Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-06-13
THE NATIONAL GUARD
Annual Report of the Inspector Gen.
eral of Rifle Practice.
FIGURE OF MERIT HIGHER THAN EVER
Discharge Recommended of Those
Soldiers Who Fail to z ire.
AMMUNITION WITHOUT COST

The annual report of the inspector gem
erai of rifle practice, covering tie year
1894. as well as 1899, has been forwarded
10 the aijutant general. together with
several aope ndices naming the guar6smen
who qualified as sharpshoo and marks
men and giving the brigade, reglmental
and battalion figures Of merit, and the
figure of merit by organizations. The
report discusses fully the subject of rifle
practice in the District Guard and en-
braces several important recommends
tons 1t is Of general interest and reads
as follows:
All Credit to the Industrious.
Lack of rifle range facilities during the
season of 1894 and until August, 1880. rem
dered the annual report for 1894 unnec-
sary. This report. therefore. takes cog
nizance of all the work done in the two
seasons, the latter year ending Novem-
her 81 last Inasmuch a great deal
of gallery practice was done In ie.a 1t was
deemed only fair to give the INDUSTRIOUS
ones all possible credit for their active
interest, so II Was announced that scores
made on the range in 1895 could be used
in duplicate for the years lS!4 and 1899.
The result was as good showing as. the
circumst anceS considered. could reasonably
have been expected. Efforts to make the
target season of 1895 satisfying success
we're heavily handicapped. The range at
Ordway-constructe under the immediate
supervision of the department of rifle prac-
itce-could not have been completed soon
er than Ii was. yet practice of any sort
was impossible until August was well I'M
der way.
Then there ensued all manner of diff
Guilty due to the absence of funds essen
tial 10 the operation of the range. Most Of
the obstacles were. somehow other, re-
moved or Surrnounted. but their interior
ence was fatal to such increase in the
.f Inyn AT
Yet in spite of all the distractions, the
brigade figure of merit is higher than it
has ever been In 1888 the brigade figure
was o0.u3; in 1894 the disadvantages
referred to cut it down to 39.e2: In
1S95 with short season and many diff
ficulties, 1t moved up to 5S22- The in
crease over the record for 1885,; is small.
but Ii is altogether remarka BILE that there
should have been any advancement what
ever; the 6etterment is as gratifying as it
was unexpected.
anything like satisfaction with the results
when the third-class column IN Appendix
T. is so strong numerically. 1t is true that
in many subdivisions of the National Guard
only small percentage of the 1,0O3 in our
lowest classification would have been so
placed-in some states a majority of those
whom our regulations Justly declare de-
fcient would be at least markSmen-but it
Is not for us to diminish the reasonable re-
luirements as to qualification. The weak
of which we may properly complain
takes as much interest in the one day de-
voted to work on the range he does in
the less important annual inspection. In
bygone years. when our target practice was
performed on the Washington barracks
range. il was difficult and sometimes i'm
possible task to have even a small battalion
complete its scores in the limited period Of
time allotted it: a period necessarily limited
because a large proportion of the men
could not longer remain away from their
respective civilian vocations. With the
range facilities We now have there is no
reason why a battalion should not do all
the outdoor rifle practice annually required
of IL in four or five hours. 1t was most
diScouraging to note the carelessness of
officers and enlisted men in October last
some of the companies reporting for Or
dered practice with more than half a
dozen men. and they frequently command
ell by a non-cOmmissioned officer. In view
of the fact that there are no exorbitant de-
Tands made upon the time of the District
National Guard. 1t cannot be deemed I'M
reasonable to insist that every member
OF the organization tthe properly exempt
only exceptedD shall devote at least one day
in each year to rifle practice ON the range.
Discharge of the Dilatory Recon-
mcnded.
'Tn my report for 1893 recommendation
was made to the issuing and enforce
ment of an order which would result in the
discharge for the good of the service of
those soldiers who fail to fire the pre-
scribed number of rounds at the ranges
specified in the seasons scheduled That
recommendation is renewed with a request
that action to the desired end be speedily
taken, so that the brigade generally may
understand the conditi ton under which the
practice for the current season will be con-
Quoted. The range will be open and avail
able during at least five months. and there