Show LASSIIERS REPORT H5 Tells the Secretary of War About Utahs National Guard RECOMMENDS THE INDUSTRIAL BUILDING BE GIVEN TO UTAH In Order That at May Be Used for the National Guard Condition of the Ccmiiainles Necil of 3Iore Money Orders Issncil Yesterday for Inspections In-spections Target Practice on TJtanUjysrivlns Otlier Newt of the National Guard The report of First Lieutenant William I Will-iam Lassiter Sixteenth infantry on duty with the National Guard of Utah I having been fed with the secretary of war and officially indorsed and returned re-turned is now made public I is a valuable document for members mem-bers of the guard to peruse more especially es-pecially officers and is thorough in detail de-tail showing a painstaking on the part of the officer making i and for which he is entitled to the thanks of every Lieu member of the state troops tenant Lassiter as a rule is averse to newspaper publicity but in this case that rule must have an exception so far as to admit of the statement that the document every item contained in alluded to has been obtained by careful care-ful scrutiny and observation of the workings ot the organized militia forces of the state The organized forces of this state are set out in the report a follows Gen infantry 16 eral and staff officers 17 companies officers 5S enliste men Glo total 69S cavalry two troops officers 7 enlisted men J > 0 total li artillery two light batteries officers J > enlisted men 1U5 total 113 signal corps bicycle company officers 3 enlisted 12 total 15 total officers 9J enlisted Slit After giving the location of troops companies and batteries regimeiuai and battalion headquarters and such information as will be of value to the war department Lieutenant Lassiter comments somewhat upon the state of the several organizations Alluding to the signal corps he says The signal sig-nal corps is composed of 1 cap can 2 lieutenants and 12 sergeants and is mounted on bicycles and equipped with canteens haversacks and field bents Money has been supplied for purchasing purchas-ing flags heliographs and flash lanterns lan-terns All are expert wheelmen they use the flag and heliograph with facility fa-cility while many of them are competent compe-tent telegraphers The signal corps for reasons which will be perceived is the only organization organiza-tion the work and ability of which is recorded specially Such organizations are valuable in the work in the field and that they should receive this mention men-tion Is gratifying in the extreme a it shows the work which they have done in perfecting themselves In drill has been appreciated On mobilization pf troops the officer ha this to say Ogden Salt Lake I and Provo in the order named being I central a to location of organizations I possessing good railroad facilities and I offering the best means to supply troops Ogden and Salt Lake are considered con-sidered the best points of exit from the state Respecting the time required for concentration for services in and out of the state the report states that a large part of the militia could be ready within 12 hours the entire militia within 48 hours for service in the state I and for outside duty a few hours more owing to a lack of organization in the supply department Fqr GOday service he advises that 60 per cent would turn out for duty Concerning stores and the purchase thereof attention is directed to the for law which makes no provision there Relating to drills and proficiency Lieutenant Lassiter states The code requires at least two a month Some of the companies drill t once a week in a majority of the companies the drill does not extend beyond the school of the company nor to include the ceremonies cere-monies the others have had extended order and battalion drills and have practiced in guard Amounting dress parade and reVIews JThie proficiency is excellent in four ot the organizations good in a few and very poor in the remainder re-mainder This poor state is accounted for in the following paragraph entitled Personnel and Discipline With some exceptions the personnel of officiers and enlisted men is good Cases however are not lacking where the captains inefficiency is responsible for the poor condition of the company The discipline has improved in some organizations The entire guard seems to have a good conception of it but a failure to exact i on the part of some of the officers has been followed by the usual results Speaking of the results of encampment encamp-ment the report says the troops grew fairly proficient and that sentinels learned their duties quickly and thoroughly thor-oughly The artillery practice of the First battery has excellent results Under the head of Recommendations Recommenda-tions the officer says I is recommended recom-mended as indispensable to the successful suc-cessful maintenance of the guard that armories be obtained by purchase or lease at places where there are troops and should state appropriations be too small for this then muster out the more inefficient organizations and take proper care of those remaining That an encampment be had each year of the entire guard or a portion of i which portion shall alternate biennially bi-ennially with the portion remaining out of camp according to the available funds for such duty That encampments be in conjunc tion with troops of the regular army That the Industrial Home building on Fifth East street Salt Lake city be transferred hr the national government govern-ment to the state for the uses of the National Guard That the adjutantgeneral receive a salary sufficient to enable him to devote de-vote his entire time to the duties of his office Under the head of Remarks which closes the report the officer says Generally the guard has deteriorated during the past year owing namely to to the insufficient provisions of the military code to compel attendance to drills and other military dus and to looseness in enforcing the regulations regulatons of the guard In relief however is the marited improvement of a few of the organizations The encampment tnugn voluntary on the part of officers and enlisted men and witnout b < t uon were beneficial Financial aid m furnishing store rooms ana arm halls in providing for the care and preservation of arms and equipments and for the incidental expenses of organizations or-ganizations is noticeably inadequate The guard has been reduced in num bers by the disbanding of A troop First cavalry it having fallen below the standard of efficiency + + + The following orders were issued yesterday Headquarters National Guard of Utah Salt Lake City Nov 16 1S36 Special Orders No 27 The following named officers are appointed ap-pointed special inspectors of the organizations or-ganizations of the National Guard given below namely FIrstLieutenant Colonel H J Newman New-man aide de camp of companies C and K First infantry SecondLieutenant Colonel R C Naylor assistant inspector general of companies A B C and D Second infantry in-fantry ThirdLieutenant Colonel F 1I Dunning inspector of target practice of company L First infantry FourthMajor E A Smith First cavalry of troop B First cavalry Fifth Captain G W Gibbs First battery of the Second battery These inspections will take place between be-tween this date and Dec 31 1896 at such times a may be arranged by the Inspectors after correspondence with company commanders All commissioned officers and enlisted en-listed men are commanded to be present pres-ent for inspection at the date fixed for their respective organization unless excused therefrom by competent authority au-thority or prevented by some evident necessity The inspectors will submit a written report upon the completion of each inspection in-spection which report will be forwarded for-warded to these headquarters through the office of the brigadier general By order of the commanderInchief JOHN Q CANNON Adjutant General + + + The First battery of this city will engage en-gage in Gatling gun pistol and artillery lery practice on Thanksgiving day at I range on the east bench Every I member of the organization Is expected ex-pected to be present + + + Troop C First cavalry of this city is in firstclass condition and is doing well + + The signal corps held a meeting last night which was wellattended and everyone manifested an intense interest inter-est in the work The corps is doing well and is attaining a standard of proficiency which is enviable + + + First battery will drill at the exposition expo-sition this week Thursday Lieutenant I Steele will be in command He is preparing pre-paring for the examination which will I take place on the 25th Captain Dewey I Richards and several other officers elect will be examined at the same time I tme o |