Arizona republican., 1910-05-31
4 Jolly Evening For BOys
 and Business Men k|BBEY SUGGESTS ARMORY
Companies A and B and the Merchants Fraternize Over Punch and Cigars. Entertained By Speeches and Songs

Companies A and of the Nat ional Guard of Arizona and about an equal number of business men Of Phoenix met last night at what might be termed a good fellowship" smoker at Melczer hall. There were about 160 present The general pur- pose of the smoker was to promote d closer relation between the mem bers of the militia and the business men.
 The long tables were lined with the sturdy militiamen, clothed in dust cOlored khaki. The tables and the ceilings were decorated with the nat ional colors and the flag of Arizona was draped behind the speakers ta- ble. Intermingled with the men in khaki were the business men of the city, some of them veterans of the civil war while here and there was d man who had served in the regular army.
 The presiding officer was Col. J. II. McClintock Among the speakers of the evening was former Governor J. H. Kibbey, who brought out strong ly the needs of the city for an ar mOry-a large hall that could be used for convention purposes as well as for the uses of the national guard. He cited the hall at Albuquerque which serves an armory for the guard of New Mexico and has been used for such great gatherings as the Irriga- tiOn congress. There is no such hall in Phoenix. no place large enough for the congregation of a great crowd and for this reason Phoenix cannot bid for annual conventions as other cities do.
 One of the subtler reasons for the smoker was brought out by the first speaker and others who followed him. Captain F. r. Grimstead made the point that many of the merchants who employ national guardsmen as clerks seem unwilling to lose their services long enough during the sum mer to permit them to attend the an nual maneuvers at Atascadero Cal. In these maneuVers they are associat- ed with the regular army men and the practice is invaluable to the mili- tiamen. He spoke of the camp sani- tatiOn which has been brought up to a high degree of efficiency less ening the dangers of illness He in umated that the organization was not for social purposes but that the men were simply doing their duty as pa triotic citizens and hoped that some leeway might be given them so that the percentage of non-attendance at the maneuVers would be as small as possible.
 Adjutant General Coggins dilated somewhat on the history of the N. c. A. and the difficulties with which they have had to contend. He said that this year he thought the appro- priations from the government would be sufficient to adequately equip all of the companies and thus eliminate one source of their troubles. He re- ferred to the excellent showing made by the team sent to Camp Perry. Ohio to engage in Craftsmanship with the crack shots of the United States. At that shoot" he said. "one team is sent out from the militia of each state. a team representing the regu- lar army and one the navy, teams from the military and naval acade- mies-altogether the finest body of sharp shooters in the world Ari- zona started in four years ago at the bottom of the list. Each year she has climbed little and gained over the others. Last year she reach cd the lower end of the class and is now nearly half way up to the top. This is a fine record for men yUhn nr chnntfno best shots of the world: and in time we will be at the top'
 Former Governor Kibbey was intro duced by Colonel McCllntock with a deliberately worded compliment re- garding his services to the national guard during his office
 T am going to show my apprecia- tion for your kind remarks" he be- gan, "by not making a speech-it's too hot" He then spoke of those par lous times when as chief executive he had only the national guard to look to for support in carrying out the law. There are occasions" he said. when the man in control se- riously considers the power behind him that enables him to carry out the laws he has sworn to execute. There were several times in my adminis- traitor when I felt this and I knew then as I know now. that I could rely on the National Guard of Ari- ZOna. The peace of this territory has been threatened. There have been times when men would drag the American flag in the dust and hoist the red flag of anarchy and then I was assured that the National Guard would not stand for it-and they wouldn't
 There are vastly more members of the national guard in Arizona in proportion to the population than there are in any other of the states many times more than in some of those patriotic eastern states. And then it is noted that Arizona stands ahead of other states in the quality