Adjutant General's Office, }
Annapolis, December 19th, 1857. }
To His Excellency,

Governor Ligon.

Sir :—I feel it a duty incumbent upon me to invite your early
attention to the continued lamentable condition of our general
militia system; in addition to the apt reflections bestowed there-
upon, as shown so lucidly and forcibly in your Excellency's last
Annual Message to the Legislature, and according to my judg-
ment, to recommend that if a judicious mode of preparing—disci-
plining our militia—something fundamental and abiding worthy of
a name, cannot be substituted in place of our inefficient military
code; to use your influence to have all our militia laws expunged
from the statute book; except those referable to our meritorious
uniformed volunteer corps; these acts to be thoroughly amended,
so as to harmonize with that freedom of choice, which alone ush-
ers into being such laudable organizations—insure more spirit in,
and durability to their ranks, and thereby place our State in a po-
sition where she ought to be during profound peace.

It is a fact not to be denied, that ever since the original law of
1793, with many others, for the better regulation of our militia—
all of them based upon supposed suitable principles, which, after
so long a trial, have not, with the great bulk of our able bodied
yeomanry, produced the slightest beneficial result. Nay, have
been a total failure, and obviously so, because not adapted to the
nature of the case which, if kept in force for five hundred years,
will yield nothing better.

With so much sad experience of the utter inutility of past leg-
islation upon this highly important subject—involving present and
prospective interest of such magnitude to Maryland; a longer
continuance of such laws, or to pass others of a like character,
would, in my opinion, be the height of folly.

For a peace establishment, our numerous laws are not calculat-
ed to meet the wants of our State, much less conform to the hab-
its and peaceful disposition of our population, and beyond doubt
have effected nothing with enrolled district militia, but a system of
officers. I say a system of officers, with no intention of underat-
ing or reflecting upon them, no, indeed. On the contrary, be our
code of laws what it may, commissioned officers cannot be dis-
pensed with; but amidst our high sounding statutes, imposing al-
most numberless impracticable restrictions, penalties and fines,
upon officers and men, for non-performance of duty, have always
been, and now are, more disregarded, than at any former period
of our history, rendering said laws a dead letter upon the record.