The Washington herald., 1919-02-11
BY stnfY Correspondent.

Fort Washington. Nd. Feb. 10.-Dis-
trict men in Battery D, Sixtieth Coast
Artillery Regiment, stationed in bar
racks near headquarters here, and
those in the Supply Company of the
regiment stationed just across the
river at Fort Hunt. Va. will all be
mustered out of the service within
the next seven days.
These were the Instructions received
here yesterday from Mai. Gen. Frank
W. Coe, chief of the Coast Artillery
Corps, by Col w. e. Ellis, command
ing officer at the fort.
Men Want Discharges.
This afternoon at o'clock the Dis
trict men, formerly members Of the
First and Second Companies of the
National Guard, Coast Artillery, about
500 men in all, were lined up and ask
ed whether they wished to stay in the
army temporarily until they could ar
range to get back their old or find
new jobs, or be discharged immedi-
ately.
Although most of the men expressed
themselves as being in favor of i'm
AlAGhAdNC NASNAdA IL - bCAACNNN NAid1
many of them will reconsider their
requests and ask to be held tempo
rarily in the army until they are sure
the particular job they want is ready
for them.
If they do this, a high-ranking off,
Ger here explained to The Herald re-
porter, they have everything to gain
and nothing to lose, for they will be
insured against even a single days
unemployment while looking for a job
in Washington.
By electing to remain a few weeks
in the army, the men can themselves
entirely solve the problem connected
with the release Of a large number of
men at single time.
The law provides that. where a SOL
dier elects to remain in the army vol
UNFAIRLY for a short while. he draws a
dollar a day besides his rations and
quarters, yet just as soon as he gets
job he must be granted an imme-
ciate discharge if he requests it.
While the privilege OF visiting
Washington is being denied the men
for day or two in order that dis
charges may be facilitated, later on
they will have every opportunity to
visit their homes at the Capital and
arrange for getting back their old
positions or finding new ones. If those
that are not absolutely certain of a
job on discharge neglect to hold on to
their army pay for a short time, it
is believed they will make a great
mistake and have only themselves to
blame If employment is not ime-
diately obtainable.
While the returned District men can
not visit their homes in Washington
just yet. relatives and friends of
these heavy artillerymen who are Just
Dack after nearly a years service in
France. may visit them at their bar
racks here which are well fitted up
and as comfortable as n city home.
Free Transportation.
Free transportation to the two
forts can be had on two government
boats which leave the Seventh Street
wharf daily, while Fort Hunt may
be reached by the Mount Vernon
Electric Railway. The boats leave
Washington Mondays, Tuesdays,
Thursdays, Fridays at and Ii a. m
and 4:5O p. m. Wednesdays, Satur-,
days. and Sundays the boats leave
Washington at . i. m. and p. m.
Returning, the boats, which also
visit Fort Hunt, leave Fort Wash
ington Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednes-
days, Thursdays, Fridays, and Satur-
Gays at $50 a. m. and 1890 and ..
m. On Sundays the returning boat
leaves Fort Washington at 1880 a. m.
and 7:3O p. m.
Tersely expressed, the returned Dis
trict artillerymen have just three de-
sires. They are to see the home folks,
get their discharges and to so to
work
Although many Of the men, after
living for so many months in the open
air believe it will be hard to go hack
to work in offices, that is just what
the bulk of them are planning to do.
None of the men talked to by The
Herald reporter manifested any
great enthusiasm about Secretary
Lanes plan to send soldiers back to
the land. neither did they express
any wild desire to take up the
64O-acre sections which the Canad-
ian government is offering returned
American soldiers who will settle in
the Northwest country. They want
to get back to civilization. The
wanderlust may seize them later on,
and take them to the edges of civil
lization in the Florida swamps,
Canada or Alaska, but just now old
Washington looks just about the
best place on earth to her sons.
Next Thursday night, Battery DIS
Wizzbang Troupe, under the leader
ship of Abe Cohen, which has made
thousands of the A. E. F. men split
their sides with laughter, will en-
tertain at Fort Washington for the
benefit of the Soldiers Relief Fund.
The redoubtable Abe will render