578 



STATE- MILITIA. 



aration for greater crises, provided that certain con- 

 clitioiiH arc fulfilled. Tlio most important of these 

 conditions indeed, tin' only indispensable ones 

 are the cultivation among our youth of a greater in- 

 in military affairs ami a greater dissemination 

 of military knowledge among our educated young 

 ini'ii. This is not tin- place to enter upon a diacn*- 

 sion of the methods liy which these objects ui-i- to In- 

 attained. The experience of the civil war demon- 

 Btrated, in the must brilliant niul conclusive manner, 

 tln> khoroutbniM and oomplatoBMi of the' profes- 

 sional military education ini|>arted by our national 

 school at West Point. But in order to render 

 speedily available, whenever occasion requires, the 

 vast yet dormant ami formless military power of our 

 nation, there should bo a far larger number of onr 

 citizens, than there is at present, \vho possess a mili- 

 tary education somewhere intermediate between tho 

 perfection of West Point und that ignorance of tho 

 most rudimentary duties of a private and the most 

 elementary principles of military science that char- 

 acterizes the great mass of our educated young men. 

 Among the measures which might bo adopted to ac- 

 complish this purpose, the recommendation of Ad- 

 jutant-General R. C Drum of the U. S. Army, in his 

 annual report for 1888, that military science should 

 be made a part of the curriculum of our colleges and 

 universities and that all students who are phy 

 qualified should be required to attend lectures, reci- 

 tations, and drills, is worthy of the most serious con- 

 sideration. 



By the laws of tho United States all able-bodied 

 male citizens between the ages of 18 and 45 years, 

 with the exception of such as are exempted by State 

 laws, are bound, when called upon, to do military 

 duty. Thus the liability to render military service 

 extends over 27 years of the citizen's life ; but, 

 should peace prevail, not one man in a Imndred will 

 ever even play soldier for an hour. The active mili- 

 tia in composed entirely of volunteer organizations. 

 Their discipline must conform to that of the regular 

 U. S. array. Almost everything else is regulated by 

 State laws. The military codes of the different 

 States vary considerably in matters of detail. In 

 certain general features, however, there is substan- 

 tial agreement. Tho term of service is generally five 

 years. In order to indnce men to enlist in such or- 

 ganizations certain privileges are conferred upon 

 their members both during their term of service and 

 after its expiration. One of the most common of 

 these privileges is exemption from tho pmfoRMDoe 

 of jury duty. But the State relies chiefly upon tho 

 fact that a large number of its citizens believe that 

 they can manifest their devotion to law and order 

 and" prove their love of country in no other way so 

 conclusively as by becoming members of some mili- 

 tary organization. The State also relies upon tho 

 strong desire, which is innate in many men, to par- 

 ticipate in military display and to receive their share 

 of the admiration which the general public, male 

 and female,, always extends to a handsome, well- 

 drilled military liody. In many eases, also, mem- 

 bership of such a liody is, to a certain extent, a mark 

 of social distinction. In almost all our large cities 

 there is one, in some of the larger cities more than 

 one, militia regiment of which most young men 

 would be proud to say they were members. 



The amount of actual service required by the 

 State in the course of a year does not generally ex- 

 ceed one week ; but, of coarse, any organisation 

 which makes any pretensions to military excellence 

 devotes, of its own occoid. much more than this 

 amount of time to drill and discipline. 



The amount of money appropriated by the State 

 to the support of the militia is very small. Indeed, 

 membership of a militia regiment or company is al- 

 ways a source of individual expense ; in some cases, 



of very considerable expense. Tho cities often ex- 

 pend far more than the State upon com- 

 posed of their own citi/cns. 'J hey do this partly 

 from municipal pride and partly in older that the 

 civil power, in cases of liotous disturbance t. 

 tensive for it to cope with, may have at hand a mili- 

 tary force upon which it can call for aid in MIJ : 

 ing disorder and maintaining the public peace. In 

 such cases the military is entirely subordinate to tho 

 civil authority. No shot can be fired until tho 

 mayor, sheriff, or other authorized civil ollicer gives 

 permission. 



The total windier of citizens belonging to militia 

 organizations is limited by law. In proportion to 

 th* whole population the number is very small. In 

 tho great State of N-'w York, with a ]>puluti< 

 ceeding r.,<XXI,<MX), the number is limited to -JO.OoO. 

 There is nothing in the whole organinttion of 

 in which the contrast between i I of Kuropo 



and tho .States of the t'nion is more strikingly illus- 

 trated. In Germany, in time of ) eace. every malo 

 citizen not physically incapacitated, is obliged to 

 spend some of the best years of his life in continuous 

 military sen-ice. In the United States, in time of 

 peace, only a very small fraction of the citizens aro 

 permitted to enter tho military service of the State, 

 and then only in such a manner as to hardly consti- 

 tute an interruption to their ordinary avocations. 

 If any numl>er of citizens beyond the legal limit 

 should desire to form a military organization thry 

 can do so in the same manner ns they form athletic 

 societies or base-ball clubs, according to their own 

 rules and at their own e\]>ense. Such a military 

 club, no matter what it might call itself, and no 

 matter how complete, might be its appointments and 

 how perfect its discipline, would no more be a part 

 i if the legal niilitaiT force of the State, than th- 

 York Yacht Club is a part of tho United States 

 Navy. 



According to present regulations officers of tho 

 tlnr U. S. army are detailed to act as professors 

 of military science and tactics in universities, col- 

 leges, and schools under prescribed conditions. 

 During the year ending Sept. 30, 1888, forty institu- 

 tions in different parts of the Union availed them- 

 selves of this opportunity of giving instruction in 

 military science, with practice in military drill, to 

 Mich of their pupils as chose to lecehe it. Tho 

 whole number of students over ]."> \eais of age at- 

 tending these institutions was 7791. Of this num- 

 ber about 4000,or51 percent., at tended in fan try drill. 

 During tin- previous year the same system had been 

 .1. The total number of students was less, and 

 only 49 per cent, attended the drills. Should the 

 t of the students in military matters continue 

 to increase in the same ratio and, above all, should 

 the recommendation of Adjutant-Gi ne:al ]>ium to 

 make attendance upon the lectures and drills of 

 these oflicers obligatoiy upon all students be adopted, 

 it must, in a few years, have, a marked influence upon 

 the military clliciency of the militia. 



\. . urding to the laws of several of the Stales, 

 litia is required to go into enmp for one 

 week ii IT, During this time they are sup- 



posed to conduct themselves in the same manner as 

 iiie troops of the regular army would under similar 

 circumstances. Whenever the Slate authorities re- 

 quest it, officers of the regular army aie detailed to 

 inspect these encampments and give instruction to 

 the militia. These officers make minute reports of 

 result* of their observations to the Adjutant- 

 general of the U. S. Arni.x. During the year end- 

 Sept. 30, 1888, such encampments were held in 

 Those desiring the most accurate 

 and authentic information as to the present condi- 

 tion of the State-militia of these fifteen States, in- 

 cluding among them the three largest States iu tho 



