Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-08-11
Oliver P. Newman to Retain
Place as D. C. Commissioner
Until He Goes Into Service

Commissioner Newman who is to be
commissioned a major of the Officers Re-
serve Corps. will not resign az District
official at once, but will wait until called
| to active service. In the meantime he
will resume his duties as District Com
missioner and hopes to clean up several
matters with which he has been closely
connected His active army service will
| probably begin in about two weeks.
Maj. Newman, for the first time in his
| life. led battalion consisting Of three
batteries of field artillery and one troop
| Of cavalry in 4 mounted drill last night
on the parade grounds at Fort Myer, just
as he will command it on Monday. when
Secretary of Wa Newton d. Baker re-
| views the 9Th Training Regiment and
President Wilson confers the commissions
on nearly 1900 officers.
1t was an unexpected honor for Maj.
Newman and came soon after he had been
notified that he had been commissioned
! major, after the Army general board had
| passed upon the recommendations of the
!, camp officers. A few of his close persc nal
friends among government officials who
had learned of the commission and went
! over to congratulate him found him right
on the job.
! 1T has been the hardest and most
! satisfying piece of work | ever did"
Commissioner Newman told his friends.
He said he felt great personal graft
| fication at having stood the strict test
of three months intensive training,
where every man is in keen COMPETE
| ton with his fellows and every man
, must stand on his own feet and work
, out his own salvation. He looked the
| pleasure he expressed.
Previous Military Training.
His previous military training was at
West Point, where he remained for one
! year.
officers at Fort Myer say that the at
titude of the general board In confirm
ing the recommendation that Mr. New
man be commissioned a mai or was that
i his work during the next three to six
| months win lie principally organiza-
ton administration and establishing
discipline. His experience has made
, him a very good executive. Whatever
he lacks in practical experience in the
school of fire Will be developed in
France, where his regiment will he
trained by the French artillery experts.
using the French guns. They think
! that he has the executive ability and
has the potential ability to learn the
shooting side of his new office
| 1t is probable that Maj. Newman. with
all the other officers commissioned at
Fort Myer, will be distributed TO one
OF the three environments in the terri
torial division from which they were
assigned to Fort Myer. This includes
New Jersey. Delaware Virginia Mar,,
land and the District of Columbia The
three environments are to be at Wright
son, n. j.; Admiral. Md, and Peters
The best guess now is that Mai New
man VIII DE sent either to Camp Mea de
at Admiral, or to Petersburg, where
the District quota of the National ARMY
, is expected to be assigned
some mint oil the work ahead of him
may be had by considering that he will
be in command of three batteries. that
| the regiment will have but three Reg
! ular Army officers. that he will be in
command of 500 raw recruits with
,orig-one raw officers. and that each
battery will have 1865 unframed horses
Three Regular Army Officers.
In the regiment of field artillery COM
manded by three Regular Army officers
there viii be two battalons, one of
which Will be commanded by Mai. New
man and the other by a Regular ARMY
| jor.
Associates of Commissioner Newman
in the District building are going to
show their zeal to help him in military
service by furnishing his mount. Under
rslip q. N.i.,i.I Iazan rho