Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-09
IRRATIONAL, h|||GUARD
! DISTRICT f "a COLUMBIA

7THE delegates from the various
/ states to the convention of the
/ Interstate National Guard AS
| 1 ISOLATION in St. Louis October
B. and pushed the District
| of Columbia organization prominently
into the limelight when they passed a
resolution asking their respective repre-
sentatives in Congress to work for the
appropriation to erect a model National
Guard armory in this city.
The movement to secure this indorse-
ment from the convention, if it originated
in the minds of the local guard officers.
required little impetus from this end, as
| the resolution was offered and enthusi-
astically adopted by the convention, each
delegate feeling that. with model guard
armory in Washington. the step of Sc
curing one of like caliber for his own
| organization would be comparatively
simple.
That the officers of the District Guard
will use the Endorsement for all it is
worth during the coming winter is as
| sured The action of the St. Louis con-
vention, actuated largely by "a motive
| disinterested, except through pride in the
| National Capital, is expected to prove a
| strong argument in favor of the proposed
armory, plans for which have been sub
mitted to Congress.
The District delegation returned to this
city well pleased with the results of the
| deliberations of the convention. The
| delegation from here was composed of
Brig. Gen. George Fl. Harries, Col
| Charles II. Ourand. list Infantry; Lieut.
Col. Samuel f. Smiley, adjutant general.
and Lieut.. Col. William E. Harvey, I'd
| Infantry.
1.-THE convention was, in, some respects,
| the most important that has been held
| by the association" said Col. Smiley in
| commenting on the meeting. About 800
| delegates from the various states We're
| present, each state and the District of
| Columbia being entitled to one delegate
| for each 500 members of its National
| Guard in addition to it's adjutant gen.
| eral
THE subject of federal pay for officers
| and enlisted men Of the National Guard
| for drills and other duties, except annual
| encampments and strike duty. had caused
| much discussion in guard circles during
| the past few years.
| In accordance with instructions of the
| 1909 National Guard convention, held at
| Los Angeles, Cal, in September of that
year, committee submitted a draft of a
pay bill, which was given prolonged con-
| sideration by the legislative committee,
and after a number of changes submitted
to and passed by the convention in ST
| Louis
THE bill provides that enlisted men
who perform IS per cent of ordered duty
| shall receive from the government d
per cent of the pay allowed corresponding
grades in the regular army. This allot-
ment will be graded down according to
the amount of work done. The maximum
| pay will be based on attendance at forty
e1ght drills each year, and no pay will be
| allowed men who have failed to attend
twenty drills. In the case of enlisted
men, the bill also prescribes a certain
| amount of target practice and certain de-
gree of excellency in this line.
Officers of the, National Guard must
| pass satisfactorily a professional exam
| lnation prescribed by the Secretary OF
| War and the national militia board. AS
| In the case of enlisted men, all pay will be
based on the performance of IS per cent
| OF ordered duty. The bill provides that
| tney receive an amount of pay based on
| percentages OF pay received by officers of
| the army OF like grade. Officers below
the grade of general officers will receive
| 10 per cent of that paid regular army
officers of like grade. except in the cases
| or company. troop and battery command
ers, When an additional 5 per cent will
| be allowed. General officers and those on
their staffs will receive per cent of the
amount allowed regular army officers.
| The bill provides for stoppages of pay
| whenever necessary to meet the cost of
| public property lost or destroyed by Off
| GERS or enlisted men. Two payments a
year-June II and December I5-are sug-
] gested by the bill.
| The sentiment in favor of the hill WA :
not unanimous, although it was passed
| easily by the convention. Many officers
| present openly expressed the opinion that
| such loyal volunteer services as those
rendered by the officers and men of the
National Guard could not be paid for
with money. and that such services
| should not be cheapened by reduction to
| monetary basis.
| Many officers who held this sentiment
however. voted for the bill because the
organizations they represented were in
favor of such legislation. The executive
! committee was ordered to take charge
of the movement and make every effort
| to have 1t enacted into a law at the
| coming session of Congress- Copies of
the proposed pay bill will be struck off
and distributed among the various Guard
| headquarters throughout the country"
*
resolution of particular interest to
the District National Guard and which
was adopted by the convention pettioned
an addition to the laws now in force to
guarantee federal employees leave of .ab-
| sence for necessary and ordered National
| Guard duties without loss of time or
money or without injury to their eff
| ficiency records. The law now in force
provides for leaves Of absence for Ma
tional Guard duty, but officers at the
convention claimed to have run across
| cases where absence on duty had worked
| injury to mems records for efficiency.
An increase of active line officers for
the army. in order to provide sufficient
officers to permit the detail of one officer
| to each militia regiment throughout the
year. was one of the most important
measures advocated by the convention
and one in which the militia has the
sympathy and active support of the gen.
eral officers of the regular army.
The passage of a bill now before Con-
Sress and which was passed by the Sen
ate at the last session providing for an
annual appropriation of 100000 to be
expended in encouraging rifle practice
among the youth of the country and in
the public schools enthusiastically
Endorsed. The bill had the announced
support of President Taft.
"a
| Gen. Thomas j. Stewart, adjutant gen
eral, Pennsylvania National Guard, was
reelected president of the association
| and Adjt. Gen. Laucke Of the California
National Guard was elected first vice
president. The following were elected to
| the executive committee: Gen. Edward
i HAw E-.2i