, 1862-01-20

| Alaeo11, In Als message OF last SIM
mef, TO the men who compose the rank an
lie Of our volunteer army?
out II IS fact worth remembering in thi
conAeetion, that this legislator Of a soycreie
otate only gets away from here by in cyasio,
oi technical rules. Were he colonel. will
s5eeo a year, the path would be wide an,
shooth that led from his duties in the CAM
TO any other good place he was lucky enousl
10 mold; but being only an 's enlisted man,
nc Is SO hcdged about with army regulations
a"o jealous guards that it is o long and Difficult
1ask 10 surmount even the merely formal dit
ncultles that lie in his way. Instead of eoins
Straight to Washington on 4 gracefully giyc1
leave OF ABSENCE" Sergeant is" tide
taneo 1of recruiting SERVICE" and while ht
makes laws for Iowa is supposed to be dcvot
ing his whole time to tho enlistment Of new
| mcn-
could hardly find better text for 4 shor
olseonrse on one Of those evils Of our presen1
| system 10 which alluded in my letter yester
oas. the broad and almost impossible gul
| OF dcnarcation between commissioned off5
eefs and "enllstcd men, is the greatest
anomaly in our Institutions Enthusiastic pa
tr1otlsm may make men willing to bear with il
ior while, or while the war seems 4 tenno.
fafy aft1l1r. But as the conviction settles down
upon Inc popular mind that we are in for q
long and tedious struggle, and that a Great
army OF American citizens must be kept on
loot during tic whole Of it, ovcrshadoyiug All
peaee1ul pursuits and remoulding the whole
character OF our people; there Will be fclto1so
Tue need OF organizing that arr6y as far as pos-
slhie III conformity with the genins Of our peo.
Pie and Government. The grecncst recruit ey-
poets to find In the army sllarp distinct;on of
sahh, ana strict obedience to authority to
Nmeh ne has been stranger in peaceful times.
But ne Is disappointed and discouraged when
ne hnds needless barrier erected to divide
men INTO Two classes, OF which the smaller re-
lalns 10 Itself all the profits and privileges Of
1he service. He comprehends very wen TINT
captain needs higher pay and more liberty
1nan private, and . general than
captain; but he fails to see the reason
Why second lieutenant should have four or
n'e 11hcs the pay Of an orderly sergeant, and
DC Officially recognized all through the army
regulations as gentleman, while lie who holds
the much more arduous and responsible office
IS simply an "enIisted man," It will be muc,,
easier LOT him to discover why this is so, than
10 md any good reason why it should remain
so. As lsaid in my last letter, we adopted our
army system from England, where there arc
distinct classes Of society in peace as well Us
war: the nobility and gentry furnishin. all
the officers, while the ranks arc filled IN from
lnc vast crowd poor and ignorant enough to
hsht Tor sixpcnce day. To our little stand
ing army OF by-gone days the system was well
enough adapted, for in that we really had two
distinct classes Of men. Vest Point furnished
even more officers than We needed, with thor
ough education and the refined and EXPENSIVE
hablts that education brings with it. The ranks
were Tiled with foreigners and brokeu-doyn
men who lad neither the ability nor tue ambi-
ton TO rise to anything higher. But We have
changed all that. The healthicst and hest
blood OF our country is flowing in that coun.
try's cause Our army is composed of half a
million citizens, young, eagcr, ambitious and
trained from infancy each to believe himself
the equal of any man on earth. As the first
excitement Of novelty passes away, and these
men settle down steadily to the great work
before them, the anomaly in orr system will
become more visible and more odious to all of
them. say all, for am glad TO know flat
officers as well as priTates take this view. Some
le" arc sufficiently pleased with their nav
Or tckled with their shoulder straps to
oclleVe II all right; but the great majority
Lhilik more justly and lonorably. With the |
Frs''1es under their command the COMPANY I
otneeis nave 1or the most part been plnYulatc: |
oolinates, associates In business all through
lle. = tfinc more OF experience, or even the
merest accident sometimes, has made ana
captain while the other has gone into the
snEs, but unless those men-,ycre crr,tod
oVer again sou could not MAXI: between tIen1
-He u1nerenee that the army regulations con
emplatc Both have lYed on the same fare
VI l1e1f iiyes, md the captain knows that it is
y ans apsulnl1y dn 1or nun to be drawing four ra-
IONS daF, on the supposition that he has
'eeh lu3uriously trained, while in reality I,c
atlshes his appetite with the same n1ain
llshes served out to his brother in the rinks
&c Knows that it is an absuraity for him
y y ~, IeeelsS ; q large pay for the support
vhi1e the private's wife and children arc to h.
1adc comfortable out Of thirteen dollars n
month The fact being that Mrs. CAPTAIN and
afs. fr1yate probably live next door to each
t1er at home, and exchange calls and cro-
,.''o "eIt ufesses from tile same piece, T
nd talk scandal about each other a1l in as
elg ghboriy manner as they lave been accus-
onied to through their whole lives. The fact
Init whatever arisfocracy Of wealth and cle |
anec vas growing up in our country las been
Ct Ct oack at least a generation By this war
d.! nien mas brought out into such prominent
Office and elevated so high in our hearts thc
ougher merits Of the strong arm and the hard
and Every month will sec a stilIlarecr pro-
of11on Of onr officers coming from
1osc whose habits have been tic very
.'efsc OF luxury. It is hard to say which
y oaiu a oe me more absurd, for these officers
tort to keep up the traditional % styie Of Of an an
nshsn Guafdsma11; or to keep on in their
u u way OF ine, and pocket large savings that
re supposed to be thus spent RI
Mc need, therefore, to root ont entirely this
stinctlon Of the army into two classes Tnf i
lc scale Of rank and pay rise by regular stems
ON corporal to general, SO that Tie forn;er +
~ PC us much or as little a Commissioned
neer. as LIS superiors. Abolish all inridious :
sLlnct1ons 81 " regular system OF promotions :
ON the ranks, and only nom the r,nEs w. L
pt so far as West Point and kindred schoo1s
rn1sll men educated to commence active ser. h
&C at higher round On the ladder, Then ,
sllall nave an army into which the best class
our youth can so as priyates without feeling 0
at fncy lave more to dread in their otgT1 e
Mps than on the battle field,
40 doubt there would be a great nrtcrr .
anst such change from those who hayc b
en- accustomed to the old system and enjoy. h
sns ;,1l s,9 ,nenehts l apprehcnd less difficulty
~ th!s source, however, than from vague :.
presslon among the people at large thai II
sle a Innst De some reason for the present ct
nc OF things, and that civilian had hetrer tc
meddle with it. I sec them sinking down ~
; seled With confusion when some red fired " ~
regular" bursts ont upon them Win Il
.ounds, sir what do yo1s Know about miii1 Ii:
! matters ~ The best answer to this is r.
II other nations, like the French ~
.e { get US the example, and that II III
7 england and the United States er
ABOUT the only countries in which the Ell E
allowed to exist. In both of these Il I,s =.
NAMED from the fact that The body nf thn Ill
Izens hayc never been interested in The er,nt as
me OF The army. nthis country We hive BY
" " an entirely new state of things to pro- n,
e for; and Yankee ingenuity must hide f it's ~ ~
~ !of shame If very few years do not give ~
republican army better Organized 1nd bl
r. emclent than any the world has yetse fo
LeI me comment this subject 10 ynnr ~.
ugnls and pens, dear TRIBUNE. while vonr ei'
respondent turns his attention tn ofbo- fre
-, 3no i1dulges the hope of dating sonn Ell
q q PLACES less favorable for meditation % tbor II
''on oar1aeks. Yours, Qu1DAA. ca,
OUR KANSAS LETTER. pc
E,,7;,,, ,,..-,,--- ter
1no'dn 1e7Tito1y-4ssiaanee to III. T.o,.o7 -
,e7t-Gtn; De"seT-Gen. Hunte7-Hs ,y;s nnf;s or
Eoes7s-f'cH' Camp johnson. ho