The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-28
EIGHTH REGIMENT CUT DOWN
REDUCED TO A BATTALION AGAIN
BECAUSE OF SOUABBLES.
Present Trouble Began with the Defeat OF
Col. Jarvis's Candidate for Lieutenant
COlOnel-He Refused to Resign when
RcQuested-3 Companies Disbanded.

ALBANY, Nov. 27.-Gov. Higgins ap-
proved to-day a Recommendation of Major
Gen. Charles F. Roe, commanding the
State National Guard, under which the
Eighth Regiment Of New York city is to
be reduced from ten companies to a bat
talon Of seven companies. tn command
Of the battalion Is placed with Major FL
more F. Austin, Engineer on the staf Of
Brig Gen. George Moore Smith. The
Eighth is the oldest regiment in the State
service. -
Adjutant-Gen lei Henry issued tonight
an official order directing the disarmament
OF Companies A, c and f Of the regiment
on December 10. Companies B, ID, F, G,
H, I and x are to be r~eorganized into the
Eighth Battalion Of Infantry and attached
to the First Brigade. Major-Gen. John
r. Hegeman, inspector Of small arms prac-
tice and ordnance officer for the First Bril-
gade, is designated to receive regimental
property from the discharged officers.
The reduction Of the regiment is the
outcome of the factional trouble between
the officers. Under the changed condi-
lions Col. Jarvis and the other field and
staff officers and the officers OF companies
affected by the order reducing the or
~ganization 70 q battalion will be rendered
hhDT III Oh hC - VIZ NN'
charged companies may, II they desire,
reenlist in the companies which are to
make up the new battalion.
Major Austin, the new commander,
served in the Seventy-frst Regiment in
the Spanish-American war. The order re-
ducing the organization is expected to go
into effect at once.
President Roosevelt, who was a National
Guardsman from 1884 until 1883, was once
C.-szsu - 49,. Ey.kNh DA-,pNapN which
is the oldest in the State service and had
an honorable career for more than a CEN
fury. In 1893 the officers got to scrapping
among themselves and the regiment was
reduced to a battalion. II was reor-
ganiZed as a regiment on February IA,
1895. In 1893 il was made a twelve COM
pany regiment. entered the service of the
United States and served in the Spanish
war.
The present trouble has been brewing
since the late zoos, but it is pretty well
agreed that the crisis came with the election
Of regimental officers held last spring.
There were two candidates for the vacant
Lieutenant-C olonelcy. Col. James n. Jar
vis's man was not the choice Of a majority
of his officers. Major j. Z. Kirby got the
lob after Col. Jarvis had held up the election
until headquarters had TO interfere.
The immediate result Of the fuss was that
Col. Jarvis's subordinates openly limited
hat he ought to resign. MaJor-General
Roe, division COMMANDER, started an IN
~vestigation, the upshot of which was a re-
quest for the resignation of Col. Jarvis,
Lieut.-Col Kerby and Major Edwards,
The two latter resigned, but Col. Jarvis
declined to retire. Since then the discipline
and efficiency of the Eighth have been
anything but a joy 10 the brigade com
handler. Major-Gen. Charles F. Roe left
the solution Of the problem TO Gen. Smith.
Gen. Smith recommended the reduction
of the regiment to a battalion, and yester-
day the Governor approved the move.
Regimental reductions have been rare in
the State militia service. The most notable
case of the sort was that of the Sixty-ninth
regiment, which on December Q, 1893, was
shaved down TO a battalion of five COM
panies. 1t was afterward reconstructed a
regiment on September 4, 1895, and il now
in good standing. The Sixty-ninth battalion
was the first command Of Brig Gen. Smith,
who for years had bee Lieutenant-Colonel
Of the Seventh.