Arizona citizen., 1878-05-24
Rough Reflections on Military off
 cers and st-traders.

2J, shows that the following was re-
 ported from the Senate Military Con-
 mittee, considered, slightly amended
 and passed to third reading-pend-
 ing which an objection being made to
 its further consideration at that time.
 it went over to another day:
 That the following be, and hereby is,
 made an additional article of war for
 the government of the Army of the
 United States: Any officer serving with troops or any soldier not on fur
 tough, who gambles, bets, or plays for money or other valuable stake or con- sideration at any game of cards or otherwise, shall be brought to trial by courtmartial, and, upon conviction, punished as follows: If an officer, by dismissal from the military service, or such other punishment of less grade as may be inflicted by the sentence of the courLmartial; if soldier, at the discretion of the court: Provided, how ever, That any officer of the Army, whether or not serving with troops, who, by gambling, betting, or playing at cards or otherwise, shall win money from junior or inferior officer, shall, upon conviction by courtmartial, be punished as hereinbefore provided in the case of an officer serving with troops.
 SEC. ?. That any post trader who shall keep, have, let, or allow to be used in his trading store or establish ment, or elsewhere, any building room, Or other place in which gambling, betting, or playing, for money or other valuable stake or consideration, att cards or otherwise, is, on any occasion, engaged in by officers or soldiers of the Army, either with each other or with civilians, shall have his appoint ment forthwith revoked be the Secre- tary of War
 SEC. 3. That it shall be, and is here by made, the duty of every command ing officer of a post, station, detach- ment, or other place or body of troops strictly to enforce the provisions of this act by forthwith bringing to trial any soldier of his command who shall offend against the provisions of the first section, and by promply reporting to the department commander, or, if there be none. to the Secretary of War, with a formal charge or charges pre- ferred by him against the offender, any case of an officer of his command so offending. And it is further made the duty of every such commanding of ticer promptly to report to the Secre- tary of War any act or allowance on the part of post trader at his post or station of the nature indicated in the second section. And for any failure or omission to comply with any of these injunctions, such commander shall be brought to trial as for viola ton of the sixty-second article of war.
 The Senate Military committee is composed of Senators Spencer, (chalr- man,) Burnside, Wadleigh, Plumb, Cameron of Pennsylvania, Randolph, Cockrell, Maxey and Butler, and we give their names to show what lot of great men have been imposed upon, are themselves perpetrating a se- rious joke on their simple constituents throughout the old States, who have al- ways been taught to religiously be- lieve that army officers are models of rectitude. The bill can do no harm in the Territories where the people know the truth and cannot be misled by such a bill, even though it does originate in the dignified Senate of the United States.
 The idea that officers and men of the Army gamblel The Senate ought to be ashamed of itself! Then the idea that postTaders would counte- nance any thing of the kind! Think of our happy and guileless friends Lacy, Staples and Austin, and others circumspect, permitting gam bling on their premises! Perish the thought. What is the use of being an officer, gentlemen and burning and shining light in the very best society, if the sedate Senate goes on in this way? Whither is the crouniry drift ing? But just wait till this Senate bill gets into the House and the Ter ritorial Delegates get whack at it!