Arizona citizen. [volume] (Tucson, Pima County, A.T. [i.e. Ariz.]) 1870-1880, 1876-05-20
Whose Fault Is It?

ldulL IS IL ludb luCIt Is no ulOlCI III
the possession of the Governments OF
ticers to pay the debts or any portion
of them due for supplies and trans
pOrtatiOn at Camp Apache, Bowie,
Grant and Lowell, in Arizona, where
from one hundred and twenty to one
hundred and thirty thousand dollars
are due contractors? Congress appro-
priated the usual amount Of money
last Spring, and the question is now
what has become of il? Has it been
retained in certain hands Tor specula-
tive purposes, or has it been apprOpriat-
ed bodily by some trusted agent? LII
Is only certain that the Ill-used citizens
who furnished supplies and transporta
ton at the lowest figures are out and
injured, and many of the people likely
TO become bankrupt in consequence.
While we are unable to specifically
designate the government officers
whose fault it is that this condition of
things exists, the Alta may rest assured
that the whole fault lies within that
Immaculate army which it has been
so long lauding to the skies rs the
beau ideal of all purity and luveliness.
The quartermaster department of the
army is solely and only responsible
for this "mismanagement,' Ito use
the Atlas mild term) And while, on
the application of Colonel Eddy, dep
uty quartermaster general, in San
Francisco, and that of his military
storekeeper, court of inquiry has
been ordered to investigate the adj
ministratiOn of the San Francisco
depot, the Alta may rest assured that
all will be found in apple pie order
In fact everything in that delightful
depot may be in good order and the
fault may be farther back, or there
may not be any fault. There probably
isn't any. Why, OF course not; there
can't be any fault anywhere; it's the
army! The quartermaster department
is a part Of the army and the army is
that pure thing which the Alta has
been representing as the nearest ap-
proach, on earth, to heavenly organ
ization, and to whose control the
same newspaper has been endeavoring
to have a large portion Of the civil
government Of the United States trans
ferred.
But the San Francisco Alta has al
always been SO well disposed to Arizo-
ma and, except when misled or ignorant,
has often done US such effective service,
that We are constrained to drOn this
tone of badInage and have r little
plain. honest talk. Is it possible that
the Alta and other journals Of the
country who have been advocating an
extension of the functions and powers
Iof the United States army, Is il pos
Isible that those journals are ignorant
| of the nature and character of the pres
lent United States army as whole
Do these journals not know that 'mis
/ management" supercilioUs pride, in
efficiency, uselessness, "lolly-gagging
and trifllng, Ito say no worse,) are TIT
common attributes of the army? Do
these journals not know that tn,
shameful and enormously expensive
Modoc and other Indian campaigns ar
the result of the inefliciency and de
liberalization of the army, and that t
these scores are to be charged the USE
+. lessly shed blood of many soldiers an
citizens and needlessly spent million
of treasure? Do not these journal
know that after the expenditure of vas
appropriations, the United States has a
army which is a disgrace to CiviliZ;
p ton? Do not these Journals know thu
4 the efforts at reform by the good me
I in the army meet with no asssistanC
from the outside and are soon smothe
n ed ? How then can these journals homes
lily advocate placing within the control
/ this army any farther properties OF IL
nation susceptible to harm or injury
!, Nor is there any reasonable hope
e reform. The army as a whole IS
n dyed IN the wool rs to utter useles
! ness and worse, that the good leave
:. within 1t is and will be pOwerless
e. reform the whole. We know now
u noble and effective men and COmpani
!, in the army, but they are few and u
Il awaiting as a remedy, and are eve
is themselves becoming spotted with Il
Ileprousv of general uselessness al
= worse. The time for honeyed phras
r. and consideration of feelings Is go
D, by. If among the great journals
N the country there is one who feels kin
!, " to and wishes to be a true friend
ID the army there is only one way to she
H. such friendship, and that is to stu
the army, to lay it bare before the
y ton. and to show that il is to-day /
40 greatest fraud on the American con
n. nent. Reform may then begin. I
al disease Is deep seated and needs de
N cutting.
We --''
Us An ingenious hummer has invent
new way of getting his liquor.
n puts two pint bottles in his coat poe
tn et. one full of water, the other emp
20 Then he goes into saloon and a