The San Francisco call., 1904-03-20
MILITIA LAW
TO Be REVISED
Will Be Amended So as to
Conform to the Act Re-
Gently Passed by Congress
DISCUSS ANNUAL CAMP
The Sharp Criticism of Last
Year Has Been Productive
of Some Good Results

Last October Major General Dick
inson. division commander of the Ma
tional Guard; Colonel George H. .Pippy,
judge advocate on the staff of the
commander in chief; Colonel N. S.
Bangham. assistant adjutant general
of the State; Captain Simpson of the
Fifth Infantry and Captain F. V. KEGS
ling, First Artillery, were appointed
a committee to revise the laws gov
erning the National Guard in this
State and to consider proposed amend
ments to the end that the same may
be made to conform to the militia law
known as the Dick bill.
A matter that is engrossing the at
tention of the guardsrnen at this time.
particularly the men who shoulder the
guns, is what is to be done this year
in relation to an encampment. Near
ly every man who is in the file is en-
ployed in some occupation, from which
/ he must obtain leave of absence in
order to attend to camp duties, and
I these men are required to- obtain such
| leave several months in advance. The
matter has been under consideration
F., for some time by those in the upper
Office, but nothing has been done ex-
cept to pass the matter from one to
another until it is now in the hands
of the commander in chief. There is
also some curiosity to know If this
year it is to be a camp with the reg
ular army, an independent division
camp, or regimental camps. 1t is
probable that in view of the existence
of the new militia law it will be a
camp with the regulars. as the pur-
pose of the bill is to make the militia
/ or National Guard conform as closely
as possible to the routine and dis
cipline of the regular army.
Captains Petty and Grattan of the
First Artillery and Captains Hunt and
Vanderbilt of the Fifth Infantry have
agreed to select five men from each OF
their respective commands who have
made a record at the targets, for the
purpose of testing the Krag-Jorgen-
sen rifles recently furnished to the
guard. The test will be made at the
range Of Company D of the Fifth In
fantry, near San Rafael, at 200, 900
and 500 yards. with service ammuni-
ton. The marksmen will use up 1000
cartridges, which will be purchased by
the four companies, as the State has
no such ammunition to furnish for
target practice.
The last of this years inspection in
the Fifth Infantry was held last night
at Livermore, the officers and mem
bers of Company appearing in review
before the critics of the guard.
The muster and inspection of Com
/ pany H at Napa last week by Major
| Wilhelm, U. S. A, and Colonel Kostel
! demonstrated that the censure of the
inspector last year, which'was to the
effect that the company had run down
to such an extent that it ought to be
disbanded, had a salutary effect
There was an excellent showing as to
numbers, all but two or three being
present. The company also showed
marked improvement in regard to dis
cipline, soldierly bearing and attention
TO the execution of military move
ments. In other words, the company
redeemed itself
The Inspections of the First Infantry
are now on, the first having been held
last Friday.
An election has been ordered fol
captain for Company c, First Infantry
to fill the vacancy caused by the ex-
piration of Captain Moore's term OF
service.
An election will be held in Company
F, Fifth Infantry, March %, for cap.
tain to succeed Covalt, term expired.