The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-02-04

arms to be sold to the several states
for the armament of the militia. These
arms We're to be held for sale, but if
not sold, they We're to be delivered
to the militia when called into the
service of the United States. 1t was
also provided that for artillery and
cavalry the government would loan"
guns and equipments to the states.
This was the first direct appropria-
ton for arms for the militia. and it will
be seen the government did not pro-
pose to supply the arms, but to sell.
them to the states.
AS early as 1905 the relations be-
tween this country and Great Britain
were so strained that it was thought
best by congress to take some active
measures toward arming the militia,
and law was enacted making an
annual appropriation of 100000 for
1.-The purpose Of providing arms and
military equipments for the whole
body of the militia of the United
States" The arms and equipments
were to be purchased or manufacture
ed at the government arsenals. In
1916 congress made this a continuing
appropriation, providing that the UNI
expended balance of any year should
not be ordered back into the treasury,
but carried forward to the credit of
the fund, to be expended in the future.
This condition of affairs CONTINUED for
about forty years without material
change. But the militia spirit was not
very strong among the people, and
but few states had any real organized
body. Under the existing law the
arms We're distributed just as they
might be called for, or as the secre-
tary of war thought best.
''In 1855 an act was passed regulat-
ing the method of distribution, pro-
viding, among other things, that the
arms should be apportioned to the
various states in proportion to the
sentatives in congress. Fer the terri
tories and for the District OF Column
bia the president was to use his judge
ment as to the number supplied. I'm
der the act, some of the states, not
having any organized militia did not
draw their quota, although they were
entitled to do so regardless of the fact
that they had taken no steps to or
ganize the militia force. Other states,
however, did draw their full quota
under exactly the same circumstances,
while still others, with one or two
companies, would draw guns for a
thousand or more. Thus the arms
were very unequally distributed.
When the war between the states
came some of the states had hardly
a musket in their armories. What
they did have were usually of the old
flint-lock style, changed to percussion.
They were, however, practically the
same class as used in the regular
army at that time
The civil war was slow in produc-
ing results favorable to the reorgani-
cation of the militia, and it was not
until 1887 that a change was made
in the lw of 1855. The change consist
ed in making the quota of arms dis
tributed to state dependent upon the
fact that the state had an enlisted and
organized militia equal in numbers to
one hundred for each senator and rep
resentative in congress. 1t was not
until after the Spanish-American war
that the people and congress took the
interest in perfecting the organiza-
ton of National Guard commensur-
ate with it's Importance.
Since 1903 there has been two
funds for the purchase of arms-one
consisting of the 100000 before men
toned, and its accumulations, and the
other of changing appropriation for
arms for the regular establishment.
These two funds have always been
kept separate by the secretary of war,
and there was time when about the
only arms furnished the militia were
those discarded by the regular army.
By 1897 the government had accumu-
lated a large reserve supply Of arms
and the militia began clamoring for
better equipment, and army officers
began to recognize the Importance of
training the militia to use the arms
that would be in actual service in time
of war. In 1897 congress provided
that:
"The secretary of war is hereby
authorized to issue to governors of
the several states and territories such
number of Springfield breech-loading
rifles, calibre forty-five one hun
dredths of an inch, as are required for