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THE Committees to whom was referred the


letter of the Secretary fNVsr of the Uni.


ted States, to his Excellency the Govern


or. bearing date at Washington. March


15.h 1913, in answer to IN application,


made oy his Excellency in compliance


with = resolve of the honourable the Cen


ersi Court OF the Commonwealth of Mas


sachusetts, TO the Executive of the Uni


ted States, requesting such supply oi


muskets MS nigh, be considered the pro


portion TO which the Common wealth was


entitled under a law Of the United States


passed IN April 1898 BY whictl,w the an.


nusl sum Of two hundred Thousand dollars


was appropriated Tor the purpose Of provi


ding arms for the militia of the United


States, to be transmitted to the several


States IN proportion TO The effective mill.


tia in each S.ate,--


RespEcTFuLLY REPORT,


TIA L The laws of the United States
referred 10 by ms Exceiienov the Governor,
and en- tiled ian act making provisions for
arming and equrpping he whole body of the
militia OF ,he ". 5. and to appropriate snnu'
ally S2o0.o00 for that purpose, provides that
tie MS procured IN virtue Of that act, shall
be rars0iiaed TO the several states compo.
sing zoe Uaion, aud the territories thereof,
to each State and territory respectively. IN
proportion 10 the number of effective militia
therein, under such rules and equations AS
sbsl. be by law prescribed by The Legs.
lature OF esca state or territory.


In the apprehension ot your Committee,
The tesu;s oil the law are SIMPLE, precise,
and definite. aJmitting neither of perver-
s,on of pu pose nor latitude of construction
D ,he iavourtism of psfti,hty, or All indul.
gence Ut caprice.


lie people of the Uaited States for tire
better defence thereof, by an act of their
constituted authorities, set aside from their
revenue ibe annual sum Of two hundred
'housand dollars, for srming and equiping
the W ole body oi the mius OF the United
States, and xressly directed that the arms
paoVided IN virtue of that act should be
transm'ted 70 The several states compUs'
rsg the Union and territories thereof; to
each Stale and Territory respectively IN
p oportion 10 the number of its effective
militia. Hence II became the duty of the
government not % wait for the application
ot the several States, but on the receipt Of
surh supply OF arms, as would ADM, OF u
eessonsble div,alou, promptly to transmit
the same 10 The respective states and Serri-
tories


Whether this has been done, conforina.
bly, with the provisions Of the law, or con.
sis'en'iy with those principles of respect,
equality aud impartially, which ought 10
regulate tie conduct Of the General Gov.
eminent towards each me ember ofibe con.
iederacy-'he history of The amount of This
iand--the distribution of the arms--and the
ieuer of the Secretary OF War will deter
mine.


The act having passed in April, 1908, It
Is evident that at this time one million OF