Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-02

Capt. Charles J. Fox, LIST Battery, Field
Artillery. has been selected for appoint
ment as major in the ordnance depart
ment, the ranking Office of that depart
ment, by Gen. Harries Maj. Fox steps
into the vacancy caused by the retire
ment about year ago of Maj. Edward
F. Riggs.
Capt. Fox entered the District National
Guard as private in the battery, June
30. 1903. He was commissioned second
lieutenant June 2S, 1904, and captain June
IL, 1905.
The command of the list Battery, Field
Artillery, will fall to the next ranking
officer of that organization. First Lieut..
j. Harry Shannon, who will be commits
stoned captain, subject to examination.
Lieut.. Shannon enlisted in the guard
March %, 1906 rising to the rank of cor
poral on his first enlistment He re-en-
listed January !. 1910. and was commits
stoned the senior first lieutenant with
rank from March 8. 1909.
Gen. Harries. over his own signature
In general orders, has assigned First
Lieut.. Claude A. Lindsey, I'd Infantry, to
duty as his aid-de-camp.
= 4
Unless unpleasant weather conditions
cause an upset, the largest gathering of
riflemen and spectators in the history of
nual rife matches which will open next
Wednesday morning. More than usual in
terest is manifest among the guardsmen
and an exceptionally large number of
contestants are expected to compete for
the prizes.
The Mosher match. scheduled for
Thursday, promises to lead all others in
point of interest. 1t is seldom an inter-
state match attracts as many as six
teams. the number scheduled for this
contest. The organizations which have
entered SO far are the United States Ma
rine Corps, the United States Corps of
Engineers and the 18th United States
Cavalry tor the several branches of the
regular service, and New Jersey. Mary
land and the District Of Columbia for
the state organizations. The team to rep
resent the District in the Mosher match
will be selected from among the follow
ing officers and enlisted men, Capt. r.
H. Heidenreich, Capt. William w. Cook
H. c. Caldwell and Ralph Alderman, and
Sergts. Thomas Brown and A. g.
Schmidt.
The distances have been changed to
600 and 800 yards.
A new and handsome trophy has been
presented by the firm of Judd & Det-
weller in the regimental match This
Is to be shot for annually, the members
of the winning team each year to re-
ceive medals.
The District of Columbia delegation to
the convention of the Interstate National
Guard Association to be held in St. Louis,
Mo-, October 3, 4 and left yesterday
afternoon for the western city. 1t is COM
posed of Brig. Gen. George H. Harries,
Col Charles H. Ourand, LIST Infantry;
Lieut.. Col. Samuel E. Smiley, adjutant
general, and Lieut.. Col. William E. Har-
vey, I'd Infantry.
While the local delegation has at pres
ent no special plan to offer for consid
GRAFTON at the convention, it will enter
the deliberations prepared to support ag
excessively several recommendations and
plans of the Interstate association which
are considered of almost vital importance
to the organization Of the United States
In one movement especially the National
Guardsmen will have the hearty and out
spoken support of the highest officers of
the regular army. The plan which was
referred to a committee last year. and
on which a favorable committee report
will be presented at the convention sug
geStS a petition to the government, asking
that enough officers be added to the regu-
lar establishment to permit one officer in
active service being permanently sta
toned with the organized militia of each
state.
This proposed reform is one in which
the organized militia in each state is
deeply interested. At the present time. it
is pointed out there is in addition to the
District of Columbia only one state that
has the services of an officer of the
regular army on the active list. The
volunteer militia of Massachusetts has a
regular army officer in active service as
a permanent detail 1t is true, say Ma
tional Guard officers that the state Or
CARNATIONS have retired regular officers
stationed with them for purposes of in
struction. but these, they say, do not
answer the purpose as we'll as would
officers on the active list of the army.
Retired officers are OF great assistance
in the administration of the various state
organizations. but the guardsmen contend
retired officers have not the same incen
tive to keep in touch with advances in
military science as has the active officer.
liable to be called into active service at
any time.
in the matter because. they contend, the
state organizations do not receive the
same consideration in the apportionment
of active army officers for duty ,as mill
tary Instructors as do the military schools
and colleges or educational institutions
with a military course. to which many
active line officers are assigned for duty.
while the National Guard organizations
are forced to content themselves with re-
tired officers. An instance is pointed out
in nearby state. which is allowed no
active officer for duty with it's organized
militia, while several educational insti-
tutions in the commonwealth, though car
rying an enrolment in some instances of
as few as $40 students are allowed an
active line officer for duty during the
entire school year.
The action anticipated at the interstate
convention will have the support of the
regular army. inasmuch ats it calls for an
increase in the number of officers a re-
| form for which the staff officers and de-
partment commanders have been working
for wears and have demanded with ever