The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-11-26
INSPECTOR TELLS OF SOUTH CAR
OLINi COMPANIES
SIX FOUND DEFICIENT
In His Statement to War Department
He Tells Of Changes Needed in the
Other Companies in Order to Bring
Them to the Efficiency Demand
ed-Makes No Recommendations.

The war department at Washing
ton Wednesday wrote the governor o.
South Carolina letter bearing OF
the recent inspection Of South Caro-
lima troops and while the department
declined to make public the con
tents of this letter before 1t has beer
received by the governor, it is under
stood that in plain terms it calls at
tention to the very unsatisfactory
condition Of the troops at the pres
ent time, says a dispatch to The
State. Lieut.. Col. David c. ShankE
Of the army made an inspection Of the
troops in compliance with orders
from the secretary Of was between
October 6 and October 21, 1913.
The object was to determine the
condition Of the twelve companies
which had been inspected and report
ed as unsatisfactory at an inspection
made in March and April, 1913. 81
do lot wish to make any recommen-
dation in regard to these companies, u
the report says. "There may be con-
siderations affecting them or impor-
tant reasons for retaining them that
are not fully known to me. The fol-
lowing expression or opinion regard
ing their present condition and reas-
enable prospect Of improvement is
based upon the idea that the United
States desires to encourage military
instruction in every way; it does not
want to withdraw opportunity for
military instruction in any case where
it seems reasonable to suppose that
the government may receive even
fair return for the money invested or
the efforts made.
"Based upon this idea 1t Is my be-
lief that the companies located at
Chesterfield, Bamberg, BarnweIl,
Bennettsville, Conway and Lancaster
are in such condition as to render it
extremely improbable that the COVE
ernment would ever receive from
them any kind Of satisfactory service.
The company at WATERFORD, I be-
lieve, has improved to an extent such
as to warrant its continuance without
change in the commissioned person
mel"
The companies at Elloree, Darling
ton and Company c, Second Infantry,
at Columbia, have an enlisted person
mel that would promise considerable
with changes in the
commanding officers the report says.
Company B, Second South Carolina
infantry, is referred to as being
mot in as good shape as any of the
last three mentioned" and it is in
timated that here should be change
in its commanding officer also.
Company B First infantry, at Lib
erty Hill, has no armory or proper
store rooms" the report goes on. "Its
membership is scattered over the sur
country. The showing Of
this company under all its disadVan-
tages was fairly good, and its enlisted
personnel in physique and appearance
and drill was about as good as any I
saw. AS a drill instructor, its captain
was quite as good as any,"
An analysis Of this in the absence
OF specific and more direct informa-
ton which is contained in the letter
from the war department to the gov
ernor Of South Carolina, leaves little
room to doubt that, taken as whole
and with special reference to the COM
panies at Chesterfield, Bemberg,
Bennettsville, Conway and
Lancaster, the federal authorities are
not satisfied with their showing. This
is the state Of their condition even at
ter the warning order which several
of the South Carolina companies re-
ceived from the war department last
summer.
1t will be noted also that the COM
panies at Elloree, Darlington, and
Companies c and B at Columbia must
show improvement before their gen
eral condition will be satisfactory to
the secretary Of war. 1t is assumed
that upon receipt Of this letter from
the secretary of war to the governor
Of South Carolina by the latter, the
matter will assume definite shape. It
will then be known also whether or
not any of the South Carolina troops
are to lose their federal appropriation
or whether they will continue as at
present.
Brothers in Fatal Duel.
In a duel with pistols at Oakdale,