Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-11-22

DrcED IN THE DIsTRrcr-THz THANKSGIVING
DAY RIFLE MATCHES AND OTHER MArTEas
As was anticipated, the communication in
the National Guard column Of last Saturdays
STAR stirred up any quantity of comment To
print one-half Of tho remarks made by guards
men would take up every column of sixteen
page STAR. Up to the present time but one Of
ncer has put his views in shape for publication,
and, OF course, that officer is Gen. Ordway. To
iHE STAR reporter the general said:
II read the remarks Of your correspondent
with much interest The more Of such crit
icism and suggestions we can have tho better.
They do good by exciting discussion and
hope TO see more Of them from oil sourcea /
judge that your correspondent is . man Of
military experience or education. Also
that he 10 or has been an officer Of the
regular army and that he has given
considerable attention and thought to the Ma
tional Guard movement, realizing that it is the
only reserve military force we have. I should
further Judge that while he has given thought
to the subject he has never had to deal with
tho problems practically. can see from tho
views on most matters would probably be in
accord
TIE SIZE OF THE GUARD.
"His first statement-tha. the force seems
too large IN proportion to the population drawn
upon-ls point for the application Of fact and
no. for argument or for comparison with other
cities. AS q matter of fact the fo-ce has varied
very little IN three years; the number of en-
hstments equals the number of discharges
with a tendency to exceed them which shows
that the number of the force IS prop
erly proportioned to the population. /
think, however, he intended to apply his argu-
ment to the number Of companies into which
10 in hIvtla cd fba- ~
tho force. This is purely q question of mil
itary organization and policy and one which
confronted me in the original organization and
has given me cause for thought many times
since. From purely military point Of view,
your correspondent Is entirely right, and in
service he and / would fully agree.
One regiment Of 1900 men would be
more efficient and desirable than two
regiments of 600 men-one company Of 100
men than battalion OF four companies of IS
men each But In carrying out the purposes
for which the National Guard is maintained
have concluded that different policy is ad-
visable and cannot agree with your CORE
spondent that Ii Is better to consolide twelve
company-three-b attalion regiments into eight
company two battalion regiments in order that
the companies may be kept up to the maxi
mum strength.
SCHOOL OF INSTRUCTION.
81 believe that the most important use Of the
National Guard is in being a school Of instruc-
ton. To make it an efficient school of in
struction there must DO a complete organiza-
ton You cannot instruct in the school of the
brigade unless you have at least two regi-
ments. You cannot instruct in the school of
the regiment under the three-battalion system
unless you have thres battalions in the regi-
ment anC four companies IN each battalion
As a school Of instruction 1t makes no differ
ence whether there are twenty men or one
hundred men in each company. Being given
nnn han oh
regiment, would for the purpose OF instruc-
ton unhesitatingly divide them into compa-
MES OF sufficient size to make them the skele-
ton OF two complete regiments rather than into
one full regiment and the fraction OF another
or into two fractional regiments.
A SKELETON BRIGADE.
"Beyond the purpose of instruction there is
a still stronger reason why / think my policy
the best one. The National Guard changes its
membership constantly, SO that in every COM
munity there are always a large number Of men
who have once belonged to 1t and who in emer-
gencles would Immediately temporarily rejoin
their old commands. IL the militia should be
called out for temporary service the
skeleton brigade that / advocate as
the proper organization would in twenty-four
hours be filled to Its maximum number with at
least partially trained men and without any
Glsarrangement of the machinery of organiza-
ton. In case OF an emergency under your cor
regiments an entirely new battalion would be
required IN each 1t Is almost a military axiom
that gwen number of men put into an exist
Ing organization are more quickly available
and can render more efficient service than
double the number of men formed into wholly
new organizations; therefore, while agreeing
TO the theory of rc1r correspondent and to its
practicabllity SO far actual service is con-
cerned- believe thai my policy is the correct
one as a school of instruction.
REGIMESTAE PRIDE.
81 agree fully with your correspondents re-
marks that battalion and regimental pride
should be encouraged to replace company feel
ing, and am glad to say that considering the
fact that the brigade started by bring
ing together wholly independent COM
panies wonderful progress has been
made in the direction he indicates
The point however. should not be carried SO
far as to wholly obliterate company feeling or
to repress a proper rivalry between companies.
The company is the basis of the whole organi-
zation and on its efficiency in company mat
tiers depends the efficiency of the whole.
COMPETITIVE DRILLS.
I'm regard to competitive drills, which your
correspondent 50 emphatically condemns, /
must agree that they are not entitled to much
favor from thoughtful military men. Machine
like movements and clock-like precision are no
longer considered the highest proof of efl-
eiency Nevertheless. as one who has
carefully watched the subject, / must
admit that competitive drills have been
of indirect benefit to the modern National
Guard movement. / regard them as some-
thing like the diseases of childhood-inevit-
able and often making the adult stronger
They are generally incident to new and grow
ing organizations and have no place in the old
militia of the eastern states. They originated
in the south and west at q time when thare
was but little II any interest taken
IN maintaining regular organized militia.
They are entitled to the credit of having started
the military spirit and made possible the splen-
did organizations now existing in the west
and south. They attract a large number of
young men to devote a vast amount of time to
attain perfection in matters of compare
lively slight importance, but out Of these
young men at least % per cent become suffi-
GENTLY imbued with the military spirit to take
up the higher and more important branches of
military education. For the sake of obtaining
that % per cent competitive drills are to be
endured even though they may not be en-
couraged"
OLD AND NEW METHODS.
81 am going to take decided exceptions to
one sentence in the unknown critics criticism.
He says: The fact is evident that many meth
DDS have been adopted which have been dis
In the light Of long experience This statement
is contrary to the facts in the case. The Dis
trict National Guard in many things have
adopted entirely new and original methods
many Of which have been copied by older or
CARNATIONS and some Of them by the new tao
teal board of the United States army. Its blank
forms and methods of conducting business are