Show STATE MILITIA the awakening of interest in the organization and equipment of the national guard Is almost universal in all the states and in calling for tha very favorable attention of congress in this connection the story of the american national guard from the beginning will be of interest to ak readers it Is the theory of our form of government that in case of war the government must rely on its citizen soldiery for defense and that a large standing army Is not and never can be necessary that being the theory it would naturally occur to alif least observant that the militia should constantly receive the approbation and encouragement of the governing authorities ties until within a comparative ly few years congress has been very remiss in its treatment of the mill ala except in most of the wars with the indians and our recent war alti spain it hag been alie volunteers anat not the regulars that did most of th fighting not that the regulars did not tight well but because they comprise but a small portion of the forces of the government in all the wars ahn government has been engaged in it has been handicapped very greatly by alie want of a well organized anil trained militia congress very early recognized the need of an organized militia and took some stops toward encouraging such an organization but in the early of our government lack 0 means made these steps very small and inadequate tor effective work the farst law on the subject will prove a curiosity in these days of great achievements one section reads as follows every citizen 0 o enrolled and notified shall within six months thereafter provide himself with a musket or a sufficient bayonet and bolt two spare flints and a knapsack a pouch with a box therein to maintain not less than twenty tour cartridges suited to the bore of his musket or each cartridge to contain a proper quantity cf powder ana ball or with a good rifle knapsack shot pouch and powder horn twenty balls suited to tho bore of his rifle and a quarter of a pound of powder this act was passed in 1789 and it will be seen that the militiaman was expected to furnish his own arms and ammunition and equip himself thoroughly at his own expense in those days nearly every man had a or musket as it wae necessary for the defense of his family and the community against indian raids but the section in regard to the arms and equipment 0 the officers Is more of curiosity than the other and refers to somo equipments the national guardsman of today would bo at a to know the use of another curiosity in the section Is the provision that the militiaman should bold his arms aal equipments exempt from taxes or payment of debts it reads with a sword or hanger and es pontoon and that from and after five years from the passage of this act all muskets for the arming of the ml latla as herein required shall be of bores sufficient for balls of the eighteenth part of a pound and every citizen so enrolled and providing himself with the arms ammunition and accoutrements required reou ired as afore said shall hold the same exempted exempt el from all suite distresses executions or sales or debt or for tho payment of A tow years later there came a breath of war with france and on the seas several encounters took place between american and french war vessels the prospect was so atron that it was felt best to strengthen the anil the sum of wa appropriated to procure stand of arms to be sold to th everal es states or the armament of the militia these arms were to be held for sale but not sold thay were to be delivered to the when called into the service of the united states it was also provided that for artillery and cavalry afao government would loan guns and equipment to the states this was the first direct alon for amre for the and it will bo seen the government did apt propose to supply the arms but to sell them to the states As early as 1808 the relations between this country and great britain were so strained that jf was thought best by congress to take some active measures toward arming the militia and a law was enacted making an an nual appropriation for the purpose of providing arms and military equipments for the whole body of the militia of the united states the arms and equipments were to be purchased or manufactured at the government arsenals since 1808 there have been two for the purchase of arms one consisting of and its accumulations and the other of a changing appropriation for arms for the regular establishment these two funds hava always been kept separate by the secretary of war and there was a time when about the only arans furnished the were those discarded by the regular army by 1897 the government had accumulated a large reserve supply of arms and the began clamoring for a better equipment and army began to recognize the importance of training tha to use the arms that would bo in actual service in time of war in 1897 congress provided that the secretary of war is hereby authorized zed to to governors of the several states and territories such number of springfield breech loading rifles calibre forty alve one hundredths of an inch as are required for arming all the regularly organized and equipped militia generally known as the national guard of each state and that are not already supplied with this arm during the short war with spain some of the regiments of volunteers raised by the several states having taken into the service the arms issued to the militia and the government having retained the arms when the regiments were mustered out the war department was authorized to replace such arms ao retained by new rifles of the game model the provision of the law being that on application of the governor of any state or territory the secretary of war Is authorized to replace the ordnance and ordnance stores which the volunteers from said state or territory carried into the service of the united states army during the recent war with spain and have been retained by the united states after awhile a new model was adopted by the government far the arming of the regulars and the militia opre again put at a disadvantage and in 1903 congress placed them once more on an equality go tar as armament went by replacing the adrinn issued at the close of the war with spain with rifles of the new mode the act providing as follows the secretary of war is hereby authorized zed to issue on the requisition of the governors of the several stated and territories or of the commande comman dm general of the militia of the district of columbia such number of united states standard service magazine arms as are required for the army of the united states for arming all of the organized all atla in said states and territories and district of columbia similar authority waa given the aft apartment part ment by tho act of 1904 contal noil in the army appropriation bill it pro elded that for the purpose of furnishing tho necessary articles to fully arm equip and supply regiment battalion squadron company troop battery sl gna engineer and hospital corps and department of tho organized militia of tho several states and territories and district ot colum bla with the same armament and equipment aa are now prescribed for corresponding branches of the line or in ha regular arm the secretary of war la hereby ta issue the armament and equipment to the organized militia now that another change has been made in the of the regulars once more the old inequality exists as the militia have the krag and the regulars the new springfield model 1903 it la held by the war department that it has no power to issue tho new arms to thy militia without coi 1 action the department recognizes the importance of l ing the bragg of the national guard for the now in di is very anxious to do go V 1 |