The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-08-15
BATTERY ASKS
LEAVE TO QUIT
Members Sign Petition to be Mus
tered Out of National Guard.
WARM MEETING is HELD
DISSATISFACTION WITH PRESENT
CONDITIONS THE CAUSE.

T FIFTEEN members Of the First Bat
terry, National Guard of Utah, last
night signed a petition to the adju-
tant- general asking that the battery be
mustered out of the military service OF
the state This action was taken at 4
meeting of twenty-one members of the
battery in their quarters in the Pier
pont street armory last night. The
three officers of the battery. First Lieu
tenant Fred L. Leonard, commanding;
First Lieutenant Frederick Smith, and
Second Lieutenant George Worthen,
were present, but took no active part
in the meeting since their position as
commissioned officers allows them the
privilege of rendering their resigna-
tions. if they desire. while the enlisted
men of the organization must remain
in the service until their terms OF en-
listment expire or until the battery IS
mustered out in a body. Three of the
enlisted men who were present declined
to sign the petition last night, for per
SOnal reasons. but they Joined the M
teen signers in approving the action
The petition assigns no reason for
asking that the battery be mustered
out of service, but il is no secret among
members of the national guard that the
batterymen are much dissatisfied with
conditions that have existed in the mil
itid for some time past. 1t is likely
the action of last night was precipltated
by the resignation of Capt. William c
Webb, former commander of the First
Battery Many expressions of admlra-
ton for the former captain were voiced
during the meeting
Text of Petition.
The Detition follows:
ITO the Adjutant General, National
Guard OF Utah:
I'VE. the members of the First Bat
! terry. Field Artillery, N G. Z, do here
by respectfully request that we be
mustered out of the service Of the Ma
, tionaI Guard of Utah"
The petition was signed by the fol-
/ lowing batterymen; Sergeants H W
/ Adams, r. A Kane, w J. Grow
| Charles Spencer: COrporals Albert J.
! Hoffman. jr: L. Z. McCurdy; ATti1cer
Asa A. Clark; Privates f. r. Hennefer,
Marcus Grow, H w Goodwin G. -
| Goodwin, Max Brown, E E Scott E
/ r. Larson. Bruce Hamilton
] The petition was entrusted to a COM
/ mittee for the purpose of securing tur-
| Their signatures if possible Inc sign
| ers of last night believe at least ten
/ more members of the battery VIII sign
the petition The total membership OF
/ the organization including officers, Is
! held Thursday night to hear report
/ from this committee and TO FIX the
/ time for presenting the petition, when
/ will go to Col. Joseph GeOghegan- act
/ ing adjutant general, through the reg
ular military channels
! An applicat ton OF this nature, coming
! from a live organization such as the
4 First battery, is believed TO be Win
! out precedent in the history OF the
/ National Guard of Utah, and it ADDS
] n
Meeting is Lively.
The batterymen who were present
last night discussed the issue behind
! closed doors. At times the bursts OF
/ oratory became feverish, but an ap-
I peared to favor the action that was
/ at length taken. Lieutenant Leonard
! commander of the battery, was the
| ONLY officer who took an active part
Lieutenant Leonard had been absent
/ for several weeks and had no part IT
the preliminary discussions that led tt
last nights meeting, so he merely mace
a statement TO the effect that ne pre-
ferred to not commit himself until ht
had investigated the situation
Following the meeting. members OF
the battery said they desired 10 %
mustered out because they believed rh'
battery would never become an or
ganizatiOn that would be credit Il
the state. Others, less communicative
but more earnest, delivered senten'
tious remarks to the general effect tina
bows who had been through the Sal
/ Lake High school knew how to stick Il
/ their friends" The significance of this
remark is better understood when Il
is made known that many of the mem
bers Of the battery are graduates o
/ the High school who received then
first military training under Captain
Webb in his capacity as cadet IN
structor Several of the High schoo
/ cadets Joined the battery upon leaving
the High school. The battery at pres
ent includes q number of former HlSt
school football players. notably Lieu
/ members of the famous 1900 team tina
was never scored against
Geoghegan at the Armory.
| Colonel Geoghegan. in uniform. va
| at the armOry before the meeting com
| menced He appeared to be unawar
! of the movement on foot among tn
batterymen and left after passing
few pleasant remarks with various OF
hcers and men who were in the build
| ing
J The First battery has long been con
sidered the crack organization of tn
guard 1t was mustered in as an in
, fantry company Sept 16, 1900. A
? that time it's officers were Captain Z
r Grow First Lieutenant William c
! Webb and Second Lieutenant Mel
Margetts. all of whom served in tn
Philippines with the Utah batteries
. The following year the OrganizatiO
was converted into battery a. W +
Kneass. now captain of company T
at Ogden, and a Philippine veteran
was elected second lieutenant TO max
UP the complement of officers for
battery. Lieutenant Margetts was ap
, pointed lieutenant in the coast artn
lery of the regular army and Capital
Grow was transferred to the infantr
arm of the guard These changes, wit
, the removal to Ogden of Lieutenan
Kneass, resulted in the election q
! Lieutenant Webb as captain and c
: Messrs. Leonard, Smith and Worthe
: as lieutenants. Captain Webb resigne
last week.