Evening star., 1899-02-11
Captain Theodore Mosher Will Not
Be Adjutant General.
FINE SHOWING OF FIRST REGIMENT
Planning to Have Street Riot Drill
Washington's Birthday
PROGRESSIVE INNOVATIONS

l
duty with the District of Columbia militia
as adjutant general. The President Thurs
| day nominated Capt. Mosher for commits
| sion as paymaster with the rank of ma jor,
| United States army. Just soon as he re-
| ceives his commission as major the inten-
| ton is TO Immediately place him on the re-
| tired list. This action will be taken for the
| reason that Capt. Mosher, because of the
| wounds received in his gallant charge up
| San Juan hill, is no longer able to perform
| active duty in the military establishment.
| It could hardly be expected that any officer
| on the retired list would be desirous of ac-
| cepting a detail involving continuous hard
work without compensation therefor, es-
pecially should he be in a weakened condi-
| ton physically. On the retired list Capt.
| Mosher will be free from duly. Should ne
| accept the detail as adjuJant general of the
| District militia he would have The work to
| perform and receive no,hing in The way of
| compensation in addition 10 his pay as a
| retired officer. General Harries is not pre-
| pared as yet to say who he will seek to
| have detailed adjutant general.
| The order directing Capt. papray to pro-
| ceed to Manila has been suspended and he
IL therefore still on duty with the local
| brigade. During his term as acting adJu-
| tant general and special inspector Capt
| Dapray made record that convinced the
| commanding general and every one else
| in position to know that he is perhaps
| the most and capable and energetic officer
| ever duty with the local brigade and
| the general desire is that he should re-
| main for the best interests of the guard
Fine Showing of LIST Regiment.
| The freely expressed opinion at headquar-
| ters is that. in the matter of the recent in
| spections, the 1st Regiment walked away
! with the I'd Regiment. Col. Henry May
| was SO informed after his command. the
1st Regiment, had undergone scrutiny last
| Monday evening in the drill hall at the
| Center Market Armory by the commanding
| general and staff. In the old days. before
| the war, ii was the rule-a rule with no
| eNceptions-for the 2d Regiment to finish
! far in the lead of the 1st Regiment on all
| occasions of military character. Now the
| impression seems to be that the ID Regi-
| ment will have to work like the proverbial
| beaver to catch up. The statement made
| at Headquarters is that the 1st Regiment
| made a superior showing in every respect.
| Although the membership of Col. Mays
| command is not large, what was lacking in
| quantity was made up in quality. The most
| minute details of uniform and equipment
! had been carefully looked after and moth
| ing was lacking. Furthermore, every Off
| Ger and man knew his business. The 1st
| Battalion, under Maj. Burton r. Ross
| marched through the snow to the Center
| Market Armory from the quarters of the
| command, as did Company c, ID Battalion.
| under Capt. Charles S. d. Domer. The men
| discarded and donned overcoats with
| promptness and in a manner that was EN-
| tirely soldierly. The I'd Battalion, under
| Maj Joseph w. Anderson, made particu-
| larly fine showing. both as to attendance
| and military bearing. There nothing
| but commentator for the brigade band,
! under Lieut.. D. B. Macleod
| In all the inspections heretofore conduct
| ed feature noted has been the wonderful
| Improvement in the physique of the men.
| This is a result of the medical examination
that each recruit is now required to pass
| before he can be enlisted.
| Gen. Harries announces that his staff and
| himself Will, the evening of Tuesday, Feb
| ruary 21, inspect Light Battery A, the Am
| bulance Corps, the Signal Company, the 1st
| Separate Battalion and, in all probability.
| the Naval Battalion. Light Battery a will
| report for inspection at O'clock, and the
| 1st Separate Battalion at o'clock. The in
| spections will occur in the drill hall at the
| Center Market Armory.
Washington's Birthday Drill.
Should the weather permit it is among
| the possibilities that the guard will have
| the opportunity to indulge in outdoor exer-
| cises Washington's birthday, the 22d in
slant. Although no definite program has
yet been mapped cut the idea is to attempt
| something in the way of street riot drill.
| 1t will be remembered that several years
ago the brigade, then under command of
Gen. Ordway, devoted one Memorial day TO
exercises in the street riot line, the scene of
and streets.
| General Satisfaction Prevails.
| There has been no little discussion on the
| part of National Guardsmen over recent
| ly published statement that general satis-
| faction prevails in the guard on account
| of the insstance at brigade headquarters
| of that degree of soldierly precision in mill
| tary administration termed by some reg
ular army methods" AS matter of fact
| SO far as can be learned, there has never
| been time when more general satisfaction
! prevailed throughout the local military, and
never before have officers and men seemed
| to evinLe as keen desire as now to bring
about reform where reform is found neces-
| sary, and to live up TO that standard OF
military organization and administrative
duty which the consensus of military eX-
perience throughout a century has fixed as
rules for the guidance of the federal mill
tary 1t is denied that National Guards
4 men shrink from any military requirement
because 1t is 100 military or too much like
| the regular army methods. On the con-
trary, 1t is claimed, the members of the
guard aspire 10 the very highest standard
| of military efficiency, and as soldiers they
| find nothing in the prescribed methods-the
methods which apply throughout nearly
| all the gtates-to warrant the protest of
! few against any requirement on the ground
| that it is too military.
| According 10 an officer who knew him
| lived in or ont Of the regular army than
| the late General Albert Ordway, whose
| well-known methods brought the District
| National Guard up to the highest pitch of
| efficiency. The same officer states that if,
on account of the recent war, when the
present commanding general Of the guard
| was absent on the field. the headquarters
| establishment was allowed to run more
| loosely than usual, the effort of the respon-
| sble head of the guard as soon prac-
| ticable after his return to check the irregu-
| larties then inaugurated, instead of Great
| ing, as alleged, general dissatisfaction. has
| evoked the fullest approval and apprecia-
\ tion not only of every loyal guardsman,
| blu of every friend of the guard In the Dis
trict.
Few persons realized the condition of the
guard last summer more forcibly than the
! guardsmen themselves. Week after week
| and month after month organizations met
| on drill nights only to adjourn for lack of
uniforms and arms. The District volunteer
regiment which had gone to the front had
been armed and equipped with the property
issued to the National Guard and until
General Harries returned to the cay and
secured the services of Captain -apray
| u. s A, as acting adjutant general, in Sep
| tenlber last, all drills were suspended and