The morning call., 1890-05-28
CITIZEN SOLDIERY.
Misleading Reports Concerning the Bri

Misleading Reports Concerning the Bril-
gade Drill.
The National Guard is branch of the
State Government, though every officer and
man in the same serves without pay, and
has, moreover, to board himself. 1t is sup
ported by the people, and that people has
the right to know what is going on in it
and how it is done, instead of being gulled
with false and adulatory reports to conceal
shortcom ingS and inefficiencies. These re-
marks are aDropos of the brigade drill on
Monday night, and some of the reports of
the same which would make horse laugh.
One report called it a street riot drill"
whereas the movements mapped out, but
not executed for good and sufficient reasons,
were from Upton. Another report limo
Gently rehashed the programme as given in
orders and declared that the same was
executed, whereas, Tor good and sufficient
reasons, 1t was not, and, 1t having been
found that the movements could not be
executed, the programme came to q rather
sudden end. Quoting again innocently
from orders, that same report declares that
the interval of six yards between battalions
was maintained during the drill, whereas it
was not
pany turned out twelve files front, double
rank, with two gudes-a willful misrepre-
sentatlon that cannot be excused, even on
the plea OF darkness on the avenue where
The drill occurred. 1t may be stated that
a sermon on the lack of iuterest-if not eff
ficiency-mght be written on the COM
panies, which cannot turn out twelve files
front, double rank, with two guides
twenty-siX men-and after a two-weeks'
notice of the drill. The plea will be urged
that Monday was not the drill night of all
the companies. Nor was it, as a matter of
fact. yet one battalion turned out eight
companies of twenty-siX men each, al
though there are only seven compa MES in
that battalion.
Three battaions of twenty-four COM
panies, twelve files front. double rank, with
two guides, would have numbered 1914
men," as one report claims we're present;
but not even the darkness that prevailed
could have obscureG the fact that only the
First did parade with the complement or
dered; that the Second Artillery had two
divisions (or four companies) in single rank
and that the Third Infantry had seven COM
panies in single rank of twelve files and
one of eight, so that, conceding for the sake
of argument that the twenty-four COM
panles had their forty-eight guides, there
were present 416. or 14S short of the number
required by orders and falsely reported as
present. Counting also field and line Off
GERS ana there were not 551 present. show
ing deficit Of seventy-three, and demon
strating how accurate these reports of
military affairs have come to be.
The darkness of the night is seriously
given as the reason which "marred the sue
cess" OF the drill. and. to cap the climax,
General Cutting is reported to have soon
graduated the commanders of the three
regiments on the excellent showing of the
men," 1t is open to question whether the
General was In mood to congratulate, GER
tainly not upon any excellent showing"
of twelve files, single rank. 1t should be
stated in justice that the marching of the
men in the dark and over the rough mac
adam spread on the avenue was good, and
the battalions, such as they were, were well