Memoirs of John Adams Dix; comp. by his son, Morgan Dix.

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MEMOIRS OF JOHN ADAMS DIX.

ence to him of certain bills which had been introduced in the
previous session. The tendency of those bills was to treat
the militia system as superfluous and burdensome, and still
farther to diminish its efficiency. These attacks upon the
system were not confined to the Legislature alone, but were
set on foot in the principal cities by mock organizations,
which paraded the streets in fantastical garb and absurd paraphernalia, in derision of the militia. The same spirit was
prevalent elsewhere. In the Legislature of Massachusetts, in
the session of 1830-'31, a committee was instructed, by a vote
of fifty-two majority, to bring in a bill to abolish all drills, inspections, and reviews of the militia, and such a bill was reported accordingly. The effect, however, was to alarm the
conservative men of the House, and cause them to look into
the principles of the institution, and the alternative which its
abolition presented. After a fortnight's debate the bill was
rejected by a majority of fifty-six, and another was introduced giving greater encouragement to the militia than any
passed since the war of 1812. General Dix was in correspondence with the Adjutant-general of Massachusetts, William H. Sumner, on these matters, as regards which the two
officers appear to have been of one mind. His views are presented in his report already referred to. He argued that the
safety of the Republic required that the whole body of the
people should be trained to arms, and that a sufficient organization of our military force should be kept up to maintain,
against external and internal dangers, the public rights and
those of the private citizen. Instead of approving the bills
referred to him, he therefore urged a more thorough organization and equipment of the militia, in view of dangers
abroad and at home. It becomes a great people to be always
prepared for war, and able to resist and suppress internal disorder and violence. While, under our institutions, a standing
army is inadmissible, there ought to be ample provision for a
National Guard, and for the education of officers to take the
men into the field whenever it may be necessary. He re