The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-02-11
MILITARY MATTERS;
 GUARD OF ALABAMA
By D. w. NEWER.
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 That for battery of field artillery Is fixed at one captain. two first lieu tenants. two second lleutenants one first sergeant. one quartermaster ser geant. one stable sergeant, one chief mechanic, six sergeants. twelve corpor- als. four mechanics. three cooks, two musicians and 1o2 privates, making 1S4 in all.
 This Is the organization for a battery fully equipped and when our batteries receive the equipment now promised them, they will be entitled to one more first lieutenant and one more second lieu tenant and must recruit up to the stand ard. Inspection is near at nand and there Is not q company in the State, with possibly one or two exceptions, that will come up to the minimum of fifty-eight.
 The i've years will be out on the 21st of next January, and in 1908, those commands that do not have the min- imum strength will have 70 go. There will have to be a great revival in the militia of this State to bring the com mands up to this standard, especially in the larger cities, where there are so many obstacles to be encountered, mainly the objections of labor unions, secret societies and the like.
 The proposed trip to Jamestown and interest in rife practice may bring in many recruits. Something must be done and that quickly to bring up to. the required standard and pass mus ter before the inspecting officers National Rifle Assocfntien. The recent meeting of the National Rifle Association in New York, was one of the most important and interest ing In the history of that body, and the result shows that the Association is keeping up with the rapid march of progress in the art of shooting and goes to prove that interest has been re- newed in rife practice all over the country.
 The New York Times contained the following notice of the proceedings which will be read with intense inter est just now:
 The control of the National Rifle Association of America, which repre- sents military and other organizations the country over.. whose aim Is the de- velopment of rife shooting, passed out of the hands of General Bird W. Spen- cer and his immediate associates at the annual meeting of the directors, aud into those of a contingent that has been more or less in conflict with the administration for a year or more "The new President is General James A. Drain. lately Adjutant General of the State of Washington, who came recently to New York as owner and editor of the publication Arms and the Man. formerly called Shooting and Flashing. 8
 The election ended campaign that has not been altogether friendly In some of its phases, but the meeting of the directors at the armory was har- monious enough so far as the Presi- dential issue was concerned. When 1t appeared that the friends of General Drain controlled the situation General Spencer, who is Inspector of Rife Prae-. tice in the New Jersey National Guard. and has been the dominant spirit in the Etifle Association for years, was unan- imously reelected to the post that he has held continuously since 1902.
 Then he resigned and a contest en- sued between General George H. Har- ris. commanding the National Guard of the District of Columbia. and General Drain, which resulted in the election of the latter by a vote of IS to 9. Gen cral Harris was one Of the most active workers In General 6peRcer's behalf According to the stories of many of the directors the cause of the dissen- sion in the Association was primarily feeling on the part of the Western and Southern members that the New York and New Jersey contingent. of which General Spencer was the recog- nized head had failed to accord the members elsewhere the country over Il sufficient amount of consideration.
 "In the preliminary discussion over the Presidency talk was heard that General Drain had certain affiliations with the DuPont powder interests,
 which are represented on the new board of officers by J :. A. Haskell, President of the company. and General Drain was said by some members to be the candidate of the powder trust. General Drains friends on the other hand declared that he was free from any affiliations which might possibly stand In his way as President of the Association, and no reference to the powder trust proposition was made Tn connection with last nights doings. Nevertheless there was a warm fight over the Presidency after Gen eral Spencer announced his retirement. Adtutant General George B. Critehfield of Ohio nominated General Drain and Colonel O. G. Guesseg of Texas sec onded the nomination. Captain Leslie C. Bruce. who headed the last Palma Trophy team, nominated General liar ries.
 "The Presidency out of the way, the Association elected as e-Presidents General Lawrason Riggs of Maryland, General Critchfeld and MT. Haskell. Lieutenant R..H. Sayre of Squadron A, the champion revolver shot, was re elected Treasurer, but declined for business reasons to take office. and Major E. G. Isbel of Connecticut was chosen. Lieutenant A. s. Jones of New Jersey, who became one of the. leaders of the faction that elected General Drain. was reelected Secre- tary. and the following were chosen members of the Executive Committee; Colonel Thomas Talbot of Boston. Col onel J. V. Nash of Georgia and Col onel F. K. Patterson of Pennsylvania.
 '"Then started a discussion over the ravieiou oP tho by-IaWs of the AssO-