Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-18

militia of the District has been spent in
surrounding diaicultfes. The people who
are the greatest critics of our brigade are
the same people whosdecry great stand
ing army. When asked what the country
Will do in time. of war they point to the
militia. Now. how is the militia to attain
degree of efficiency that will make 1t re-
liable force upon which to draw In time of
war if it Is to be laughed at and pointed
out with scorn by majority OF the people
VINO are most anxious for defense when
war comes? The militia officers want the
people to know something of their organ
fzation, and when they do know 1t, scorn
will turn to respect. Go out into the streets
and tell the first man you meet that the
organized militia of the District Is the most
efficient National Guard organization in the
country and see what will happen. Your
man will either laugh at you or ADVISE you
to consult a specialist in mental diseases
1t seems an awful stretch OF the truth 10
make any such a statement, 0tes IL not!
Yet that is only half the truth. The rec
ords of the War Department Will snow that
the National Guard of the District Oh 90
iumbia has been found by the inspecting
officers of the army to be not only the most
efficient, but the best differed military Or
ganizaton in the United States, outside OF
the regular army. And the stan depart
ments are in just as capable hands.
ITO those who object to fuss ana eathers
/. might come as news that there have been
no full-dress uniforms issued to the Dlstrlct
National Guard since 1897 and that since
lI1aC year not q single OTSdiiZdlloil VI liio
brigade has appeared on the streets IN gold
lace and feathers 1t might be news TO
this class of inquisitors also that the haplt-
ual uniform of the District militia at most
of its formations is the field garb OF the
United States army, and that when IN
camp our citizen soldiers put IN their Time
at the hardest kind of work.
The Manassas Maneuvers.
Some criticism was made of the District
nal t the maneuVerS held
at Manassas last fall, and yet those In au-
thority knew that such maneuvers were
not of particular benefit to the enlisted men,
they having learned the lessons this class
of work gives to enlisted men several years
ago. The officers to whom the instruction
at Manassas would be of benefit were there,
by order of the commanding general. Ana
it might be said here that the time spent
by those officers there was free gilt by
them to the people They were in the sad
die from six in the morning until sundoWn
and were required to attend lecture at
eight o'clock in the evening and submit
written reports of the days work to the
adjutant general before ten in the evening.
Every officer there consumed his annual
leave to be present and did not receive
cent for his work either, no money being
available for such pay and no disposition
on the part of the powers that be being
manifested to allot money If 1t could have
been done.
Congress relating to the local brigade
merely permits of reorganization str1ctly
in accordance with regular army standards
The organization under which the guard Is
operating is of a complicated character
that does not conform in all particulars TO
the army standards In every regiment OF
the United States army and every regiment
of the organized militia of the United
States, except the District, there is band.
In the District there is but one band and a
corps of field, music for two regiments, {,
separate battalion of infantry and several
additional organiZa tionS. The band is val
liable for more reasons than because 1t
plays music and that is reason enough, as
anyone who has ever marched the length
Of Pennsylvania avenue with a gun on ms
shoulder must know. So much for the bands
that are provided.
Fuss and Feathers.
Now as to parade and fuss and feathers
of that sort.
During the calendar year between Janu-
airy 1, 1903, and December 81, 1904, the or
ganized militia of the District was on pa
rade as a whole just four times, and one
seotion of it was on parade just once in
addition. The regular army was on parade
on the streets of Washington more than
twice that. many times, arfayed IN UNI
forms of the dress and full dress order,
which the District Guardsmen do not pos
sess and do not want, and have no use
for.
Just let the critics take Il look at oui
OF ganization and then look at others
throughout the country. The two best
militia states in the country this year were
Massachusetts and New York, with Con-
nectcut, Georgia, Washington, Ohio and
Pennsylvania running close behind. None
of these states, with the possible exception
of Washington and Massachusetts, were
anywhere near far advanced in the
study and practical application of military
science as the National Guard of the Dis
trict of Columbia. That seems like strong
statement but a simple search in the
records of the War Department which hold
reports from army officers, sent to all of
these states and the District, will convince
the most skeptical. Just take the trouble
to look. Our militia is not a show organi-
cation. The men do not look pretty on
the streets. They frequently look tough
and unkempt. beside the trim social or
CARNATIONS of New York and of other
states But in the field, when it comes to
taking care of themselves, to understand
ing the higher branches of military science,
to executing orders of all kinds intelligent
ly and with an eye to the best results the
National Guard of the District of Columbia
has simply beaten all competitors to a
standstll.''