Evening star., 1933-10-08
Fifty Years Ago
In the Star

An unsatisfactory condition prevailed
in the District so years ago in regard
=, to the militia serv-
Arms Tor the ice. The Star of
n n Militia October 3, 1888.
~ u AiiIlia' prints the text of
letter sent by j. B. Edmonds. president
of the Board of District Commissioners
to Gen. Stephen V. Benet, chief OF ord
nance of the Army. requesting an issue
of arms and accoutrements to equip the
lst Company. Union Veteran Corps,
and taking occasion to bring to his
attention and that of the Secretary OF
War the anomalous practice OF arm
ing bodies of men in the District OF Co.
lumbia who are not. as far as the Com
missioners can discover. either con-
trolled or disciplined by law Com
missioner EdmondS continues:
The volunteer soldiery of Washing
ton are composed of excellent material
and embrace very worthy class of So
ciety. They are justly held in high
esteem, Capt. Tappans organization,
equally with others, it is presumed. But
the relations that might arise between
these military organizations and the
Commissioners make the latter deSlrouS
of having them esta blished upon an
unquestionable legal basis. The Com
of any duty nor will they shrink from
any duty enjoined upon them but the
possible uses for which an armed yolun-
teer force might be required in sup
pressing civic disorders gives warning
that there should be nothing equivocal
in the obligations of that force or in
the exercise of authority over them.
The Commissioners find occasion for
congratulations that the peace of the
City of Washington is less likely to be
disturbed than that of any other city
in the Union, but the security of the
large amount of national property here
would seem to require that the men who
bear the arms of the Government
should be brought under the compulsory
discipline of its laws, however ready
they might be to voluntarily comply
with them"
In an interview with a reporter,
printed in The Star of October 4. 1888,
Gen. Benet said:
There are two main points to be de-
cided in this matter. First, the Com
missionerS recognize that they have
nothing to do with the militia, yet in
issuing arms the department only rec
ognizes the highest authority in the
State or territory the Governor and. in
the District of Columbia. the Commis-
make the requisition therefore as
matter of custom and convenience, and
it is very natural that they should want
to have the District militia legally or
ganized. In the second place, there is
an important question raised, which I
should like to see settled-namely.
whether the supply of arms for the Dis
trict should come out of the annual
100000 appropriation for the whole
body of the militia or whether all arms
for the Territories and for the District
OF Columbia shall be annually dis
tributed in such quantities and under
such regulations as the President NAV
prescribe. 1t is claimed you know. that
the Territories were excepted from the
laws governing the amount of arms dis
tributed to State militia. as the Terri
tories were on dangerous frontier."
The important work of the reclama-
ton of the Potomac flats" says The
Potomac Flats 1853. has n 4e'8aer SO far bro ..
Improvement spnSeestst sTssSed as to be fully
unprofessional eye In the face Of un-
expected Instructions the officers Of the
Engineer Corps. Maj. Hams In charge.
merit the Endorsement of the public,
who feel great interest in the progress
of work which promises so much for
the health and beauty of Washington.
Heretofore Congress has been embar-
rassed by various theories and plans for
the Improvement of the river front. and
to such an extent as not only to delav
the commencement Of it but even the
appropriation after 1t had been decided
upon. NOW there are partial, prac-
reason why they should not be fully
carried out"