Mecklenburg County Home 
 Guard - 1917 
 
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RULES AND REGULATIONS 
 
 OF 
 
 MECKLENBURG COUNTY 
 HOME GUARD 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA COUNCIL OF DEFENSE 
 
 CHARLOTTE, N. C 
 
 DECEMBER, 1917 
 
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 Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2012 with funding from 
 
 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
 
 http://archive.org/details/rulesregulationsOOnorth 
 

 RULES AND REGULATIONS 
 
 OF 
 
 Mecklenburg County 
 Home Guard 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA COUNCIL 
 OF DEFENSE 
 
 i— NAME 
 The name of this organization shall be 
 "The Mecklenburg County Home Guard." 
 
 2— OBJECT 
 The object of this organization shall be to 
 secure and preserve, in Mecklenburg County, 
 North Carolina, the observance of law and 
 order, and the true and patriotic support of 
 the constituted authorities of our State and 
 Nation thruout the period of the present war, 
 and for these purposes to serve as a branch 
 of the Mecklenburg County Council of the 
 North Carolina Council of Defense, by and 
 under authority of which it is created. 
 
 3— MEMBERSHIP 
 Membership in this organization shall be 
 \ confined to able-bodied male citizens of 
 ^ Mecklenburg County, who possess physical 
 -^ courage and dependability in time of stress, 
 and the respect and confidence of their com- 
 y\ munities. Membership in this Home Guard 
 _ is to be established as a distinction and an 
 
honor ; and the membership shall be elected 
 with the strictest regard to their high char- 
 acter, in order to attain this end. 
 
 4— ORGANIZATION 
 
 The independent unit of organization shall 
 he the squad. Except as hereinafter provided, 
 there shall he a squad in each of the eleven 
 wards of the City of Charlotte, one in the 
 village of Belmont-Hoskins, and one in each 
 of the fourteen Townships, exclusive of Char- 
 lotte Township, in Mecklenburg County; and 
 the number of men, including officers, in each 
 squad shall he as now assigned by the Organi- 
 zation Committee, viz. : 
 Charlotte: Ward 1—33 men. 
 
 Ward 2 — 16 men. 
 
 Ward 3 — 17 men. 
 
 Ward 4 — 28 men. 
 
 Ward 5 — 2\ men. 
 
 Ward 6 — 28 men. 
 
 Ward 7 — 14 men. 
 
 Ward 8 — 21 men. 
 
 Ward 9 — 16 men. 
 
 Ward 10 — 9 men. 
 
 Ward 11 — 8 men. 
 
 Belmont— 10 men. 
 In Each Township (except Charlotte 
 Township) — 11 men. 
 
 5— OFFICERS 
 The general command of this Home Guard 
 shall be vested in a Commander, a Lieutenant- 
 Commander, and a Junior Lieutenant-Com- 
 mander. These officers shall he elected 
 annually in open meeting of the membership 
 2 
 
by a majority of the members present, to hold 
 office until their successors are elected. 
 They shall jointly constitute a Governing 
 Board. It shall be their duty as a Board to 
 see to the maintenance of the high character 
 of the membership, and to pass on all men 
 proposed for membership ; to keep in active 
 touch with the constituted authorities having 
 jurisdiction in this County over the general 
 objects of this organization; to determine, 
 matters of policy for the best effectiveness 
 of the organization in attaining its objects as 
 above set forth ; and to communicate such 
 decisions, thru the Commander, as orders to 
 the Squad Captains, for observance by them 
 and their squads. In addition to their col- 
 lective duty, these officers shall have particu- 
 lar duties as follows : 
 
 The Commander alone shall have authority 
 to issue orders to the Squad Captains. He 
 shaU preside over meetings of the Board, and 
 over meetings of the membership of the Guard. 
 He shall call meetings of the Board, upon the 
 request of any member of the Board; and 
 shall call meetings of the Squad Captains or 
 of the entire membership upon the majority 
 vote of the Board, or upon the request of 
 eight or more Squad Captains. PROVIDED, 
 however, that there shall be called at least one 
 meeting of the entire membership annually, 
 on the second Saturday in October, at eleven 
 a. m. 
 
 The Lieutenant-Commander shall act as 
 Secretary of this organization, and shall keep 
 full and clear records of membership, enlist- 
 3 
 
ments, and discharges, and shall keep minutes 
 of all meetings of the membership or of the 
 Board. In the absence of the Commander, he 
 shall exercise all the duties and authority of 
 the Commander. 
 
 The Junior Lieutenant-Commander shall act 
 as Treasurer of this Organization, guard any 
 funds belonging to it, and keep records of all 
 receipts and disbursements. In the absence of 
 the Lieutenant-Commander, he shall exercise 
 all the duties and authority of the Lieutenant- 
 Commander. 
 
 The direct command of each independent 
 squad shall be vested in a Squad Captain, who 
 shall, for the purposes of this organization, be 
 in full and absolute command of his squad, 
 and directly responsible for its activity in 
 attaining the objects of the organization. He 
 shall appoint from the membership of the 
 squad under him a Senior Squad Lieutenant 
 and a Junior Squad Lieutenant, each of whom, 
 in the order named, shall succeed to the duties 
 and authority of the next higher officer in 
 case of absence of such higher officer : but 
 only in such case shall special authority 
 devolve on squad lieutenants, unless especially 
 delegated by the Squad Captain. It shall be 
 the duty of every Squad Captain to maintain 
 close touch with all the members of his squad, 
 to the end that the squad shall work harmoni- 
 ously and as a unit under his direction and 
 oversight. 
 
 It shall be the duty of every officer of this 
 organization, in case of leaving the County, 
 to notifv the Commander, in order that in 
 
emergency there may be no delay in- com- 
 municating with the squads. 
 
 6— RESIGNATIONS 
 Any member may resign his membership in 
 this organization ; but such resignation shall 
 be made in writing to the Squad Captain, by 
 whom it shall promptly be forwarded to the 
 Commander for purposes of record. 
 
 7— DISCHARGES 
 For good and sufficient cause, a member 
 may be discharged from this organization by 
 his Squad Captain, who shall promptly in 
 such case make a written report of the case 
 to the Commander, setting forth his reasons, 
 and the date such discharge is effective. A 
 member so discharged shall have the right 
 of appeal to the Governing Board, thru the 
 Commander, whose duty it shall be to review 
 the case ; but from the decision of the 
 Governing Board there shall be no appeal. 
 
 8— ENLISTMENTS 
 Vacancies occurring in the squads thru 
 resignations or discharges shall be promptly 
 filled by men nominated in writing by the 
 Squad Captain to the Governing Board, 
 approved by them, and enlisted by the Squad 
 Captain. Furthermore, in case any Squad 
 Captain finds it desirable to increase the num- 
 ber of the membership in his squad, he shall 
 submit his reasons, and the names of the addi- 
 tional men he desires to enlist, in writing to 
 the Governing Board ; and in such case the 
 Governing Board shall have the power, in its 
 discretion, to increase the membership of any 
 5 
 
squad by nominees of its Squad Captain up to 
 a strength not to exceed twice that herein- 
 above provided for that particular squad ; but 
 no new member shall be enlisted in any squad 
 without the approval of the Board. Every 
 man enlisted shall sign the following promise, 
 on a card of record which shall be provided 
 for the purpose : 
 
 "1 desire to join the Mecklenburg County 
 Home Guard, and if selected as a member 
 I so 1 emuly promise: 
 
 ''First: To give whole-souled allegiance to 
 the United Slates, and at all times to do my 
 duty as a patriotic citizen. 
 
 "Second: To abide by all the Rules and 
 Regulations of this Home Guard, and to obey, 
 willingly and without question, all orders from 
 its duly appointed officers. 
 
 "Signature : 
 
 "Witness : " 
 
 9-DUES 
 For the purpose of defraying the necessary 
 expenses of communication, such as station- 
 ery, printing, postage, telegraph and telephone 
 tolls, each member is expected to pay to his 
 Squad Captain the sum of twenty-five cents ; 
 the same to be turned in by the Squad 
 Captain to the Junior Lieutenant-Commander. 
 
 io— DUTIES OF ALL MEMBERS 
 It shall be the duty of every member of 
 this organization : 
 
 (a) To exercise especial watchfulness over 
 conditions in his immediate neighborhood, and 
 6 
 
to report to his Squad Captain any evidences 
 of conditions harmful to the public welfare; 
 realizing that many harmful conditions can 
 be more easily stopped by "words in their 
 beginning, than by force after they are well- 
 rooted. 
 
 (b) To use all means to put a stop to dis- 
 loyal, seditious, or treasonable talk or action ; 
 realizing that ignorance, or misinformation 
 coming from enemy sources, is apt to be the 
 cause of any such display by our citizens, and 
 that the prompt and firm counsel of the mem- 
 bers of the local squad can usually convert 
 and restrain ; but realizing fully that nothing 
 can excuse or permit to be overlooked treason 
 in oi: r midst, and that in every such case it is 
 the duly of every member of this organiza- 
 tion carefu'ly to gather evidence which will 
 insure conviction and proper punishment by 
 the Federal Authorities, if need be. 
 
 (c) To be, in his personal life and con- 
 versation, an example, and an active leader in 
 
 1 the neighborhood of his home and place of 
 business, in active patriotism of deeds, and 
 not of words only; and to let all men near 
 him know that this is no time for selfishness, 
 indifference, or cowardice ; but that whatever 
 our country calls on us to do, that must be 
 thoroly done, and done cheerfully. 
 
 (d) To respond immediately, without 
 hesitation or questioning, to every call of his 
 Squad Captain made in the name of this Home 
 
 • Guard; to consult and advise freely with his 
 Squad Captain, and to promote by every means 
 in his power harmony among the members of 
 7 
 
his squad, its effectiveness of action as a 
 squad, and its individual and collective loyalty 
 to the Squad Captain. 
 
 (e) To follow the principle that order and 
 harmony among our people is to be maintained 
 by watchfulness for sources of trouble, and by 
 prompt and firm moral suasion by the men 
 of this Home Guard when the source is found; 
 and that no use of force or of arms is ever 
 to be made under authority of this Home 
 Guard. 
 
 (f) To respond immediately to the call of 
 the Sheriff of this County, and to serve as a 
 deputy under him in case of active disorder 
 in the County ; and under such authority from 
 the Sheriff to use such force of arms as he 
 shall direct, to secure law-abiding and order. 
 
 (g) To know the substance of these regu- 
 lations, and of such further amendments and 
 additions hereto as shall be adopted by the 
 membership. 
 
UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL 
 
 00032773758 
 
 This book may be kept out one month unless a recall 
 notice is sent to you. It must be brought to the North 
 Carolina Collection (in Wilson Library) for renewal. 
 

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