Show A MILITIA LAW A bini BILI is under consideration in tho the house of representatives providing z for the enrollment of every able bodied male citizen between the awes ages ages 0 of eight eighteen een edn and forty five this militia to be divided into the active and aud the reserve the active to be trained craned in accordance with the system of tactics prescribed by army regulations for tho the united states army the united states to furnish the arms and equipments the states and territories to furnish the men the active militia to go into camp for at least five consecutive days in each year and to assemble for drill at least once a month and to be subject to the call into actual service by the president of the united states in case of necessity the organization of the militia to be in each state and terri territory tory according to its laws jaws and under its control the bill is recommended by the committee on militia it is an accordance cor dance with the rights of congress section VIII of the constitution which defines the powers of congress says par 15 to provide for organ organizing izing arming and disciplining the militia and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the united states reserving to the states respectively the appointment of the off omm meers officers and the authority of training the militia according to tho the discipline prescribed by congress gressel the measure seems to be founded in wisdom some military training is a necessary feature in modern education in case of serious disturbances or of civil or foreign war a militia familiar with army tactics would be far better material out of which to form troops for active service than raw recruits ignorant of the simplest maneu in an indian country too or in regions subject at any time to incursions or attacks from the savages the presence of trained com companies ab anies with arms at hand would be a great security and would save the transportation of regular troops from a distance and the waste of time elapsing before the latter could be brough brought t into in to action utah used to have a well trained militia of late years it has fallen into desuetude this is not because there is no interest among our young and able bodied men in military tactics and training but because the people have submitted to the arbitrary exercise of unconstitutional power by imported officials full of self importance the right to bear arms is is guaranteed by the supreme law jaw of the tiie land but bumptious federal officials clothed with a little brief authority presumed to dissolve our militia and forbid its mustering and the 11 cg 11 re bellous mor mons au submitted to I 1 prevent any excuse of a charge that they were in in hostility to the tile government and authority of the united states article II 11 of the amendments to the constitution says A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of free afree a state the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed 22 that the territories have the right to a mill militia tia organization as well as the states is beyond dispute the revised statutes providing that the governor of each territory shall be the commander in n chief of the militia thereof commanding and abolishing are widely diff different brent indeed they are utterly incompatible and if the people of this territory chose torvall to avail themselves 3 of their thew constitutional rights there is n no 0 thing under the sun pun that could jaw a w fully prevent them from bearing arms in the organization provided for in our territorial statutes which is not dead because it is slee sleeping ing if the bill now before congress t should become a law the five days clays annual camping campin and the monthly days drill would be of no injury to our veo people le and there is no doubt that if incle guele uncle sam found the arms and equipments equipment utah would furnish her proper quota of the men |