The Washington times., 1895-03-03
DISTRICT SOLDIER BOYS
One Weeks News and Gossip
Around Local ArfnOries.

| trict National Guard are quartered in the
new armory now. The troop was the last to
move in. The moving was conducted with
a regularity worthy of praise. 1t was all
under the direction of the quartermaster
general and was carried on without hitch.
AT the first not enough wagons were fur
nished but this was easily remedied
The moving of each company's goods W as
under the charge of the battalion quarter
MASTER and detail from each company.
Everything is out of the old arnory now.
In the new headquarters everybody is
busy and everybody is complaining more or
less. One thing is sure, though, and that is
that the guard is going to be very much
pleased with it's new home as soon as it gets
settled. When the boys moved down last
week the oiling of the woodwork had just
been completed and everything was sticky,
time remedied all that. More electric
lights W Ill have to be put in, for no room III
the building has sufficient light. 1t is
going to take some time to get things
Strengthened up, and the first week in the
new armory passed without any drills
Whether there viii be any this week re-
mains to be seen. Cleaning and fixing up
company property VIII take good long
time yet, and no one can tell when the boys
viii be in shape. With drills and rifle
practice to bring up, the boys have enough
work laid out to keep them very busy for
some time to come.
THE KICK HAS COME.
The kick on quarters assigned has come,
and it was a big one. The ''kickers''
seem to be on top, having gained their
point. But there may be future. The
trouble came from Major Suess. who OBJ
jected to his quarters. He appealed to
Col. Clay. in command of the Second Regi-
ment, and temporarily III command of the
brigade Col. Clay rearTanged the assign
ments made by Gen. Ordway, and told his
officers at the time that he had secured
permission from the general to make the
change. There has been a jolly good row
over the matter. and the cordial feelings
which once bound the Fourth and Fifth
| Battalions together as brothers has been
| rudely strained. The story is one of some
length but is worth the telling since it has
almost split up the Second Reg iment,
broken the bonds which bound two organi-
cations together, and caused more than one
| officer to threaten to resign.
To-day two weeks ago The Times pub
| iished the assignment ofquarters in the new
! armory. The information, as was stated
in the military column that day, was secured
! from Gen. Ordway He was kind enough
few days before the Sunday publication
| to take down the plans of the new armory
| and go over them with the writer. Some
! months ago The Times Published an assign
ment of quarters, which at that time was
| correct The only change made in the
| present assignment was the headquarters
of the Fourth Battalion. Some little sur
| prise was expressed, and the general was
| asked about it, He said:
There had TO be a division OF a battalion
| somewhere, and / did not know just what
! to do for awhile. At last | sent for jor
| Campbell, the senior major in the brigade,
and showed him the assignments. / told
| him as senior major he could have his
| choice. He made his selection and chose
| the front rooms, which told him he could
have That is how the change was made. -
MEETINGS OF OFFICERS.
Saturday night two weeks ago. the even
| ing before the assignments were published
| in The Times, Gen. ordway called his
! colonels and majors together and had a
| talk with them concerning the new quarters.
! He gave them to the officers as he had to
| The Times representative. He told them,
as they all knew, that lie sailed for Europe
! Monday, and expected to find everything
| iii good shape when he came back. No OBJ
| jections were made in the generals pres
| ence to the assignments, ard everybody
| left thinking that everybody was pleased
! But it was the lull before the storm. The
! cyclone struck the city the next day and
| affected Col. Clay so that he telephoned the
general an hour before he left and secured
! permission TO make some changes. Then
| he called a meeting of his officers. and il
| was a meeting. II is Iumored, and this is
! given only as a rumOr, that Major Camp
| bell was told he should not have spoken to
! Gen. Ordway about his quarters; he should
! have gone to his regimental commander.
After the atmosphere cleared Major Camp
! bell was told that no companies could have
| the front end rooms on the third floor and
! was informed he could have his choice.
| There was nothing left for him TO do, so he
! chose the east corner as his headquarters;
/ then Major Suess took the west end; and
! Major Bartlett, who was not present, was
! assigned to the middle room This is why
! the Second Regiment is not occupying the
| quarters Gen. Ordway intended.
! 1t is also a. id that Gen. 0rdway was urged
| to let the present arrangement go into effect,
but absolutely refused, saying the front of
| the building on the third floor must be used
! by ON battalion. 1t was after this en-
| phatic refusal that the commander of the
| Fourth made his choice. What the outcome
| will be no one knows Whether an appeal
] will be made to Gen. Ordway remains to be
! seen.
|