The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1905-07-07

ment or any portion Of Il directly to-
the orderly Or first sergeant Of any
company to be affected by such orders?
There would be just as much reeu.
larity in such proceeding as there
would be in Issuing orders to subordi-
nate officers and ignoring the com.
mandng reglmental officer. who ought
Of all officers. know az all times the
exact status Of his command
Il is military absurdi,y 20 assert,
as does the editorial that the colonel
lies dormant with his regiment, and it
is necessary for the commander in
chief to delegate Cnew military term)
him 70 command by special order"
His ccmmiss. on is alive at all times,
and Il is his authority to command his
regiment in war and in peace, and It re.
Quires superior authority 70 displace
him and assign another 20 command.
Dormant and delegate are military
terms quite suited to the army head
quarters vernacular OF Oklahoma IN its
present chaos. 5ut Generals Miles and
Corh would have kicked had they
stumbled upon them ct Washington
when they were both hot IN the collar
aad hunting for somebody to lick.
The statement in the same editorial
that the case at Bliss was such an
emergency as provided for in the
territorial military code. is suother
military absurdity which invokes only
smile. For months and months be
fore the whoit territory and the out
side world knew Of the anair. and
therefore an emergency" did not and
could not have existed. and the only
reasonable explanation of the remark
able executive order. which VIII cost
the taxpayers of the territory heavily
to foot the bills OF the militia called
out by Il. is that the adjutant tripped
the governor into issuing II in order
that he might crafty his malice toward
the commandng reglmental officers.
thing ne felt doubtful about unless he
could manipulate an emergency" and
in this he found willing and plipnt
executive.
That the adjutant. by order co of
the governor, may do this, is not called
into question, but the irreguiarty, arbi.
and discourtesy to the colonel
commanding and the line officers are
matters Of Just and righteous complaint
and against which they have a right
to protest. Only when military
really exists not !nferential-
", but actually and strong enough to
satisfy the mind OF the governor that
the utmost celebrity is necessary to
avert the thrsatened peace. may, with
military propriety, orders be issued d.
fectly to the commander of the COM
pany nearest the scene OF threatened
trouble. and even then military cour-
tesy requires that the regimental COM
thanucA bc oniNtdilg iuioIiuNu VI TIC
fact as soon thereafter as the service
viii admit.
4, careful scrutiny OF the territorial
military code viii hardly disclose any
authority whatever for the issuance Of
the celebrated executive order for the
mobilization Of troops at Bliss, for no
section OF the law was invoked or ap-
pealed to for such authority. No civil
officer OF Noble Ut Kay counties. as
the territorial code provides for, peti.
'tioned the governor for troops to aid
the civil authorities in maintaining the
peace upon the allegation, as required
by law, that violence was threatened
and that they were powerless TO pre-
vent It. Under the code this was a
necessary antecedent preliminary, and
as the executive order did not mention
any such request II is only fair to pre-
sumo that none were made. and that
the mobilization of the troops at ranch
101 was exclusively the creation Of the
adjutant general aud his CHIEF.