The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1905-04-05
SUMMER PRACTICE PLANNED
FOR STATE 6uARDSMEn
Number Of Selected Men Are to Be TAX
en- to American Lake for Target
Shooting.

Only one encampment OF the Wash
ington National Guard will be held dur
ing the next biennial period. The appro-
proa'ion granted by the last Legislature,
all the adjutant- general asked, is not
sufficient to pay for two general en-
campments and the officers at the head
of the national guard are not anxious
for more than one.
During the coming summer, there will
be no general encampment. Instead Sc
lected men will be taken from each COM
pany and sent to the ranges owned by
the state at American Lake and care
fully drilled under expert riaemen in
target practice and the general use of
small arms. The return of these men
after a period of careful drill will be of
great benefit to their home commands.
Target practice is a matter that Ad-
jutant- Genral James A. Drain regards
as of the highest Importance to the Ma
tional Guard, and it was with this idea
in view that he assigned Col Mckenzie
to a series of meetings with local COM
panies for the purpose of holding
schools for instruction, the Post Intelli-
gencer states. Col. Mckenzie has had
his itinerary carefully marked out for
him. Another step taken along the same
line by the adjutant- general is the per-
lection of an indoor range and the gen.
eral order that forbids any member of
the guard shooting on the range until
he has qualified indoors. The targets
have been reduced proportionately to the
longer range field trgets and a smaller
caliber rifle of similar weight and general
appearance with the regular army rife,
has been adopted for indoor practice.
The adjutant- general has made no for
NAL announcement of his plans for the
summer campaign but it is known that
he intends the school of instruction to
be held in the meantime to develop the
best shots i each company and the best
most adaptable for field practice.
In a general way the adjutant- generals
plans indicate he will take from each
company a capable officer and several
of his men, who will be conveyed to
American Lake and given thorough
schooling in rife practice. These men
would be under the instruction of COM
petent experts and instructed in various
methods of estimating distance and
shooting.
Unless the plans of military authori-
ties are changed this is all that will be
attempted by the National Guard dur
ing the present summer. If he can send
a detachment of men back to each com,
pany thoroughly schooled in rifle prac-
tice and competent to instruct others,
the adjutant general will have accom-
plished his purpose.
Congress made no appropriation TO ra
general encampment of guardsmen with
the state troops of the Northwest, so
that the expense of general encamp-
ment of the guard would have to be
borne by this state alone. The best
that can be done without such an en-
campment is to bring the guardsmen
into touch with regulars in the summer
target practice.
Though his plans do not 60 into de-
tails for a year later it is understood
that in 1906 Gen. Drain will order gen
eral encampment of the National Guard
At that time Congress may have acted
favorably and the presence of troops
from other states and the regulars sta
toned at Washington and Oregon
points can be brought together with the
troops of the states.
If this program is followed Gen. Drain
will have body Of men to send into
general encampment which will compare
favorably with the regulars not only in
the drills but also in target work. The
Washington National Guard now ranks
among the highest in the Union in the
perfection of rife practice, and the
schooling he intends to give his men will
enable Gen. Drain to raise the standard
wonderfully.