the department has
endeavored to facilitate this end by
submitting for the consideration of
the state authorities a proposed code of
militia law covering in detail features
of organization. The inherent difficult
ties of conforming in all particulars to
arm organiza ton are thoroughly ap-
preciated by the department, but it is
confidently believed that the earnest
CO-OpGl ALUM VI tic oldlG duliOllllGS
will enable changes to. be gradually
effected"
Rife Practice.
Commenting the appropriation for
rifle practice among the militia, the
Secretary says: 81 know of nothing
more important in the way of prepare
tion for war than teaching the young
men of the country to shoot straight.
1t is especially important to the eff
cheney of our volunteer armies in the
future. 1t is of no use to pay, equip,
subsist, and transport a soldier to the
battlefield unless he can hit an enemy
when he shoots at him. Two recent
changes in conditions require that we
should make continuous and active eff
fort in this direction if we are to have
this necessary element of efficiency.
One is the greatly increased range of
modern rifles which determines battles
while the combatants are at great dis
tances from each other, and which
makes practice more necessary for good
craftsmanship than ever before. The
+ other is the decline in the use of fire
arms among the greater part of our
people. Now it is probable that
majority of the young men in the thick
ly settled parts of the country have
never fired gun, and would be quite
harmless to an enemy until taught to
shoot. The time to give that instruc-
ton is now We ought not to wait
until we are actually engaged in hos
tilities."