Evening star., 1912-11-10

F supreme Importance to the
National Guard of the District
of Columbia, as well as to the
National Guard organizations
of the various states of the
nation is a decision by L. +. Mitchell.
acting controller Of the Treasury, TO
the effect that the company rife teams
which journeyed to Seagirt last sum-
mer may be reimbursed for their pay
and travelling expenses out of federal
FUNDS. This seemingly unimportant
item has. been fought for tooth and nall
by Maj. Boyd Taylor. paymaster, whose
contention has been upheld finally by
the Treasury Department. The decision
viii now act as precedent for the or
ganizations OF the various states and
the congressman who have been plead
ing with the militia division for money
to pay for the company teams travel
ing expenses and regular army pay.
The vital paragraph in the decision
as given to Maj. Taylor is the follow
ing:
The law would seem to make the
governor OF state or territory and
the commanding general of the Dis
trict of Columbia militia the judge of
what officers and men Of the militia
service for instruction under section IA
of the act of January 81. 1903, provided
only that the organized militia is
sufficiently armed uniformed and
equipped for active duty in the field" /"
That means, of course, that the fed
eral government believes the supreme
command of the National Guard of the
District of Columbia rests within it
self, with reasonable exceptions. No
arbitrary rulings from the militia divi-
a a.
girt or Camp Perry will be honored
after tins. If National Guard prophets
are correct.
The concluding paragraph of the de-
cision. which will be hailed gleefully
all over the United States, is as fol-
lows:
Upon the facts appearing l am of the
opinion that the officers and men or the
company teams of the District OF Co
to pay for the time they actually par
ticipated in the camp of instruction or
rife practice at Seagirt. n. j.. under the
OF ders of the commanding general OF
the District of Columbia organized
militia. and if the account is otherwise
Whatever pay they are entitled to re-
ceive should be from the allotment for
arms, equipments and camp purposes.
and not from the allotment for the
pTOInOtIOU VI Tlie dCllSc.
The teams which have caused the
commotion are the rife teams OF b
Company. 1st Infantry; X Company, lst
Infantry; C. Company. I'd Infantry; U
Company, I'd Infantry; Company. I'd
Infantry, and NJ Company, I'd Infantry
The company teams were sent to Sea-
girt by order of brigade headquarters.
but the difficulty over paying them
arose when the War Department, divi-
sion of militia affairs, claimed that
only brigade teams had been author
ICED by it to participate.
|. All sorts Of appeals were made to the
militia division for authority to pay
the men of company teams out of fed
eral pay, but the division was oodurate.
Teams representing various states We're
in the same fix evidently. for con-
gressmen besieged the militia division.
trying to effect a change OF heart, but
the division refused to change. Mean
while Mai Taylor was busy with the
controller of the Treasury. with the re-
suit that the War Department is over
ruled.
Gallery practice for the ensuing year
will be under way within few days.
and an order covering the details of this
important feature of winter work will be
issued cary this week. MAJ. Thomas s.
King, inspector of small arms practice,
Isl in charge of the gallery and the gen.
eral policy of the brigade regarding the
instruction falls to his share. In the or
der to be issued strong appeal is made
to the officers and men to strive Tor per-
fection The order, with the exception
of certain formal paragraphs reads as
follows:
TT is believed that the best results for
the entire guard will be obtained by
limiting the prescribed gallery practice
to officers and men who have never quail
ified as marksmen or better with the
rifle by using some trained shots as in
structors at the sighting, position and
aiming and gallery practice drills: by al
lowing the remainder of the guard to en-
gage in voluntary gallery practice, and
by furnishing reasonable amount OF
gallery ammunition free for the pre-
scribed and voluntary practice
THE low figure of merit of the guard
is due primarily to non-attendance at tine
target range, and also to the Jack of pre-
liminary instruction of many officers and
men before going to the range. 1t Is
the duty of each officer not only himself
to attain reasonable degree OF pro
ficiency with the weapon with which his
command is armed, but also to be able
to instruct the enlisted men Of his COM
mand in the sighting, position and Lining
and gallery practice drills and IN range
firing, and to give this instruction to his
command.
In the past too much reliance has been
placed upon the instruction given by IN
spectors of small arms practice and by
ordnance officers in the gallery and on
the range.
''Two Holifield target practice rods,
with a liberal supply of paper targets, and
one Belgian aiming device will be sup
piled to each company for instruction or
recruits and for use by officers and men
of the company whenever practicable. The
paper target shows location of each shot.
so that a man can see exactly how he is
holding.
mo officer or enlisted man will be per-
mitted to fire on the target range during
the target year of 1913 unless he has re-
ceived instruction in sighting drill and in
gallery practice or unless he has pre-
viously qualified as marksman or better in
special course c.
Troops armed with the revolver must
have preliminary instruction before firing