The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-01-21
ION A BETTER BASIS
The New Federal Law q Great
Thing for the National
.s-.4i-. ,~-..-.~~ Guard.
Minnesota Played Important Part in
.r.., Securing Legislation in !
"a Proper Form.

- t.as Proper Form.
The militia bill now in the hands of
President Roosevelt, who was expected to
sign it to-day, will have far-reaching
effect upon the military future Of this
country. 1t will not only increase the eff
ficiency Of the national guard by approx
ma ting it to the regular army and by
providing federal assistance at many
points. but it will remove, to a large ex-
tent, the pernicious Influence Of politics
when appointments are to be made here
after Of officers for any. volunteer forces
| to be raj Used in national emergency
81 But it is due primarily to the vigilance
of Minnesota guardsmen that the new
| militia law will not contain a provision
| that might be styled revolutionary-a
| provision that would practically Sestab-
| fish an additional standing army Of 100000
men. scattered through the states but UNI
| der the immediate control of the war de-
partment. Whether, indeed, this SO called
tNational Volunteer Reserve" would not
dangerously augment the centralized
| powers Of the American government at
| the expense Of those state rights which
are still considered. necessary Is a problem
for. constitutional experts. 49, = =
] p Present Law Archaic.
| Until the present time the important
! interests of the militia have been regu-
i lated by a law passed more than cen
/ fury ago--in 1792-during the administra-
! ton OF George Washington. For many
years that law was criticized by army ex-
perts and the war department. Repeated
efforts to amend the law were made,
notably after the war Of 1872 the Mex
lean war, the Civil war and the Spanish
war. The chief obstacles was always an
''irreconciliable conflict" between the nat
! or3o he RI
I President Roosevelt and Secretary Root
have shown a special desire to make rea-
sonabe concessions in the interests of
both sides. .- .'''
Thus plan of reorganization was act
lively discussed last winter at Washing
ton by delegates to the convention Of the
Interstate National Guard associat ton.
That body finally gave it's approval to a
measure prepared, with its advice by
Congressman Dick of Ohio. chairman of
the house committee on militia. His views
seemed to harmonic so well with those OF
the delegates that they even elected him
president of the, interstate association.
But they did not like the sound of one
section in his bill. This was section 8,
"That, for the purpose Of providing vol
unteer force Of trained men which. shall
be ready for immediate service when
ever called for and organized under au
thority of congress, the secretary of wal
is authorized to2enroll not exceeding 100,-
900 men, who shall have served in the
regular or volunteer: army Of the United
States or in the organized militia (Nat-
ional Guard). =; Such enrolment" shall IT.
each case continue for a period Of five
| years. The persons SO enrolled shall u1l.
dertake to report once each year at places
to be specified and under rules and regu
y, lations to be- prescribed by the secretary
of war, and each person so reporting shall
/ receive the sum Of so, to be paid out O
the appropria ton for the pay Of tn.
army s-<@.s-: &C.. 49,.
The, Volunteer Reserve Opposed.
This section had been fathered by the
secretary Of war; who insisted upon it,
.lretention.: To pfHese against the section
E a committee 81 tour, IN, which Mime.
t sofa, was, represented by Former Adjutan
2 General George, c. Lambert of st. Paul
f waited upon Secretary Root at his house
r They ontinued their arguments from II
= p. m. until 1880 o'clock the next morning
The secretary assured them that the pro
posed body was not a rival nationa
e guard under the special patronage Of tn
4 war department, but merely ''dorman
9 militia a list Of, elgibles. so to- speak
= who were only: "te report annually ant
f not be drilled: or actively. organized. HI
/ also promised emphatically, says Genera
= Lambert, that he would see that the
p wording of the section was not changed
e mittee reported fayorably to the inter
: state association which approved the
= Dick bill. President Roosevelt, when re
/ ceiving the delegates at the White House
= also expressed his satisfaction with tn
4 measure -. ~. -.
+ But. later in the congressional session
e a house committee reported, as a. sub
n stitute for the Dick bill and a simla
= measure, the former Dick bill slight
t amended at other. points and strikingl
d amended as to the militia reserve. TIL
: new section l24) provided that the 100, 90
n men should report for drill, inspectio,
e and instruction at times and places t
: be specified by the secretary of war. an
q that each person so reporting should b
and regulations of the military establish
Il ment and be entitled to the pay and al
J. lowances of the. regular army. u
/ Minnesota Men Were Alert. \
The Minnesota guardsmen at once de
- tected the serious import of the chang
" in a section that was to have RENAME
unaltered.r General Lambert prepared
protest, which was signed not only b
himself, by his fellow delegates to TIL
&c Washington convention Colonel c: A
Van Duzee and Major r. B. Wood, bu
by Adjutant General g., D. Libbey an
Governor Van SAINT. The protest pointe
! tically Establish an active force sinia
to the national guard, yet absolutely be
" yopd state control, even in times {
peace. The protest was directed
10 Congressman Dick as head of the Inter
~ state. National Guard association, and wa
- sent to the adjutant generals Of all tn
states. 49,. 49,: .ss.'==s. D -, z-s,-s5ss
!. At once the result: Of this opposition be
DC gan to be felt in Washing ton: But Cor
no eressn1an Dick disreoarded the oninion {