The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-25
NATIONAL GUARD FARCE |
General Harries Orders the Sus-
pension of Colonel May.
Secretary Root Declines to Receive
the Report of the Trial Board Be
fore Which the Commander of the
First Regiment WAS Summoned to
Arpear-wnr Department Comment


Arpear-War Department Comment
The action of Gen. G. H. Harries. COM
| manding the District Of Columbia National
| Guard in recommending the discharge of
| Col Henry May. commanding the First
| Regiment Of that organization, is expected
to prove boomerang to the warrior who
I! has for years been the cause of disruption
| in the local militia. 1t may eventually end
| in the complete disarmament of that body
| As a result of the latest in long list of
! suspensions and discharges brought about
! by The commanding general in the few
years of his administration, through his
personal dislikes and whims, there is
| disposition among military officials to end
| the whole matter by forcing the COM
/ mander of the Guard to turn his uniform
/ and equipment over to the War Depart
/ ment. and II necessary disband the body,
, which has become a source of perpetual
! jest through the actions of the man now at
| the head of it.
! The climax came yesterday when General
| Harries forwarded to the Secretary of War
| document recommending the honorable
| discharge of Colonel May from the service.
1 The papers were said to be the report Of
| the examining board which was appointed
, by the commanding general for the pur-
pose of enquiring into the fitness of Col
/ onel May to hold the commission be-
+ slowed upon him by the President. and
! passing upon the matter. This board v as
I composed of number of junior officers,
who were held to be Influenced by General
| Harries, and, consequently, biased. They
! are all said to be anxious for promotion,
and willing to take cue from the man
| whom they believe can elevate or discharge
/ them. Consequently. they followed faith
fully the dictates of the leader and care
I fully avoided doing anything which might
! displease him.
| When the board had been gotten into
! condition to do anything desired it con-
| vened and demanded that Colonel May
! send in his resignation at once This was
refused. General Harries then sent for
Colonel May and told him to appear before
/ the board on Monday. that his young men
might look him over. ask him questions,
and determine upon his fitness to hold
| commission which had never before been
] questioned. Colonel May appeared. &C
companied by counsel, and as soon as the
first interrogation came from one of the
members of the board, refused to answer
on the ground that the members were ali
| his juniors in rank and had no right to
examine him. This was what had been
expected by the astute commander, and, as
arranged beforehand he sent a report to-
the Secretary OF War, setting forth the
fact that his board had examined Colonel
May. had found him unfit to hold the COM
mission. as he had refused to talk, and
recommending that the officer be at once
| hOnorably discharged.
Refused TO Receive the Report.
After hearing of the matter yesterday
afternoon Secretary Root refused to re-
ceive the report, on the ground that he
had no jurisdiction in the matter under the
law and would not act. The report was
returned to General Harries, who person
ally brought ii to the attention of Adju
tant General CorbIn later in the afta- noon,
and left the papers with this official. 1t
is said at the War Department that the
Secretary of War has no power in he mat
ter, and that the President has full juris
/ diction. al -r.ia- .... -..I ...-
General Harries stated last night that
the only action he would take in the mat
ter would be to discharge Colonel May
from the service. 1t was further held by
the young men at the headquarters OF the
District militia that Colonel May would
be discharged for good, as the great gem
erai himself had saidiit and would put the
threat into effect.
The news of the latest discharge on the
part of the general commanding the Guard
did not at all surprise Colonel May and
his friends. who believed that the former
had confidence enough in himself to at
| tempt to discharge General Miles If he
took such a notion. Colonel May stated
last night that he will not surrender his
commission until he hears from higher
authority than the Secretary of the Board
of Trade. He will ask that the Secretary
of War detail a court martial to try his
case, and welcomes an investigation into
the present condition of the District
Guard, which viii bring some interesting
facts to light and may relieve General
| Harries Of any further desire TO discharge
officers.
Il will be glad to have a court-martial
by military men," said Colonel May and
am willing to have my superior officers
make any examination they desire. ! do
not believe that General Harr es can dis
charge me and do not consider myself dis
charged"
Root of the Trouble.
The present and final trouble caused by
General Harries is the result of the testi-
mony given by Colonel May in the CHS
holm court martial, in which the latter
was bold enough to speak the truth, even
though this did not please General Harries.
The general could not have an official in
his command who would dare rebuke the
hero of Camp Ordway. so it was a small
matter to charge Colonel May with certain
things and have him hauled up before a
board OF ambitious young friends and petty
u:..'cers. and a finding of incompetency
br yught in as result. 1t is not expected
that this case will be handled as easily
as was those against Lieutenant Colonel
'Brien and Captain Chisholm, as the mil
itary officials have tired of the Harries
feuds and the humOrs connected there
with. The petty meannesses wrought upon
Colonel Urell and others have not been
entirely forgotten. ana it has been con-
cluded to bring the matter to a close by
making it so hot for Harries that he will
be pleased to see the organization dis
banded and glad to get chance to send
in his resignation.
The remnants of the rapidly disorganizng
body are hanging together by threads and
in more ways than one the entire organ
ization has become a farce under the
vacillating policy of its commander. The
sentiment in this case is all with Colonel
May and against the cause of disruption,
and the feeling is unanimous that Harries
must go. even though the Guard goes with
him. as the existing portion of the body
founded by General Ordway would hardly
do credit to anything save General Har-
ries. who regards it as a monument to his
colossal efforts at suspension for such Of
fences as those pertaining to sartorial COM
petition with the commanding general. As
raCfp n fpr- nd phara