Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-06-01

| Inc preliminary Work OF arranging the de-
tails for the general muster and encampment
OF the District militia. to be held at Fort Wash
ington during the latter part of July, is being
pushed ahead, and Gen. Ordway feels that mat
tiers are in satisfactory shape. He has re-
celved the formal permission of the War de-
partment, through Gen. Schofeld. the acting
Secretary. to use the reservation at Fort Wash
lngton for camping purposes and is in
daily communication with the quartermaster
and commissary-g generals offices, in relation to
the furnishing of supplies needful for the
camp. Everything in this line has been
granted-tents, haversacks, blankets, KNAPP
sacks, tent furniture, and various other articles
| OF use on such an occasion. Some of the
\ goods have been already received from the de-
! pots where they are stored including an am
| bulance and a complete hospital outfit. All of
| these things. once received. become the prop
erty OF the District national guard, for use in
coming years.
| THE LAY OF THE CAMP.
/ Next week a surveyor and corps of assist
ants will go down to Fort Washington and make
a complete survey of the entire reservation.
| comprising about so acres. BY means of the
map thus obtained Gen. Ordway will plan his
camp. place histents. lay off his parade grounds
/ and will be thus enabled to determine which
portions of the space it will be necessary to
/ clear of the rubbish and underground that
| have accumulated there during the wears
that the fort has been garrisoned solely
| by a sergeant of ordnance. None of the
| actual work of establishing the camp
| however. will be begun until about the
| LIST of July, when a gang of men will be set
! at the work of clearing off the ground and
| erecting the few wooden buildings that will be
! necessary, The tents will not be pitched until
the guard goes down. The date of the encamp-
| ment has not yet been definitely determined.
but 1t is certain TO be either the week beginning
July 16, or that beginning July %, probably the
latter.
The subject of the encampment is the most
frequent topic Of discussion just at present
among the guardsmen. who are awakening to a
more lively interest in the event as the time
approaches. At first they were inclined to OBJ
lect to the payment of any money for the priv
llege OF being given a weeks drilling. but since
Gen. Ordway has told them that their 81 apiece
is to be regarded merely as loan. and that it
Will surely be returned to them they are be-
ginning TO accept the situation, and to antici-
pate considerable pleasure.
THE MATTER OF LEAVES
There is one question, however, that is caus-
ing some anxiety, and that is the attitude of
the business men, the employers Of the guards
men, on the subj ect of leaves for the drill week.
This is stumbling block that every national
guard has. at some stage in its career, to con-
tend against In all of the large cities of the
north. notably, New York. Philadelphia and
Boston. there was at one time decided sent-
ment among employers against letting their
men so for day or two on occasions when the
militia forces made their public appearances.
parades. camps &c. 1t was often the case that
u Suardsman was told that if he went with his
company he would be discharged, and for a
time this had the effect Of dampening the ardor
OF the militia men, who, a rule, could not
afford to risk their situations. But this is now
changed and to-day the merchants willingly
give their men leave to go whenever the ma
tional guard is ordered out for any purpose.
This question has cropped out here to some
extent already, and guardsmen are tightening
their belts to prepare to meet it.
THE CAMP cANTEEN.
There are other problems to be solved in the
preparations of the details of the encampment.
One of these is the matter of dispensing liquors
on the camp grounds. 1t is very likely Gen.
Ordway will give some responsible party suit
lers privilege for the week. The man will
thus-since the camp is on government reser-
vation-be in just the same position as
the poSt-tradcr at any regular army post
and Will be amenable to military law and
order. He will be allowed to sell beer and
light drinks 10 the men ad libitum, under the
inspection Of a responsible provost guard
whose DUTY IL will be to see that no man drinks
too much, and that the trader does not sell an
excts sIve quantity to any one man. For
whisky aud other heavier drinks tickets will be
issued with dlscretiO by the captain of each
company, and must be presented at the traders
counter before any such liquor can be obtained.
limit Will be pat on the number of tickets al
lowed to man. With all this liberty and these
restrictions the men will be warned that
drunkenness will be punished with extreme Sc
verify. and there will be code OF camp regu-
latiOns bearing on this to provide for such cases
offenders IN tins respect will have before them
rather gloomy outlook. All this applies to
the men OF the guard alone, and not to the
visitors, who 1t IS expected will visit the camp
i'll large numbers. 1t is very likely that a reg
ulation will be provided. and carried strictly
into etfCct. prohibiting the sale of any liquors
or other drinks to persons not regularly en-
listed IN the national guard while on the camp
grounds.
With such provisions as these Gen. Ordwav
thinks the chances are against any disturbing
or demorallZing occurrences during the en-
campment resulting from q too free use of
ardent spirits. Gen. Ordway argues that in
such an organization, containing upward of
] 200 men, there are at least zoo to 900 men who
are IN the habit OF drinking moderately each
day. These men, he believes. will have the
liquor. whether they buy it in camp or have it
smuggled to them by friend5 visiting the fort
The moment it is prohibited, and becomes
contraband. it is made a forbidden fruit and
they Will get 1t III even larger quantities than
OF they could walk up to the traders bar and
Duy IL openly. Instead OF glassful q man
will have canteenful. The general, there
fore. is inclined to adopt the plan outlined.
which, he thinks, will rebound to the benefit of
the guard and the success of the camp.
THE ARMoRY QUESTION.
The scheme of flooring over the Northern
Liberty market building and utilizing the space
thus obtained as battalion armory has fallen
through. and Gen. Ordway is considering plans
for transforming the circular building now oc-
eupiel by the panorama of the Manassas battle
field into drill-room. This structure has
larger dimensions than most folks suppose be-
ing 100 feet in diameter. By cutting off suffi-
cient space on each side for company rooms
and lockers it will afford drill space 100 feet
long by 80 wide amply sufficient for the pur-
poses. The cyclOrama managers are willing
TO take the picture out if they can
get enough money rental to pay
them, and at present it looks as
though this structure will be finally utilized.
In this case the project to erect an armory for
the artillery and cavalry companies will I'M
dOubtedy be abandoned and those commands
will use the new urmory with the Others The
floor is perfectly solid and would easily bear
the heavy weight of an indoor artillery or a
cavalry drill
Gen. Ordway looks forward to the time when
by means OF congressional appropriations, the
| guard will become the owner of its armories
| but Tor the present there is nothing to do but
| TO pay rent
EXTENSIVE SALE OF FURNITURE, CARPETS, &C.
1