The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-01-24
The State Militia Is to Be Made
Much Stronger Now.
Stevenson Has Measure Which
He Hopes Will Pass.
National Guard to Be Made to
Equal Regular Army.
Important Bill Fathered BY Man
From North Star State.


Fred johnson, Washington corre-
spondent of The st. Paul Dispatch,
sends this story to his paper. Mem
bers of the National Guard will be
interested in it:
Washington, Jan. 2l.-By far the
most important legislation which has
been proposed, relative to the organ
lied militia of the United States and
the territories will be embodied in a
bill to be presented soon by Congress
man Halvor Stevenson, chairman of
the house committee on militia, and
Senator Charles Dick, chairman of the
same committee in the senate.
The fact that the bill provides for
armament, equipment and discipline
of the militia on exactly the same
basis as now, or shall hereafter ex-
list, in the regular military establish
ment of the United States, is most
significant feature of the bill.
In measure it explains why, for
the past year or more the president
has been subjecting officers of the
cavalry to tests of endurance, and
otherwise strengthening the discipline
of the army. The new militia bill
furthermore provides that in time of
peace the president of the United
States may by order fix the mini
mum number of enlisted men in each
company, and subject them to the
same tests of drills and marches.
Evidently it is the plan and pur-
pose of the president to retire from
that if the great conflict which As
sociate Justice Harlan, of the supreme
court, predicted in a recent address
in Washington between the United
States and the Oriental forces of the
far east ever occurs it will find this
government prepared on land as well
as on the high seas.
Provisions of Bill.
1t is provided in the bill that in
time of war when the president may
see fit to call out the militia, that he
may specify in his call the term of
service which will be required and
the militia so called out shall con-
tinue to serve either within or with
out the United States during such
term of service unless relieved by or
der of the president.
1t is estimated that there are in
the United States 100000 men be-
tween the ages of eighteen and forty
five From this great body it is pro-
posed to maintain a reserve military
force equally as well equipped and
approximately as well drilled as are
the forces of the regular army. In
order to promote efficiency in the or.
ganized militia the new bill provides
that the militia shall take part in the
field maneuvers of the regular army.
The new naval militia bill is not to
take effect until 1910, so there is
ample time for the preliminaries to be-
arranged. For the past few years the
regular army has not been in the best
of condition. Indeed, there are some
military experts who say that right
now it is in about the worst shape
that it has been in for many years.
The president knows this and hence
during the remaining year of his term
he is going to set about to make the
land forces capable and efficient.
The work of our regiments in the
tropics has not had very beneficial
effect on the rank and file of the
army. The adjustment of the cam
teen, the many assertions and the
trouble in getting new recruits have
been hard problems for those in
charge of the army to solve.
Awakening in Army Circles.
But there is to be an awakening
in army circles the same as there
has been in the navy.
The younger men of the country,
the sons and grandsons of men who
have served in the Civil war, may
not care to enter the regular army.
But they will enter the state militia
organizations, providing that those or
CARNATIONS are placed on a precise
military footing.
The Natinal Guard Association of
the United States as at present con-
stituted, is in the hands of a bright
and capable set of men who are Civ
ing special study to military matters
in technical detail.
oh nf hn
mittee, General James A. Drain, now
residing in New York, will spend a
considerable portion of the time in
Washington this winter looking after
the interests of the state militia.
The present militia law has done
much to encourage and stimulate the
state militia. When a company is
equipped with arms and accoutrements
equal to that of a company of regu-