Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-01-07

without number have
been thrown in it's path, but they have all either
been removed or trampled upon. The greatest
stumbling block was found in the insufficient
facilities for rifle practice, and after more than
little effort this is to be removed. The mill
tary enthusiast who has tried to satisfy the
riie-practice demands OF $500 or 1000
men with five targets. and they of the slowest
variety, can readily understand how difficult it
has been to secure those complete scores on
which comparisons and efficiency must be
based. And then. as If this shortage of targets
was not sufficient to discourage the good work,
there has always been more or less friction Of
an indefinite sort between the National Guard
and some of the artillery officers at the bar
racks. From the beginning these officers re-
sented the appearance of the guardsmen within
the barracks limits, and more than one of
them stated with good deal of impolte vigor
that had they been aware of the statutory
provision which gave the District sol
dlers legal right to the use Of the
range they would have fought the mi
litia bill when it on its way through Con-
gress. This semi-antagonism was not lessened
as time went on. and after while the militia
men came to regard themselves as interlopers.
Of course there were some officers who we're al
ways willing to do what right and who
could not possibly have been otherwise than
courteous. But such as these were GASES in a
desert OF unuttered but clearly apparent surli-
ness.
The barracks range is all right for such work
as team practice. but it is almost useless when
the qualification of brigade is in question.
With but five targets and only one firing point
available at a time it is no wonder that even
the most vigorous efforts to have the larger
proportion of the command shoot it's official
scores bore unsatisfactory results.
Now all that is going TO be changed. The
I'M rGa ha y,cr1 fn- af tho
team practice, but it is about settled that the
records for 1893 will be made on rifle range
TO be constructed on the Bellevue naval reser
vation, which lies little this side of Shepherds
wharf and nearly opposite Alexandria. Some
time ago Maj. Harries, Capt Bell and Lieut..
King visited the reservation and went over the
surface critically and thoroughly. The re-
suit of the survey was reported to Gen.
Ordway and he has made such arrange
ments with the naval authorities. and
particularly with Col. Haywood of the
marine corps, as will result in the estab-
lishment of one of the finest ranges in
the country, a place where national competi-
tons must sooner or later find their home.
just now there Is limited shooting accommOda-
ton at Bellevue, and this has been used by the
marines. The targets, however, face in the
wrong direction, so far as light is concerned
and altogether the conditions are far from sat
isfactory, but Gen. Ordway and Col. Haywood
have talked the thing over, and are satisfied
that in the new range all will be well The
proposition involves the erection of at least
twenty targets-ten for the short ranges and
ten for the mid ranges. and all to be used from
aligned firing points. This will make it possible
for twenty men to fire at 200 yards while
twenty others are putting in their scores at 500
yards. The 800 and 600 yards firing points
are also in line with each other, a hundred
yards in rear OF the 200 and 600 yards points.
The targets are to face almost directly south
SO fh1ra will ha LIGHT ham
from sunrise to sunset, and the wind
cannot but have free access to every
foot OF the range. With small ex-
penditure of money and labor tho surface
now much more even than that at the bar
racks-will be equal to the skirmish ground at
targets to be used will be of the Brinton a
rlety-worked on the window sash principle.
Under the new conditions il will be practicable
to order out an entire regiment to complete its
season practice in one day, and, what is more,
to carry out the program.
How to get there is not much Of q problem
Arrangements can be made with the manage
ment of the Washington and Alexandria Steam
boat Company to stop one of its boats at Shep-
herds wharf in the morning and again in the
afternoon, the first one taking the men down.
the other conveying them home again. From
the inner end of shepherd wharf to the firing
point is not more than 200 yards. SO the amount
of marching to be done would not be worth
talking about. With this plan in operation
there is no reason why there should be less than
800 marksmen in the brigade when the season
of 1898 comes to an end.
THE GRAHAM CASE.
If the gossip around brigade he adquarters
and throughout well-informed circles in the
guard amounts to anything-and there is reason
for believing it does-then several members Of
the engineer corps are simply wasting time
H.. -
reinstatement acting first lieutenant of Pri-
vate F. l.. Graham. Among those who have
been Lieut.. Grahams friends ever since he
became identified with the National
Guard there has been a decided dis
inclination to publicly discuss the
causes which led to Lieut.. Graham's reductions;
not because there was anything that ought to
be concealed. but because they realized the
lieutenants deienselessness and did not desire
to do him the harm which must inevitably fol-
low the publication of the letter upon which
Gen. Ordway took summary action. But now
that the whole Of the unpalatable truth is out
these are giving expression to their opinions.
That the real condition Of affairs is not yet I'M
rderstood is made plain by the utterances Of a
few hot-headed mortals who ought to know
better, and now that the once-howling tempest
has settled down In the bottom Of the teacup il
may be just as well TO state the proposition 80
| clearly that there can be no question
| about its terms. Lieut. Graham, when
| the engineer corps was organized. was
appointed an acting first lieutenant to
command the first platoon, which was COM
posed mainly OF expert rifemen. He did not
hold a commission, SO when he wrote the gen.
eral that strong foundation for a three or four
stored charge of insubordination and the gen.
eral made up his mind that Lieut.. Graham was
| not desirable subordinate ali that had 10 be
done was to revoke the order designating him
| an officer. Then, naturally imagining that a
l IA he Sv,t
Gen. Ordway discharged him for the good Of the
| service. When, however, ii was made plain to
the general that the first platoon desired Ora
ham to retain his membership the general saw
no reason for Directing. The good Of the
service was, in this case the good of the en-
| gineers and the general was willing to let them
| judge for themselves OF course It is possible
| that Gen. Ordway may act favorably upon the
denomination of Mr.. Graham-made BY the
first platoon this week-but II is altogether
| more probable that Benjamin Harrison may be
tnaugurated next 4th Of March.
Proceeding upon the basis that the FIRST
| platoon's petition will come to naught and that
| many OF Its members do not mean what they
say when they foolishly threaten to leave the
guard should their request be refused. the spec
| ulators around the armories believe that the
platoon will nominate Private J. N. Pollard az
| Lieut. Grahams successor. The ex-inspector
| general Of rifle practice has always been deeply
and actively interested in the engineer corps
and might perhaps be prevailed upon to once
more don shoulder straps. There 10 Other
| good material in the sharpehooting end of thu
corps, but none Of il IL fitted to compete with