The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-04-14
Voice Of the eople
Pass the MiIi,in ray mn.

Pass the MiIitin Ray HiII.
10 ihc Editor OF Tho Times Dispatch:
Sir,--Thc people or Virginia. am,
INC people or great may states who
! nave the real interest oi tho National
/ Guard or organized militia al heart
arc wondering win, il the real iron
Die about the militia pay bill. and why
! some action is not taken upon this
important measure by Ccngress. For
some two years they have been fed
upon wind and promises ana while
TINS diet ~ at least hiliny, IL is any
J ihins but nourishing, and the militia
stomach Graves change until like
hungry men they are 10 SAY the least
rather Deevish. SO now these organi.-
Ell miltnmen. some ll",c00 or them,
all voters and good citizens. scattered
over the states Of the Union. want to
know where the real trouble is, IL the
2auu OF them and their friends here
IN virginia twho outnumbcr them
several tines "oice the sentiment o,
the whole.
1t may be that the organized militia
Is and never Will be any good. This
We very much doubt, because wn know
what the real big men who have com
mhnded our armies have done with
tho militia, or volunteer soldier. in
the past--what Lee, Grant, Sherman.
sheridan. Hancock. aud last. but not
least. what Stonewall jackson thought
about them, because they Understood
them and knew how to train them in
order to get results. The great MILL
tary writer Henderson, In mis- Science
OF War at times grows eloquent in
the tributes lie pays the American
volunteer. On page 3ii he quotes an
article on General Hancock, one OF
the most successful commanders OF the
Wilderness campnign:
lie never snecrcd at the volunteers.
lie made them feel By his evidcn, re-
spect. his hearty greeting. his warm
approval OF everything they did wen.
that he regarded them Just as fully,
Just as truly soldiers OF the United
states as II they belonged TO his OLD
regiment. Such was the spirit In
which Hancock met his new command.
we Know with what assiduity. pa
thence and good feelins. what almost
pathetic eaScrness to learn and TO
initiate the volunteers OF 1861 soush,
to fit themselves TO take their part In
the great struggle. He saw that 4,
was OF extreme Importance 10 promote
the self-respect and self-conhdcncc
OF the volunteer regiments. to lead
them 10 think that they could do any
thing, and were tho equals Of any
body. But Hancock was q man OF
sound common sense, who understood
human nature thoroughly. and was.
therefore. NJ for high command lie
was not mere drill sergeant, not a
mere lighting animal and not mix.
turc of oficialism and routine"
There have been quite a number or
amendments offered TO The militia pay
bill, and We wonder II they have not
necn offered more because they OBJ
structed Its passage than with n sim
cere desire TO better the law. be-
cause they have been no many and
rs fast as one was met and disposed
OF. another pops up. until II has be.
come an almost endless procession of
objections. Great stress has been laid
on the qualification OF officers For
instance. one service paper In Mysteries
Is howlinS graft. and accuses tho Ma
tional Guard officers who object 10
having TO pass West Point examjns-
uoh In order to receive Is or 20 per
cent. or the West Pointers pay. OF
wanting something for nothing. Now
100 per cent. OF pay naturally calls
1or and should get 100 per cent. of
efficiency. certainly 100 per cent. Of
time. The National Guard only ex
poets 10 give portion OF It's time to
inc service, but has given and viii
give very much more time and ef
hciencF, than the small percentage
asked for in the bill viii nav Ior
d.
ca that the organized militia cannot
DC sent out of the country. and can
only be asked 10 rcpcl Invasion This
purst on the Military Committee in
INC shape OF an opinion from tho A.
'orncy-Genera1, like a thunderbou our
OF clear summer sky, about the time
The Dill was to have been reported
ana VIC must confess that 1t does look
hRc spiltting hairs, because the same
nrfa oiya N
militia a s constituted at present. ali
business men or men VINO earn thni,
own iivings in civil life may he taken
away from home. away from those
Eocations by which they earn their
aaily bread and sent 10 some distant
state and kept there on the border
Indefinitely. If they are taken away
from their State. hardly any one would
OBJECT TO going across the seas. for
Judging by the experience in concen
ration camps in the past, the bullets
Oh Almost any enemy would be the
kindcst' of the two.
Some eight or nine wears aro a..
DICK hill went into effect, and Quits
number of millions has been sncnt
on Inc militia under this act i'm order
10 nj 1t for real use to the countrv
IL was believed, anywhere We Womb
IKE I" know who ii was who bnilt
This reservoir that won't hold har1
water. The manag Of the organiz.
cd militia seems to have bcen every
nodS business. and consequently no
podys business. II is time some ono
,i''uc IL ms business to attend to HIS
business. and settle the question forj
good and all vIpC.JNIi
-. The Itirmcss
the Editor OF The Times Dispatch.