Governor Disbands Ten Militia Companies in Small-Town Washington

The order for the reorganization of the militia has been issued, and as anticipated the Seattle companies remain intact, the companies disbanded being the isolated ones located at smaller towns and at places in close proximity to the regular army posts. The order is as follows:

General Headquarters, National Guard of Washington, Olympia, Wash., June 27, 1896.

General Orders No. 1.

Under and by virtue of the provisions of section 29 of an act of the legislature of Washington, approved March 19, 1896, known as the military code, the brigade commander has made the following recommendation to the commander-in-chief:

In performance of the duty imposed upon me by the provisions of section 69, article 5, of the Military Code, I hereby respectfully recommend that the following companies of the National Guard of Washington be mustered out and disbanded: Companies H and I, First regiment, and companies B, G, I and K, Second regiment; the First Unattached company, of Waterville; and troops C and D, of the First Cavalry battalion.

In connection with this recommendation I take the liberty of suggesting that the interests of the service would be furthered by the formation and admission of a new company of infantry at Spokane.

The foregoing recommendation is approved, and the immediate mustering out and disbandment of the following named companies of infantry and troops of cavalry is hereby ordered: Company H, First Infantry regiment, Vancouver; company I, First regiment, Port Townsend; company B, Second Infantry regiment, Goldendale; company C, Second Infantry regiment, Centerville; company G, Second Infantry regiment, Spokane; company I, Second Infantry regiment, Clyde; company K, Second Infantry regiment, Tekoa; First Unattached company, Waterville; troop C, First Cavalry battalion, North Yakima; troop D, First Cavalry battalion, Spokane.

The company commanders of the several companies disbanded will collect and carefully retain and preserve all state property for which they are responsible, until the possession thereof is demanded by the adjutant general.

By order of the commander-in-chief.

E. C. MACDONALD, Acting Adjutant General.

It was necessary to muster out five companies of the Second regiment east of the mountains and two companies from the First, or vice versa. The former course was decided upon. Of those disbanded Company H, of the First regiment, was located at Vancouver; so near to the regular army post that it could be readily spared. Company I, at Port Townsend, is said to have been very weak and to have drilled very little for some time. Of the First regiment these two were expected to be disbanded ever since the new law was passed.

In the Second regiment, by the loss of Company B, of Goldendale, and Company C, of Centerville, Klickitat county is left with no militia. Company G, of Spokane, is the company which at the time of the Debs strike last July refused to ride on a train manned by non-union employes. It will be noticed that the above order provides for a new company in the place of Company G. The towns of Tekoa and Clyde were probably thought too small to recruit a company of the size intended under the new law. The unattached company of Waterville belonged to neither regiment, and several of the members lived twenty-five miles away, making drills very infrequent. A troop of cavalry will remain at Tacoma and one at Sprague.

Gov. McGraw has sent a written notice to each of the line officers of the First regiment, inviting them to meet with him this evening at the Armory for the purpose of discussing the appointment of field officers, namely, colonel, lieutenant colonel and major.

The three companies of Seattle are the only ones in any one town which can form a battalion, and for that reason it is hoped that a Seattle man can be agreed upon for colonel who can easily be present at all battalion drills.

Capt. George H. Fortson said last evening: 'The new law provides for the formation of a regiment and a part of a regiment, with regimental officers, and I think that it is the intention to have a regimental organization for Eastern Washington, where there will be six companies of infantry and one troop of cavalry. This will be a highly satisfactory arrangement, and aside from the short appropriation the new law is a very good one.'