Evening star., 1929-04-21
District National Guard

While renewed efforts have been made
/ by officials of the National Guard Of the
District of Columbia to secure suitable
building in which the citizen soldiers OF
the National Capital may be properly
trained for field service in time of war,
it would seem that obstacles in the way
J are insurmountable. These are largely
/ governmental agencies which do not
seem disposed to get behind any project
for the local Guard and are content to
let it carry on year after year in what
is perhaps the most unsatisfactory
armory training situation in the United
States.
Almost every source of help has been
appealed to, but the last Congress died
without even getting bill out of COM
inittee The latest move has been to
seek the aid of the District Commits
sioners to include the project in their
f1ve-year budget program. Maj. Gen.
Anton Stephan, commanding the local
troops and who has been making an
effort for years to get his troops prop
erly housed, has personally appeared be-
fore the Commissioners in behalf of the
armory project, it was said at brigade
headquarters this week, but he obtained
nothing further from them than a
statement that they would take the
matter under consideration.
However. when the budget recon-
mendationS of Auditor Donovan ap-
peared, they did not include one for an
armory project, and it is doubtful if
the Commissioners will add such a
fO l1a
the auditors figures. Following up his
personal appearance before the city
heads Gen. Stephan wrote the follow
ing letter to the board
ut is noted that the Commissioners
! are preparing a budget to cover five
year period and it is recommended that
! in any five-year budget which is pre-
pared provision be made for the con-
struction or purchase of an armory for
the National Guard of the District of
Columbia, either as a charge against
regular appropriations or as a charge
against any surplus which may occur
Attention is invited to the present
lack of suitable armory facilities for the
: National Guard of the District of CO.
. lumbia. Again and again proposal has
been made for the furnishing Of armory
facilities. such proposals being indorsed
| only to be vetoed or opposed by some
other governmental agency.
/ The latest pronouncement on this
score comes from Senator Reed Smoot
! chairman of the Public Buildings Com
| mission and chairman of the Senate
committee on public buildings and
/ grounds who states:
| "'If I were you, would take this
matter up with the District Commits
sionerS and have prepared some legis-
lation, approved by the budget, and
then have it placed in one of the ap-
! preparation bills which has not been
! enacted into law
plans for the removal of the tenn
porary buildings on Union Station
| Plaza are becoming very definite and
it can only be a short time before the
National Guard is forced to seek quar-
ters other than those now occupied in
that group.
! "A suitable building is not available
[ for rental within the District, except
1 at excessive cost for alteration to meet
the need peculiar to the National
| Guard, and then only at greatly in
creased cost for rental. Your earnest
consideration for this recommendation
is requested"
While seeking to have the Govern
ment erect a building especially for
armory purposes, the officials also are
trying to find some private builder who
will erect structure for armory pur-
poses and rent it to the Guard within
the figure allowed by Congress for such
purposes. Gen. Stephan, it was said at
headquarters, last week wrote a letter
to the Public Utilities Commission of
the District, pointing out how badly in
need of an armory5 the local Guard is,
and suggesting that in the considera-
tion of central bus terminal that
some attention be given to the matter
of providing for any armory for the
Guard on one or more OF the upper
floors of such building.
At the same time it was said that
the Guard officers have about aban-
doned any hope of getting the Pension
Office Building in Judiciary Square,
which, it has been agreed, would be
ideal for armory purposes In add1-
ton to providing necessary drill space
on the first floor, it is centrally located.
For the purpose of determining from
what sections Of the city the members
Of the various units come, the Guard
recently collected data from the or
ganizations as to where each man lived,
and it was found that the greatest
number came from the downtown sec
ton and from the northeast, which, it
was said, would indicate that down.
town site would be preferable if
building is to be erected. The follow
ing shows the esections into which the
men have been grouped and the num-
bers from each section: Georgetown,
go; downtown, 126: Connecticut ave-