Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-23
AWAITING THE CALL
District National Guard Has Another
Day Of Great Suspense.
DISAPPOINTMENT MANIFESTED
Number Of Men Required Falls
Short Of Expectation.
THE LATE ORDERS ISSUED

THE LATE ORDERS ISSUED
Almost thrillingly momentous were the
events of today for the troops of the Dis
| trict of Columbia National Guard. After
| swallowing breakfast, hundreds of the
! guardsmen fastened to the armory in or
| der to be on hand when the confidently
expected call for volunteers should issue
| Some of the men were in uniform; others
were prepared to don their equipment on
less than moments notice. Company off,
GERS were prepared to call together their
commands forthwith through the medium
| OF the rapid assembly system. Had the
| brigade been ordered out it is a certainty
that the entire command, armed and equip
ped. so far as the equipments reach, would
have been In line, prepared for any duty
| within an hour
But while the day has been momentous
1t has also brought into very decided EVIL.
dence the keenest possible disappointment.
Or the faces of the officers particularly as
| tEey gathered In groups in the company
| rooms and on the verandas to discuss the
situation, was regret manifest 1t was
rimored and generally accepted as a fac.
early in the morhing that the call for vol
| uEteer3 would provide for not more than
400 men from the District National Guard
rms quota. it was explained, would go to
| Cuba as part OF the army of invasion
| neither or not the remainder of the local
OF ganized militia would be called out either
| Tor actual service or duty in the vicinity
o. the national capital. was regarded as
| mere conjecture or questions to be answer
| ell in the future
In some quarters the conversation assum-
Ell a revolutionary tone. Everybody ap-
peared to be indignant AID disappointed.
| Reaches n Climax.
The feeling of disappointment reached a
| climax when. shortly after 10 o'clock, an
| order from headquarters was conveyed to
| every company commander to at once put
an end to the work of recruiting. that was
actively in progress when the original or
| ders were received The large number of
| applicants who appeared after the order
| was received had their names recorded, in
| order that they may be called on if need of
| their services should be felt hereafter With
| the order to cease recruiting was the an
| nouncement that no further issue of equip
| ment was to be made.
The Excess by States.
| In connection with the call attention
| was directed to the excess of the appor-
| tened over the organized militia in sew
| eral of the states. The excuses are as fol-
| lows:
Arkansas, col; Indiana, 5O2: Iowa, 5O2
Kansas. SO; Kentucky. 1853; Michigan,
| 63l; Minnesota, 300: Missouri, 1850; Ne
traska, 594; North Carolina, 557; South Da-
kota, 674; Tennessee. GIT; Texas, 49,
Washington. rs; West Virginia, 30; total
900.
| The organized militia exceeds the ap-
portionment in the following states:
| Alabama, 453; California 1,1SO Colorado
743; Connecticut, 33S; Delaware, 1874; Flor
| Ida. sos; Georgia, 2,049; Idaho, 427; ILL.,
nois, 304; Louisiana, ST.; Maine, 351; Mary
| land 3O5; Massachusetts. 1870; Mississippi,
! d; Montana, 40: Nevada, go: New Hamp-
! shire, 768; New Jersey. ISIS; New York.
| 1885; North Dakota. 1863: Ohio, 1S9; Ore
| gon, S41; Pennsylvania, "a: Rhode Island,
779; South Carolina, 3.136: Utah, 59S: Yer
mont. ri; Virginia. 9O7; Wisconsin, 3; Wy
oming. go; Arizona. 1873; District of Column
bia, 800: New Mexico. 161; Oklahoma, 499.
Crowds About the Armory.
The Center Market Armory was a center
| OF interest to civilians all day, and par
ticularly after the extra Star appeared on
| the street giving the particulars of the call
| of the President for 125.OOO volunteers In
front Of the armory the sidewalks were
| crowded with people who seemed to be
| waiting for something to happen. The
bridge leading from the sidewalk to the
armory building was in charge of SEN
| tineis. as was the case yesterday, and no
! unauthorized person was permitted to ap-
proach the quarters of the troops. Among
| those who sought admittance were pretty
| girls galore A1fhOnph ha
the sentinels prov ed to be true soldiers
| and even the ladies could get no nearer
| than the sidewalk.
The preparation Of rolls the fitting out Of
recruits and putting the raw material
through the PAGES occupied the greater
part Of attention at the armory. The We
| randas were well filled by guardsmen in
uniform who passed away the time by
playing checkers and other games. Copies
Of the extra Star were read with eagerness.
| and then the soldiers devoted their atten-
ton to figuring out just how long a wait
would ensue before q call would reach the
District guard.
Has the guard been ordered out yet?'
Can you tell me If my boy has got to go
to war;"
Where do we meet?'
The foregoing are a few Of the queries
that have reached headquarters of the Dis
trtct militia by telephone during the day.
The bell has besn jingling almost without
cessation. To all inquiries the answer has
been given:
1--WE know absolutely nothing OF an Off
cial character
Col. HeyI Sees Callers.
The day, In fact, has been unusually quiet
at headquarters. Gan. Harries departed
early in the morning. and the understand
Ing was that he had gone to the White
House. He had not returned to his office
late this afternoon. Col. Heyl, the adju-
tant general, saw all callers but was not
in a position to give out any information
that was at all startling. Routine business
was transacted as usual. II could not be
learned what organizations would be called
out II the War Department should direct
Gen. Harries to furnish 400 or 500 men,
A rumor reached headquarters through
company officer that it had been decided to
call for company of the LIST Battalion;
Companies and c, I'd Battalion and