The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-01-31

a, ar;ir, ~, the manner in which recruits are
obtained for tho re,-,.'ler army at the present
time. In response to this artv.e' Vne IeCIu.Vlns
officers on duty in this city have sent us CON
mupication, which we give In full, as Vlio"s'-
RECRUITING OFFICES, Dock STREET,
PHILADELPHIA Pa, January 20, 1871
FditOr EceHing Telegroph!-An article unbSr tnI
head Of City Intelligence appeared in yesterdeS
In recruiting men for the United states Army, par
tCularlY at the ofces In Dock street. in this CITY.
he false statements therein, as your paper has a
large circulation, are calculated, among certain
class OF people who are not well informed IN tnese
matters to injure the service and the charscter oil
tie officers duty IL is not denied that the writer
of said article may have seen the man in uniform in
state of intoxicati0n after he had enlisted but 1t
is certainty that this man was perfectly sooer When
The examination of the men is attended to by the
commissioned officers IN person, and the care t1at
tions which the records IN the Offices show. Recruit
ing is not the slOwest kind OF business, as was
stated but has been very lively enabling the officers,
in accordance with orders from the War Depart
ment TO be exceedingly particular in selecting re-
The slur at the graduates of West Point does no
injury, and IS not noticed further.
In conclusion Mr. Editor, we would call your
attention to the wrong this article written by q
prejudiced person who probably has some pique
against the officers, NAV do the service and the
officers in question these officers on General Re-
cruitinR Service having been selected by orders
from the War Department from those who served
the longest in the field during the war
VIII you please do us the favor OF inserting the
above. b. f. SMITH,
CAPTAIN 9Th o. s. Infantry; Brevet 1t. Colonel L.
s. Armyj Brevet Brgadier General Volunteers.
Captain 9th u s. Cavalry and Brevet 1t Colonel
W.P. HUxFoRD,
Captain AID U. 5. Infantry.
W. X. RAMSEY,
Brevet Major and Assistant Surgeon U. s. A.
In. addition to the four signatures given
above, the name of au individual styling him
self "Brevet Lieutenant. Colonel of the 26th
Infantry" was appended. This last name we de-
cline to print. The four other officers appear
to be gentlemen as well as soldiers; and as we
had no personal knowledge of them whatever
and therefore cannot possibly have any per-
sonal plque against any one of them, as is
wrongfully intimated in their communication,
we have no objection to opening our columns
to them in explanation or defense of their Off
cial conduct. But with regard to the "Brevet
LieutenantColonel Of the 26th Infantry we
confess to entertaining trihing prejudice, in
asmuch as that individual so tar forgot him
self, and the dignity winch should characterize
one in his station, as TO inform us by word of
mouth that the article which appeared in our
columns was "a - lie, from beginning to endn
Since congressman are at present endeavoring
to better their manners in this res peCt, we do
not think it will be at all amiss for the army to
make a similar attempt at reformation.
In answer TO the communication above given,
we can only say that we have investigated the
matter, and as the result are quite convinced
that our article OF last Friday was nothing more
persons
in whose neighborhood, and under whose eyes
the business OF recruiting is carried on, there is
prevalent the impression that great number
of recruits are obtained for the regular service
only through the agency of intoXication. The
Court OF Quarter Sessions, on Saturday morn
ing last, was the scene of an affecting incident,
which grew out of this very practice of the
recruiting service, although this particular case
happened to be that OF a man who had been
thus inveigled into the Navy. His name was
Patrick Benson; ne was brought into Court on
writ OF habeas corpus, accompanied by his
wife and three children. The testimony sho we'd
that he was out of work, and on December l3,
while in state of intoXiCatOn, he was enticed
into an enlistment in the Navy. Being efec-
tuallY sObered by this time, he was anxious to
undo what he had unwittingly done in his
drunken fit, and the Court granted his discharge.
1t is possible that the commissioned officers
are not aware of the reprehenslble practices
resorted to by their subordinates; and it quite
certain that as these practices have been COM
mon in this and all other cities in the country,
for many years, they are not responsible for
their origin. This, however, does not remove
their responsibility in some measure for their
continuance.
That the technical duties of the commissioned
officers, as pres crbed by. the regulations of the
War Department, are faithfully performed, we
doubt not. The only cause for complaint Is the
generally recognized fact, that the recruiting
runners succeed in their calling, in many cases
by first inducing their victims to partake o.
strong drink until they are practically non com
pos nlentiS, and then persuadlng them to enlist
! in the regular service. We repeat, that such &
practice is a cheat and fraud, and that the
sooner it is done away with the better it will bC
! for the service and the country.
The officers claim that recruiting is by NJ
means dull. We give them the benefit of tn
| figures, as shown by an examination of thei
| own books During the month of Decembe
there were enlisted at the six different offices il
| this city 4l9 men, of whom l4l were rejected b.
| the examining surgeon, leaving 27S to find thei
! way to the army. From January to Januar
| as, the surgeon examined 366 men, rejecting II
ofthese and accepting 240. In a little more tina
| eight weeks, therefore, $40 were obtained 10
| rounding country and the public must judg
from the figures whether the business is slo'
| or brisk.