Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-03-07
THE WHITE LOT TO RE UTILIZED,

urllls. parades ana rifle pracl1ce. ana when the
general announces his program there will be a
good deal of applause. The cleverest CON-
| handing officer and the most willing brigade
could not possibly get more than three days
| instruction out of such a camp rs the District
| troops have had for two years past; this year
! there will be twice as much instruction with a
great deal less of inconvenience and only a
1.-THE of the expense. Ii would not be surpris-
ing if, when this program appears, it was found
| to contain premonition of at least four bri-
| gade drills in the White Lot. These would take
| place In the afternoon. and when field maneu-
| vers were concluded each occasion would wind
! up with that popular and crowd-gathering cere-
mony, brigade dress parade. Thus it would
be possible to secure results which would
occupy four full days in camp. Riot drills
would also occupy several of the fine summer
evenings without entailing any hardship on
men whose employment is of such a nature
that they must lose actual cash if they turn out
| during the earlier portion of the day. Pro-
ceedings such as have been referred to will
capture the popular heart, too; and the popular
| heart has some rights in the case. The militia
are of the people and as militia are supported
by the people and the taxpayer is entitled to
the largest possible return for his investment.
! RIFLE PRACTICE.
| In the matter of rifle practice the localized
suggestions have most tempting appearance.
There will be electric targets at each of the
Fort Washington ranges and on them will the
brigade be required to print the record scores.
Each battalion will be assigned certain day
| for practice. Lunches will be stored away in
haversacks and the battalion will march to the
river front and voyage from thence to Fort
Washington on steamboat. Upon arrival at
| the fort one company would commence work
| at the 200 and 900 yard ranges, while the other
companies would proceed to exercise them
selves with company skirmish drill. As soon
as the first company finished at the short
ranges it would be sent back to 500 and 600
yards and its place at the first firing
place be, taken by one of the
commands that had been amusing itself by
prancing over the parade ground and its vicin-
age. When all the companies had concluded
target work the major could take them out and
do some battalion skirmish drill before the boat
came to carry them home again. These days
at the fort would be pleasant affairs in which
much could be done, because there would be no
burdensome camp equipage; every man would
be his own quartermaster and commissary.
AN ATTACK OK FORT sLocuM.
But because the exchequer will not permit of
brigade encampment do not imagine that
camping will become one Of the lost arts Sew
eral commands have already made fair progress
toward preparing for q brief season in the
tented field. The only ones that have nything
like finished schemes are the light battery. the
engineer corps and troop A. The battery pro-
! poses to secure possession OF Fort Siocum, an
| old earthwork north of the Soldiers Home. In
| this the artillerymen are to be aided by the
engineers. Lieut.. Gilbert Thompson has prom
ised to reconstruct the fort the original
! plan, and when this has been done the gamers
will come within the angles for the space of
| three days and an equal number Of nights.
Now comes the fun. At midnight of that last
day it is proposed to have the first regiment
assemble at the first battalion armory ana from
| thence march near to Fort Slocum as
4 ha fhan han IL
commences to tear the gloomy curtains OF day
spring the gallant first will do its level best to
! capture that fort and all that in it is. The
meek and lowly followers of Lieut.. Robbins
might just well selec: the route for retreat
now as atany other time; that will be their only
hope. Capt Barbour wants to be on hand with
his blue and yellow combination of warriors.
The captain has not figured out which side will
most probably win and until he has done that
| no one can find out where the troopers will he
when the fight opens up.
PRACTICE MARCHES.
1t may be, though, that when cannon are
booming from Fort Slocum Capt. Barbour and
his merry men will be far. far away. They are
discussing the subject of practice marches now.
and unless something unlocked FOR puts in an
appearance the troop will be off into Virginia
or Maryland for Two or three weeks in the
month of July. This sort OF an experience will
/ be valuable training and when the members of
! the troop return it will not be safe for any of
| their neighbors to invest much money in
each and every fowl in burglar-prOof safe be-
! fore nightfall
I ADVANTAGE IN AN INDEPENDENT CAMP.
| A very material advantage. not to be lost
! sight of by companies that talk of going into
Independent. camp. is the power conferred by
law as to subsistence and forage These
requisites can be drawn by the general from
/ the War Department. and this practical en-
couragement will eliminate the most expense We
item from estimates of cost. 1t would be a
| good thing for some of the boys TO live on
! army ri,tions for IA while.
! Gen. Ordway says but little as to the emitting
/ off of the camp, but he evidently fec Is that the
guard viii not lose anything by congressional
! ''nearness. He said last night that he would
rather go into camp once In two years for from
! ten to fifteen days than to have AN annual six
| day camp. The preparatory and transporta-
! ton expenses are just the same in both in
/ stances.
GOOD PRACTICE SEASON PREDICTED
| Uness all the signs go astray the rifle-prac-
tice season is going to be all that the most
earnest guardsmaa could desire In the pre-
hminary gallery work an extraordinary degree
! of excellence has been reached and nothing
bat the most inexcusable ''dufing'' at the out
door ranges can spoil the big scores which now
seem to be the rule. Arrangements are now
being made for rifle meeting vi no mean pro-
poruons-a meeting that will give every ress-
sonably good shot in the brigade something to
| shoot for. The prizes which were given last
season will be duplicated and large number
OF additional trophies are to be secured. Most
prominent among these will be the United
States senatorial trophy. Now, everybody will
want to know what that is 1t is token OF
good will from a score or more of Senators,
and it will be the one great prize Of the year.
This trophy cannot be won by amy one, for /,
| is TO be perpetual As soon as possible the
names Of the Senators who have so kindly con-
| tributed viii be made public.
In general way it may be stated that an
effort II being made TO secure large number
of rewards for the sharpshooters and marks
men. There viii be something TO shoot for,
and the program win be so arranged that an
| equitable distribution of medals viii result.
WHAT THE SECOND RKanKxr HAS DONE.
The result Of the February gallery score Of
the second regiment marksmen gives the
handsons banner provided for the eompsny
making the best monthly average to company
A, fourth battalion The accompanying table
viii show hoe near, snd yet 20 far, some oi
the companies wsre from being Its frst fortur
nate possessor, and indicates where they mus