The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-12-29
EFFECT Of DICK
BILL ON GUARD
Will Bring General Reorganiza-
tion of State Troops Here
and Elsewhere.
THREE UTAH COMPANIES
To GO OUT OF SERVICE
Several Officers of State Guard
Will Also BE Out of
Positions.

The Dick bill will go into effect
January -, and will result IN the gen
cral reorganization Of all The state
troops in the country. The new law.
which becomes effective next month. pro
Vdcs that all state troops shall conform
TO the organization and regulations Of
the regular troops, aud those OrGauiZa
tioDs which cannot come up TO the
regulations. viii, after January 22, cease
to exist,
The effect o.! tho Dick bin on the
National Guard of Utah viii be to
cause the resignation of number of
officers of the higher rank in the state,
and probably also tho mastering out Of
one or more infantry companies At
present there is in Utah one regiment Of
infantry of seven companies. but The
law requires full regiment Of twelve
companies and unless & full regiment
can he mustered, then the organization
loses it's rcgimental headquarters which
means that the colonel and his staff Will
no longer exist, and that the infantry
organizations will be under The COM
mand Of q major.
Affects Medical Department.
There are also in the state guard
a signal corps company. a battery of
field artillery and a hospital corps. and
while thc new law will not affect The
first. two organizations it will remove
some of the higher officers Of the med
ical department The medical depart
mont of the guard now has a lieutenant
colonel, major, captain. and first leu
tenant doctors. The new law will not
permit Of these higher officials, aud
while the enlisted strength will not
he affected. there will be some changes
among the officers of the medical or
ganiZation.
The Dick bill does away with officers
of the higher rank. who have no ap-
proprIatc commands and provides for
the organization of the state troops
10 he manded by inc same number
of officers. aud OF the same rank as IN
the regular army. In former years the
various state organizations We're com
maudcd by officers of as high rank as
regular officers. while by regulation they
were allowed men only of much lower
rank. Officers commanding National
Guards Of the various states would
have rank equal with that of the gem
eral commanding the United States
army3
The New Plan.
The new plan for the direction of
the state troops will also place them
in departments. the same as in the
regular army. and also corps and divi-
sions. Idaho. like Utah, is not able lust
now TO muster full regiment of in
faptrv, but both together could form
regiment. so that there would be but
one regimcntal headquarters for both
states The ucw law also places the
state troops under the direct orders
Of the regular army chiefs, and in case
Of war National Guard troops will he
available for service, the same as reg
ular troops, and would be placed on
duty before tho calling OF volunteers.
II il understood that three companies
of the Utah regiment VIII 90 out Of
service when the law becomes effective,
leaving the organization with only one
battalion of infantry. commanded by a
major. Major W. G. Williams, now
commanding the First battalion; will
probably he in command, although this
is not definitely known. The new law
will retire several officers higher III
rank. but they are not known yet.