Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-31
"reminiscences Exchanged
Around Banquet Board.
COL. R. D. SIMMS' TRIBUTE
Lauds Spirit of District Troops in
Recent Maneuvers.
DESIRE OF ADMIRAL CHESTER
Wants the United States to Have
the Biggest Navy in the World,
Composed of Hard Fighters.

Mars and BdccnUS SnOOk nan0S last
evening across a long and bountiful table
at Freund's. when the District OF Column
bia Commandery OF the Naval and Mil
itary Order of the Spanish War sat down
to dinner and listened afterward to all
sorts of speeches. "reminiscences and
stories of service in the war. BY Bacchus,
however il must not be assumed that this
little affair was any Bacchanalian revel.
Far from it, II was a quiet little affair.
where old soldiers ate something. drank
something and smoked three cigars each,
and afterward shook in their unmilitAry
boots for fear that the POSTMASTER, Gen.
Urell would call on them for "a few re-
marks"
Lauds District Troops.
The general did call on one gentleman
whose remarks may interest the members
of the National Guard in this city, Col
II. d. Slmms il was, who paid a compli-
ment of the highest sort to the National
Guard OF the District of Columbia and
its conduct in the Massachusetts maneu-
vers when the Red Army is supposed to
have licked the Blue. He spoke Of the
transport journey to Massachusetts,, and
the assumption that the troops were in a
foreign country, total strangers: and
the fact that this assumption was height
National Guard of the District Of Column
bia picked up for their drivers of wagons
lot of Italians who spoke no English
Also he told of the difficulty OF fitting out
regiment with No. feet with a lot Of
No :, shoes 1t sounds funny, but 1t
made sore feet, and plenty OF them. and
sore feet on a march tend to make war
just what Gen. Sherman said II was.
But" said Col Smms, 1.-The boys from
Washington were as game a lot Of SOL
diers as ever went out In uniform. They
showed the spirit that American soldiers
have always shown since there has been
a tinted States, and We need not be
afraid of anything as long as We have
troops with that spirit
Admiral Chester for Big Navy.
Rear Admiral G. NJ. Chester. in the
service for fifty years. made an inter-
esting after-dinner talk. full Of war and
martial spirit. The admiral has never
been at a foreign station unless there
has been war in that vicinity, or at
station in which the nation in which he
was detailed was not involved in war,
so he has seen plenty Of fighting. and
from his talk II was easy to see he Is
In love with good fight. He wants the
United States to have the biggest. grand
est. hardest fighting navy in the world.
and gave plenty of good reasons why
such should be the case
Gen. A. III. Beck was another after
dinner war talker. He said he believed
the volunteers are the troops to be de-
pended on.
most interesting speaker was Chap
lain II. A Brown, now stationed at the
Washington barracks, but a chaplain Of
the Rough Riders during the war.
Lieut.. j. III. Mittendorf In an enthusi-
astic talk urged his comrades to boost
the order to which they belonged, and
asked them to bring with them to the an
nual dinners half a dozen men each. Two
Ay1I>
made speeches. DR.. Cox referred sadly
to a dinner Of "silverware only" on San
Juan HILL and DIR. Anderson said that
the Filipinos had never been licked be-
cause our commanders had made the
troops apologize every time any one was
hurt.
Chasing the James Boys.
Capt. Schweitzer of the Missouri Ma
tional Guard. who has seen service In
more places than one. told about how he
and some OF his comrades chased Jesse
James and Frank James in and out OF
hayricks in the west. Mai. F. s. Hods-
son. chairman of the committee which
arranged the dinner. made a short
speech also. Other speakers were Capt.
A. l. Dade, Maj T. ". Walker and
Lieut.. X. III. Chappell.
Those present were Maj +. s. Hodg-
son. DR.. S. Clifford Cox, Col r. D.
SimmS, Capt. Lee NJ. Lipscomb. Lieut..
Alex G. McKelvey. Charles T. Schwegler,
Capt. Sidney X. Jacobs. Lieut.. j. III. Nit
y. II. Beck. Gen. NJ. Emmett Urell, Rear
Admiral c. NJ Chester. Capt. c. NJ. For
est. Chaplain III. a. Brown. Maj. C. l.. G.
Anderson. Lieut.. r. III. Chappell. u s.
dan Ferree r. p. Lamberton, jr., Lieut..
Anthony HOlmead. Maj. 7. v. Walker,
Lieut.. I. 5. Kim, Maj. F. B. Wheaton
and Lieut. Charles a. Myer.