Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-06-21

few more reunions among the business
men of Washington and the officers and
members of the District National Guard
such as that which took place yesterday at
Fort Washington on the occasion of the
visit of the represen tatives of the Board of
Trade to the encampment will do wonders
toward placing the local militia on an even
more effective basis than at present. The
speeches of President Warner of the Board
of Trade and Gen. Ordway, the commander
Of the citizen soldiery of the District,
brought out two distinct facts that are
highly significant and important The first
of these is that the business men of the
city, speaking through Mr. Warner, have
come to realize and appreciate the great
value to the community of the local exist
cree of a well organized militia, and, sec
ond. Gen. Ordway showed. though that was
not his main purpose, that the local Ma
tional Guard has achieved it's present high
place of efficiency with little or no aid from
Congress, and that with more liberal ap-
propriative provision the guard will be able
to give to Washington a better system of
protection through its citizen soldiery than
that enjoyed by any other city in the coun-
try. AS Gen. Ordway said, the militia sys-
tenn Is characteristic and representative of
the republic. Its necessity and value were
recognized in the Constitution of the United
States, the preamble of which spoke of pro-
visions ''for the common Defense" pre-
sumably by the people themselves, and
among the powers vested in Congress was
that of providing for calling forth the mill
tia, ito execute the laws of the Union, sup
press Instructions and repel invasions."
The vital relation of the militia TO the re-
public is directly affirmed in the second
amendment to the Constitution, which
speaks of "a well regulated militia being
necessary to the security of free state"
Thus, the fundamental laws of the land, as
Gen. Ordway pointed out, established close
relations between the people and their own
defense by the institution of a citizen SOL
diery that could be relied upon to stand
as a barrier between order and civil chaos,
a force to be utilized in sudden emergen-
cies. and to furnish the best material for
a great army in case of war. The Consti-
tuition in thus establishing and approving
militia system, while providing ample
means of self-protection, recognized the
danger to the state and the people involved
in the maintenance of a great standing
army. 1t will be fortunate If through this
better understanding between the National
Guard and the business men Congress can
appropriations per man in the militia, which
Is today lower in the District than in any
state in the Union. The National Guard of
the District indeed deserves great credit for
its existence today, in view of the lack of
legislation requiring service and Of the alb
sence of appropriations to meet actual
and necessary expenses. In view of the
voluntary character of the service rendered
and the personal pecuniary sacrifices IN
dergone, as well as in view of the high dis
cipline and efficiency attained in spite of
every encouragement, the local guard
should have high rank among the militia
organizations of the country and should be
aided on every hand by the hearty coop
Grafton of all the business men. The inter-
change of ideas at Fort Washington yester-
day probably marked the beginning of
new era in the history of the local militia,
and the good seed sown on this occasion
should bear fruit in the future.