Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-02-24
THE NATIONAL GUARD
Some of Its Critics Are Not Well
Informed.
Cow THE GUARD UPHOLDE Law
Military News Of Interest to the
Local Brigade.
MONDAY NIGHT'S MATCH

With all the education Of the public by
object lessons and by splendid service to
demonstrate the absolute necessity of main
tanning a strong National Guard in every
state in the Union, there are stin critics
who go out of their way to snarl at the
militia. A recent writer in the editorial
columns of the Boston Courier. alluding to
the problem of increasing the standing
army in this country, says: 1T has been
pretty well demonstrated that the militia,
in large portion of the country, is not at
all to be depended upon, and at the same
time 1t is being shown every day that there
is no safety for lives and properly unless
protected by an armed force The time has
come when there should be regular body
of troops within reach of every large manu-
featuring center, and it may be added, that
If there is an opportunity, it will be at once
the part of policy and of mercy to spill a
goodly portion of riotous blood at the out
set. A few charges of grape aimed below
the chest at the beginning of a riotous de-
monstration save in the aggregate, and is
the most merciful mode of treating the
thing"
This is curious mixture of sense and
ioiiy IT is remarkably fallacious in the
lgnt OF recent events throughout the
country. wherein the militia of one state
ana another have figured to the credit of
not only individuals and organizations, but
Oh the entlre theory underlying the system
of citizen soldiery. This editorial in the
courier was printed before the trial of the
two negroes at Manassas, Va a legal pro-
ceedlng which was kept within the bounds
Oh law ana order only by the presence at
court OF a militia company. To be sure a
constabulary force armed with rifles might
nave sufhced quite as well to restrain the
riotous instincts of the mob there gathered,
a hal iaf IN, fI,ie,
least, that the prestige of a uniformed force
organized under the law of the state and
WITHIN the pale of universal approval did
more at Manassas to restrain the lawlcss
than a mere police. While the interpositton
OF any force with arms into a civil difficulty
Is apt TO cause resentment and possibly to
encourage resistance, 1t seems TO be the
experience OF this country that military
discipline, regularity of equipment and uni
form and the general appearance of 4 de-
termination to obey orders are far more
effcient elements in handling mob than
the force of the strictly legal departments
OF government represented by police and
constables. This theory is acknowledged
by the writer in the Courier, for he believes
that troops are a necessity near every large
manufacturing center, and. of course, near
every large community of any kind There
is really nothing in the history of the last
quarter of century, save few isolated
examples or inefficient discipline and or
ganization, to warrant his assertion, how
ever, that the militia is not at al to he
depended upon" The record OF the PcEn-
sylvania and New York troops is amply
sufflcient on this score to show that the
Courier editorial Is based upon misappre-
hension of the facts, If not an actual piuue
against the militia system. The day for
sneering at the Tin soldier is past The
day for the separate organization with its
unusual, gaudy uniform, its anxiety to
parade whenever there is a certainty of a
clean street and a good audience is gone.
Instead of this useless appendage to society
there has come the brown-ieggincd, knap-
sacked citizen-soldier, who appreciates the
value of honest drill and who understands
the difference between the social and BUSH
ness functions of the guardsmen. THAI the
great majority of militiamen have realized
this distinction and that the militia is how
on as practical a basis as that of cny
country Of the world is apparent to all no
have paid the least attention to the subject.
1t is unfortunately apparent that the writer
of the Surly sentences does not belong to
this latter class
Efficient Rifles and Feet.
A recent issue of Harpers Bazaar con-
tains an interesting article on the discipline
of the German army. There are two
things" says the writer, which the German
officer does not and cannot condone-one is
non-effciency of the soldiers rifle the other
a chafed foot If either of these two takes
place on the march or during the maneuv-
ers, the soldier is Immediately punished with
arrest, and is not allowed to offer any ex-
cuse. During the different maneuvers of
German army corps that l have attended i
cannot recall handful Of footsore men in
the course OF days work. and vet at ALI
these field operations forced marches are a
feature in order to test the endurance of
officers and men. The secret of this uni
form excellence, as regards marching DOW
ers. lies in the training which the men re-
ceive
when they enter their company as re-
cruits in October the first thing that is im-
HA.i rtNai,. a.,
of the shoe and the musket No pains are
spared in giving the men at the start COM
Portable footgear. and they are expected to
look after this with much interest as if 1t
were chronometer. In the spring follow
ing, when the snow is off the ground
marches are undertaken, and these are reg
ulated as carefully as are the strokes and
the courses of the college crew under the
hands of the trainer.
Each day the men march half a mile or
so farther than the day before; each day
they carry on their back an ounce or two
more; each day the speed they are able to
maintain is carefully noted; in fact the rec
ord or a companyS marching from day IN
day, until late into the summer, when they
move into the open country, is kept I'D
infinitely if it were a single picked COM
pany training for a match or competitive
drill The German soldier is educated and
trained for the purpose of fighting and to
have man fall out before he reaches the
fire line is looked upon as quite as much a
disaster as If he had been shot and Wounded
Dy the enemy. The art of war, as pra cticed
in Germany, is very much the art of getting
there, and it is the general who posts him.
self most advantageously at the critical
moment that may be assumed to have won
the battle"
An Interesting Lecture.
DIR. c. E. Munroe. recently the govern
ment expert in explosives al the torpedo
station at Newport, and now dean Of the
Columbian University faculty, delivered a
lecture last night in the lecture room of
the Columbian University on the subject
Of the applications of explosives in war
fare. The lecture was under the auspices
of company c, engineer corps, D. c. n G.
ard was largely attended by members of
that organization, ami by a large, number
of other military guests. most of whom
were in uniform.
Ride Practice for March.
The following schedule for gallery prac-
tice for the month of March has been pro-
mulgated:
1. The first battalion will practice in the
gallery at its armory, under a schedule to
be prepared by the battalion commander.
Second battalion, company a, Thursday,
March s, company y. Thursday, March /;
company c, Tuesday, March ~; company
D, Thursday, March 20.