The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-01-14
Another Word To the House Military
Committee.

an army to bc " a collection or body OF mon
armed for war. and organized in companies,
battalions regiments, hrigadcs, and divis-
ions, under proper officers He was mon
strously mistaken man. A body armed for
war, forsooth!
The Military Ring in Washington moro
knowingly defines an army to be II civil cs-
tablishmcnt organized and arranged to fur
nish elegant. gcntecl living for men who
have influence enough To get themselves
supported in idlcncss by the Government,
and who have taste for military costume
aud that sort Of livelihood. These place
men have organized the army accord
inglv. 1t is all officers. There IL no rank
and file. or commissioned officers there are
2.i5i OF soldiers EARNED for war" there
are IL ,s6s eight soldiers To an officer The
stan Of this absurd army numbers SOB, and
is actually larger than the stan of the Rus
sian army which is now overwhelming the
Turks in Europe. In the Quartcrmastcr
Department Of this most ridiculous of
armies are snugly slowed away. as they
hope for life, 81 generals. colonies. majors,
captains. and lirutcnants, In the Suhsist-
cncc Department are over 81 of them. In the
Ordnance Department there are CT. In the
Engineer Department are about %. In the
Medical Department OF this army OF eight
combatant soldiers to one officer, there are
Of generals, coloncs, majors, captains, and
licutcnants 1927
There is something far worse than this In
the organization OF the United States army
made by the Military Ring. They passed a
law through Congress providing that each
infantry company shall have fifteen non
commissioned officers who shall be enlisted
men. 10 wit A first sergeant. II quartcrmas-
ter sergeant four scrgeants, four corporals,
! two artiilccrs. two musicians, and one wag-
oncr. There are ten companies TO a regiment.
| Ten times 10 are 80. There are now Of enlisted
men available for lighting only 100 in each in
tantry regiment not enough to fill the non
commissioned Offices And yet we have
moro soldiers than We need.
The motive for this extraordinary multi
plcation of enlisted men into petty COM
mandcr- was To- enable the officers To escape
from care and responsibility of the parade
ground A. a rule. the West Point officer APP
pears To have little To do with his men. lie
doe, not train them. acquires no influence
over them by kind treatment and the show
OF interest in their welfare; but leaves them
! Al ll' ''ulltl VI All'll own ll''NriildA'Ts ~
moved from them not by lucation amt supe-
rior worth, but only 10y higher pay and eN
cmition from certain duties. And in this neg
lect Of the soldier 10y his commander. and in
the brutality of the corporas and sergcants,
We get at the secret Of the astonishing de-
scrti0n from the army OF the United States,
which for years averaged 1000 year.
The people. through Congress and of their
own patient Nisor, have for over five years
been struggling with the mi-chrf- generated
by the great civil war and left in their po-
litioal and social life after it ended The
wars necessary initiation Of the currency,
it, inevitable expansion Of the credit sy--
tenn. lis fcvolish stimulus 10 Industrial pro-
duction. have each and all borne their dread
fruits; and the nation has 10y reason OF them
been brough, TO sore distress and humilid-
tion, but not to discouragrmcnt. The ire
mcndous process Of rcadIu-ting values is
nearly completed throughout the republic.
The meeting on a level 81 the worth of the
Governments promise To- pay dollar, and
a dollar in gold, is almost come The har-
mony between Suppyand demand is already
established in our manufactures Economy
IN family expenditure is rcostahlishcd re-
-pectability throughout the land The ma
ton has nearly corrected all the ills Of its
terrible civil war. An army Of oVerpaid OIL
ccrs, however obstnatcly remains, and an
utterly useless navy to give necessity to Il
crowd Of commanders and sinocurists sur
wives rs a plague II i monstrous that it
should require greater effort and a longer
struggle ~ reduce the army to what the
nation needs than it does Ia restore specie
payments after perfect thraldOm of
paper money issued in n flood Of thou
sands of millions of dollars But II has
got to bc done. Aud we say again to
the House Committee on Military Affairs,
The people require you forthwith t.
pat an end 90 the national scandal OF
am army composed Of officers; Of an army
nf eight comhalant soldiers To one officer;
Of an army establishment that, in fact, L.
almost wholly a civil pension list; Of an
army that is the cosilirst in proportion Il
its numbers Of any in the world; OF an army
that is not needed beyond ten thousand mon
of am army that, beyond that number OPP
prcssNoiy and wickcdly taxes the resources
Of an Impoverished people, Again we urg,
you to do your duty. Reluce this army 1,
10000 mon, and muster out Of service every
officer not strictly necessary to that dimln
ishcd military establishment