Evening star., 1900-12-22
Holiday Cares Prsssnt Strict Atten-
ton to Military Duties.
Sixth Battalion fReceives. Orders
Affecting DrI|ss and Assemblies.
M ATT RS OE EST

case nearly every year, has been very quiet
in local National Guard circles. Many of
the members of the brigade are engaged In
business IN one capacity or another and
the rush of shoppers to the stores has pre-
vented any attention being given to mill
tary work of late.
The commanding general and the adjutant
general held consultation yesterday in
reference to the matter of disbursing the
appropriation for pay of troops. No def
mite announcement as to the same has been
made, but the indications are that results
of interest and Importance to guardsmen
not in government employ will soon be
promulgated. Captain Andrew Parker. aid
de-camp, District of Columbia militia, who
will be assigned to duty as acting pay
bursement as soon as he is directed to
do so.
Must Attend Drills.
Major William E. Harvey intends that
the members Of the 9th Battalion shall at
tend all drills and ordered assemblies; 9TH
erwise he proposes to know the reason
why. The major has decided to put into
practice number of innovations, and the
possibility exists that several trials by
court-martial may result.
The plans of Major Harvey have been
follows:
Company commanders are directed to
nave transcribed In book or other dura-
bic form the following paragraph of this
order ana to obtain the signature of every
member Of their companies to an acknowl-
edgment that they have read or heard
read said paragraph and understand the
same.
Standing orders provide that the compa-
nies of this battalion shall assemble for
drill or rifle practice every Wednesday
promptly at 3 o'clock pm. and it is the
duty OF every officer and man Of the bat
unless previously excused by competent au-
thority. Men will reach the armory in
time to put on their uniforms and be ready
TO respond to roll call at 1855 sharp.
The 32d article Of war provides: ANY
soldier who absents himself from his troop,
battery, company or detachment, without
leave from his commanding officer shall be
punished as a court-martial may direct
Company commanders will divide their
companies into squads, which will be as
signed to the on-commissoned officers
Inc latter Will see that the members of
tnelr squads attend to their duties fully.
II a man Is absent without leave from a
drill his squad leader will on the following
day go to his home or place of business and
personally deliver a notice in prescribed
form and obtain his acknowledgment of re-
celpt thereof, which he will hand to his
commanding officer the next drill night IF
the man so notified fails to obey said notice
the commanding officer is directed to prefer
charges and specifications against him.
To Prevent Discrimination.
I'm order that the work may be distribut-
ed so as to be most convenient to the SQUAD
leaders and to prevent as far as possible
one non-commissiened officer getting an
undue proportion of the chronic absentees
the leaders will select their own squads.
the senior non-commissioned officer having
hrst choice of one man, the next in rank
tne second choice and so on. Recruits will
be assigned the night they enlist.
The captain and the first sergeant will
each keep list showing squad leaders
ana the men under them. The squad lead
ers will keep list of their men, with their
house and business addresses and their
usual hours at each on it, for purposes of
rapid assembly.
n-commissioned officers will be held
to strict accountability for failure to dis
charge properly their duties In addition
to being qualified theoretically they must
strive to show that they have the capacity
to command men, and it is needless to say
that to do that they must impress the men
under them that they are capable and that
they are fair and just. They must not
exercise their authority arbitrarily, but
should use tact and good judgment in car
rying out orders given them for execu-
ton
Appointed Sergeant Major.
James Madison Pickens, enlisted on the
non-commissioned staff of the 9th Battal-
ion the 9TH instant, has been appointed
sergeant major Of the battalion.
The members of Company A, 1st Battal-
ion, have been ordered to assemble at
o'clock the evening Of Monday, December
"A, for the purpose of electing a second
lieutenant Capt. S. p. House will preside
The following have been honorably dis
charged as enlisted men in order to ac-
cept promotion by commission: Sergt Erly
d. Yoder, Company B, I'd Battalion; Sergt
Samuel Feland, Company d, 4th Battalion,
and First Sergt. jeremiah Hunt, Company
A, 5th Battalion.
On their own applications the following
have been honOrably discharged: Private
Arthur w Calver, Engineer Corps; Private
Otis H. Miller Engineer Corps, and Private
James T. Unsworth, Company A, I'd Bat
talon.
In the interest of the service Private Geo.
c. Talbert, Company d, 9TH Battalion, has
been discharged.
The following have been dishonorably
discharged by reason of expulsion from
their company: Privates NJ. E. DeMoll, Ir-
vine H. Ware and Albert w. Taylor, all of
the Signal Corps.
Private Charles L. Bode has been trans
ferred from Company c, 9th Battalion, to
Company G, LIST Battalion.
Use of Pigeons at Ladysmith.