Evening star., 1901-08-08
THE DISTRICT MILITIA
INTEREST AROUSED BY SECRETARY
ROOTS PROPOSED MEASURE.
National Aid to the Guardsmen GEN
orally Approved-A Comparison
of Small Arms.


while on a visit to Camp Ordway, at
Leesburg, this summer, where the District
militia had the most successful outing In
its history, l made it q point to talk with
many of the officers on the subject of Sec
retary's Roots proposed bill in behalf OF
the militia Of the entire country" said a
retired army officer to a Star reporter this
morning. "All Of the officers, and many OF
the men. showed the liveliest interest In
the measure. and were unit In their ex-
pressions OF approval Of the plan. I was
surprised at the breadth Of thought and
the intelligence with which some voiced
their views. The feeling seemed to be that
now was the time to make the start, and
that the outcome would be gratifying
success.
"One young CAPTAIN. a veteran of the
Spanish war, who went through the entire
Cuban campaign, said that If all Of the Of
ficers of the National Guard throughout
the country felt as do the officers Of the
measure would go through Congress with a
rush. Some Of his ideas were based upon
hard. practical personal experience.
The war with Spain,' he said to me,
small arms shooting ammunition Of differ
ent caliber our side, and the effective
ness Of the Mauser on the other, If 1T did
nothing else. It also demonstrated the i'm
perative need of national cooperation with
states in the training and maintenance Of
the National Guard, from which many
thousands of the soldiers Of that war were
recruited. These men all went home with
the fixed idea that the militia of the United
States should be armed with the very lat
est improved rifle Of fixed caliber; their
views have been disseminated throughout
the states and the effect Of these opinions
is bound to be reflected in Congress when
such a measure comes up for considera-
ton.
"'There Is one example Of local interest
he told me, and it will serve for a hundred
other instances. At Leesburg the Loudoun
company is the local state organization of
the Virginia National Guard. 1t musters
forty-five men. but they are at present
drilling without uniforms, though uniforms
will soon be provided. Suppose these men
received national assistance, say, as to uni
forms and the latest Krag rifles, though the
manner Of the aid, whether In equipment
and arms or appropriations for that specific
purpose, is a matter of detail. the impetus
to organization and to maintain that or
ganization to the highest pitch of perfec-
tion would be very great. The same holds
good whether in New York. Mississippi or
Oregon
The South Interested.
"I believe he continued, that the
southern members in Congress will be
found largely in favor of the bill, and if
not, they ought to be. The south has fine
material for militia making, but it does not
have the means nor the equipment as has
the militia in some of the northern states,
especially in New York, Massachusetts and
Pennsylvania. The bill affects all sections
alike. and the organization and the MAIN
tenance of companies will be greatly stimu-
lated.
Take the District National Guard, for
example In point of material and fight
ing efficiency, it will compare with any of
the crack militia regiments in New York
or Pennsylvania. In fact, the District regi-
ment in the Spanish war was model in
this respect, and earned the honors be-
slowed upon it. Its showing was splendid.
This camp is a model camp, and compares
favorably with the New York state camp
at Peekskill, and General Harries and his
officers well merit the praise they have re-
ceived from the regular army officers anf
others, who have visited us. Yet New
York will spend $3.50, 600 on an armory for
single regiment Of It's citizen soldiers.
The quarters. of the guard in Washington
are not befitting its Importance, though
much better than In some cities. But the
District deserves the best, and perhaps
some day will have it. The Springfield
rifle is antiquated. The men should handle
and be drilled with the weapon that they
would be obliged to fire and carry in the
event Of a real war 1t takes months to
properly acquaint body of men, even
though they are trained militiamen, with
the operating and the handling Of a modern
small caliber, hard-shOoting repeating rifle.
l have shot on the range with both arms,
and I personally appreciate the difference
and the difficulty in acquiring familiarity
with the new gun, a complex piece of
mechanism. If Secretary Root is the means
Of arming the militia of the country with
modern rifle, he Will make for himself
name that will never be forgotten in the
history Of the militia
Scheme Of DevelOnment
II found that the idea Of training. drill
ing and camping with regulars. as is pro-
posed, was greeted with the greatest en-
thusiasm by officers and men alike. 1t is
a great scheme Of development and i'm
provement. 1 do not think that the peace
at any price party will have much inf1u-
ence in Congress The unpreparedness of
the country is still too fresh in the minds
of the people. One officer thought that the
militia should effect some sort of organi-
cation throughout the country to the end
that pressure might be brought to bear
upon representatives in Congress to foster
the bill, If it should be found that there
should develop any serious antagonism to
the measure. Such an organization, If ne
cessary, could easily be perfected through
the commanding generals in the different
states. In New York state the political in
fluence of the militia is courted and de-
sired by both parties. 1t is very great and
powerful. The National Guard in that state
gets all 1t wants within reason from the
legislature. It Is an exhilarating sight to
ing manifested along the line of march in
the streets Of New York as one of its reg
iments swings down town to the steamboat
to embark for Peekskill, or, having been
away their allotted time, sre returning to
Its armory. Still, the same feeling exists