The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-03-23
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Fund.
Plan 81 Colonel \ p Zane Stern sl:,:: y
Attracting NJ uch Attentio
u Among dilitar Me en. 81
su sTs FEDER'',AI'l :: ! {: ! / ! /.


diutant- General Charles ] q aAnder-S
aon. Colonel j 0 Lane & Stern, Assistant
Inspect or General :84 4 Brigad ier- General
Cecil C.gsVaugl,an ayd Lieu tenant Col Y
sonel Robert L. v Graf ghll Will leave to s
day forf Columbia, S. .s c. to attend a.
meeting III Of the 4 Interstate IS N ationnlS
Guard ociation,. Is t$Ss Is s expected
gthatFthe Secretary o g Wa and many
prominent flcers Of n the "a army and
5of the national guard of N the various
States will attend this altering. tho
purpose Of which Is the: Improvement
SandBmaintennnce OF the militia. This
has become more $importantFt than ever
since the passag ge Of the Federal mill
tia bill and the. ndencys to gcentraliZe5
thesmil tary power of II he government.
The association Is nm old 4; org ganiza-s
tion.S but II It has not been attended by
Virginia officers heretofore tosany en-
tent, AZ 3gS ls}i
8 Colonelb Stern will probably bring to
the attention of the association a plan
he has, been considering gforfsome% years
to 4 provide for the bet ter support n Of
the mil ttia@ or national guard Of the
various States. He has mot d formulated
his Idea q deflnitely5Eand III IN dc tail, But
will offerssit tentatively for the con-
5sideration SD Of his fellow officers.
N brief, Colonel Stern propose es the
imposition OF a direct tax BY the Red
q eral government upon the8men Of nil q
itary age in the various States, in lei,
of service In the militia, He I s,lr
gests that $ | per capita 8 for able
bodied persons between 4 the Il ages 4 Of
eighteen and forty-hve years would
be reasonable, Such a tax would raise
about $500, 900 n3RVirgin inia, and sir only
half Of this were collected a sum
sufficient to provide for ali the needs
| OF the volunteers, to 8 pay them 4 for
attendance at drills and to relieve
them hen all 3expen SC, would be pro-
I8yided. Uniforms for the officers could
be $95 purchased, &Whereas they 558 now
own ppockets and receive y no h remu-
| nera ton for their service, unless or
lldcred out on special service to main
| tain the laws or suppress riot t. When
employers refuse to let men Off for
drlll Is or parades or & public services,
tley could be remuneTat ed out OF this
fund. In fact, everything that tho
military so much need could be pro-
| syided, III en- II 4 e a iSs d II ~ a +
S$3 llatever the ultimate fate OF this
i tsu gestion, It is conceded that tile liro
tqf IN mill tlaman or national guards
man is q thankless ono in time Of
gpence, and but little bettor q ia time
|snothing, to Induce u man to N enlist
In the Il service save his own patriot
I ism, Il E& 5sl I35f Il Il III Z t ID 7
Colonel Stern suggests that n Congress
might pass such a bill, though the Nom.
..tbers of tho State Leglsla ture, who were
more Esubservl lent to tllet IL constituents
We're ling to do so, Flo tried a yoaI
| Or tw Q ago to u have offered In the Gen
oral Assembly Of Yirglnlasia hill propos-
4 ing a tax of twenty five: cents pei capita
i on men OF NIL ltary age II hut 3D. Ol
course, men already In q the i service. ani
possibly those who have served q torn
i lof enlistment, would be exempted from
4 |Spayments&of the proposed tax. 4
i ISL The future Of this sugge Ion Is on,
which will he watched with interast5by
4 the militinmen, sAl read n there Is a stat,
ute Which provides Tia T. by d Tho spaynnan
of o certain; sum- annual w to q mill itlf
A company, y, a q tzen ma VI be enrol led as {
a contributing lnemhe as,d in return there
a for IS exempted from jury seTYic & hi,
i proposition Of Colonel Stern isf solneWha
A analogous to this, iii #