Los Angeles herald., 1909-02-07
ORDERS SIXTEEN
NEW COMPANIES
MILITIA FORMED
CALIFORNIA NATIONAL GUARD
TO BE INCREASED
S ALTON CREATED BY LATEST
ACT OF GOVERNMENT
Coast Defenses at San Francisco and
San Diego to Be Strengthened for
Emergency-Japanese
Indifferent
Especial to The Herald. !

Especial to The HeraId1
{ ACRAMENTO, Feb. ct was learn
IN ed late today that Governor Gill
| lett today received a request from
the war department at Washington to
organize sixteen companies of militia
10 be held in reserve for coast defense
Some time ago Adjt. Gen. Lauck was
requested by the federal authorities to
assign that many men of the three regi-
ments OF state militia to the coast de-
fense, but he declined to do So
1t is understood Govt nor Gillett, who
left here for San Francisco this morn
| ing, will begin the organization of the
| companies at once.
| This action, coming with the presi-
Dental warning against the passage of
| the anti-Japanese school bill. has
| caused a sensation.
AdJt. Gen. j. 3. Lauck was emphatic
| in making the statement tonight that
| the renewed activities in his depart
mentS, at the request of the war de-
| partment at Washington for the or
ganiZation Of sixteen companies Of ar
tillery for coast defense were not the
result of the passage by the assembly
| OF the ant1-JapaneSe school bill.
| Gen. Lauck declared that neither the
| governor nor himself had the Japanese
| situation in mind when it was decided
to, accede if possible to the request Of
|
| adequate coast defense.
Appropriation Reduced
| When Lauck submitted recently TO
| Controller Nye his estimate Of $525, COO
! for the expenses of the national guard
in the next two years the controller cut
it down by $67, 400, which sum, the adju-
| tant general says, included $4,000 for
the maintenance of the sixteen addi-
| tional companies asked for by the ma
tiOnal government.
| Unless the finance and ways and
means committees respectively disre-
gard the controllers recommendation
and put back the $3S, 900 deemed neces-
sary, said Lauck, it would be useless
ITO attempt to accede to the war de-
| partment's request.
Several months ago the adjutant gem
| eral declined to assign the sixteen COM
panies for the purpose of manning the
guns along the coast on the ground
| that it would be unfair to take that
number from the three regiments Of
state militia left after the reOrganiza-
tion that had just been effected.
| On January the war department ap-
pealed to Governor Gillett to organize
| the new companies, but it was not until
two weeks later that the chief execu-
tive and his adjutant decided to act.
Want Men to Remain
The governor agreed with Lauck that
| by securing the services of business
men and men of family who did not de-
sire to leave the communities in which
they reside in the event of hostilities,
| such companies might be organized
| with good results.
| Following this policy an effort is be-
| ing made to raise fourteen companies
| in San Francisco and two in San Diego,
| the principal strategic points of Cali
! fornia coast.
| The legislature is expected by the
adjutant general to furnish the means
Of support for these organizations on
the basis of $100 a month for each COM
pany.
According to the commanding officer
of the state militia there are available
at this time not more than one-fourth
of the number Of men required to man
| the guns protecting San Francisco har-
bor.
The capitol was practically deserted
! today.
| Three big assembly committees left
yesterday afternoon for junketing trips.
! Speaker Stanton went to his home in
| Los Angeles and Governor Gillett, who
| had been the storm center in the Jap
| anese agitation during the past week,
went this morning to San Francisco.
A trainload of legislators departed for
the metropolis this evening. The week
was the most productive Of results of
| the history Oh Cn6 session.
Session One Of Epochs
Votes were taken in the assembly
| upon the anti-Japanese measures intro
duced by Grove L. Johnson of Sacra-
mentO and only one was passed, that
compelling Japanese children to attend
| separate public schools.
! The passage of this bill was a sur
prise not only to the governor but to
the national administration, and sew
eral important messages were ex-
! changed by the chief executive of the
United States and California relating
to reconsideration by the assembly of
its act.
Two others objected to by the presi-
| dent were defeated-the measure pro-
hibiting aliens from being members of
boards Of directors and that segregat-
ing them in residential districts.
The motion to reconsider the vote
by which the school bill was passed
was made a special order of business
for next Wednesday at the urgent re-
quest of Speaker Stanton, who de-
clared that the legislature was tread
ing upon dangerous grounds when it
passed anti-Japanese bills.
The passage through the senate Of
the banking and anti-race track bills
were the most important steps taken
by that body.
The race track bill is ready for the
signature of the governor, and the
banking bill will be taken up by the
assembly during the coming week. The
proposed Sunday rest law also was
made a special order for next week.
If the recommendations of a sub
committee appointed by the assembly
judiciary committee are carried out,
that body will report to the house that
a legislative commission should be ap-
pointed to consider several bills intro
duced at the request Of the Common
wealth club of San Francisco.
These measures, say their sponsors,
were drawn by prominent members of
the bar in San Francisco, and were
designed to expedite criminal trials.
Such action as proposed by the COM
mittee would have the effect of delay
ing their passage until a report could
be made to the next legislature.