Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-11-01
TWO REGIMENTS.
Important Recommendations Made
 by Board of Officers.

lie T6pOtl Ol tllG SpcEldl poaiu VI officers on reorganization Of the Con- necticut National Guard contains much that will attract general atten- tion as we'll as being of particular interest to military men. The board was organized in accordance with an order of August 6, which pro- vided:
 "The following officers are ap- pointed board for the consideration of general orders and correspon- dence from the new department which show that the organization Of the organized militia of this state does not fully comply with the re- quirements of the Dick bill: Briga- dier-G General Louis N. Van Keuren, c. N. G., retired; Brigadier-General Arthur L. Goodrich, c. N. G., re- tired; Brlgadier- General Edward Schulze, c. N G., retired; Colonel Lucien F. Burpee, c. N. G., retired; Colonel Gilbert L. Fitch, Third h. fantry; Colonel James Geddes, Sec ond Infantry; Colonel John Hickey, First Infantry"
 Colonel Fitch was chosen recorder and General Van Keuren president. Various meetings were held, the last one October 26 at the armory in New Haven The report says of this:
 The board voted unanimously to submit the following recommendn- tions, namely, that the following de- partments be organized, consisting of the officers designated:
 Adjutant-general's department The adjutanr- general, with rank of brigadier- general, one adjutant-gen- eral, with rank of colonel; one ad- iutant-general, with rank of major.
 Inspector generals department An inspector general, with rank of major.
 Quartermaster' department-An assistant quarjermaster-gen with rank of colonel; two quartermasters with rank of major.
 Subsistence department - Two commissary officers, with rank of major.
 Medical department-One deputy surgeon-general, with rank of lieu tenant-colonel: four surgeons, with rank of major; three assistant sur geOns, with rank of captain; five as- sistant surgeons, with rank of first lieutenant; hospital corps should be organized i'll accordance with gen eral orders, No IS, A. G. O., c. S.
 Pay depa"tment-Four paymas- ters, with rank of captain.
 Ordnance department-One ord nance officer, with rank of major; three ordnance officers, with rank of captain.
 Signal corps-That a signal corps be organized consisting of one cap tain and the necessary number ot first lieutenants and enlisted men, as prescribed by United States army regulations and general order, No IS. A. q. O., c. S.
 Machine gun battery-That the machine gun battery be disbanded, and that machine gun platoons be organized ia the regiments of infan- try. as prescribed in general orders, Nos 112 and 113, war department, series of 1906.
 Brigade Organi21tion-After the . general assembly of this state re- pealed section 3,004 of the militia 1 law. and enacted substitute which required that thereafter our Nation al Guard should be organized in ac- cOrdance with militia laws of the United States. To carry out this purpose. in 1905 the general assem- bly, repealed section 3,006 of our militia law which contained the only provisions then existing for the or ganizatiOn of our National Guard into a brigade, under the command of a brigadie3 general appointed by 1 the cOmmander-in-chief with the con sent of the senate. This section con 1 tained also the only provisions in our 1 law for a brigade staff consisting of ! certain officers. with specified rank. and a prOviso that the staff officers { of the brigade commander then in ! office dune 17. I90D, should con- tinue 10 have the higher rank they then held. Having repealed these provisions. the general assembly did not enact any substitute. By an amendment to section 3.01O of the general statutes, however, it author ized the cOmmanter-in-chief to ap- pOinf the brigade commander. It seems 70 LIS plain that the re- suit of this legislation was to ter 1 minate the existence of the brigade organization in office when the act was passed on July 6. 1905. and that the officers constituting that staff have since exercised office without any authority of the law of this state. or of ;he United States.
 If our National Guard is to have a brigade staff. it must be composed of only such officers. with only such rank. as the United States militia law provides for This is specifically prescribed by section 3.004 of OuT militia law as amended in 1903: ! These are: One adjutant-general with rank of major; one quarter master. with rank of major; one commissary. Eith rank of major; one surgeon. wIth rank of major; tUC aids with rank Of Iieutenants- t gsee c. O. No 14s. war depart. meut- July .. 1s07b
 While section 5.g10 of our militia law. as amended in 1905. provides that the brigade commander shall be appointed by the eommaRdeT-in- chief we d0 not understand that the mmzudar-fr-chEef is required F7 an1ofnt q brigade commander uu. less ft shall seem Eecesszry or deSiT able when the NzsE0nzl Gzard shall [ "a