The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1881-01-30
HYPOCRISY AND DEMoRAL1zA r1oN

~ ANN'VbN't ~ 'sss NoeSSN w
be issued a general order, bearing number
l04, denounoing the violations Of the thirty
eighth article of war, viz: "Any officer who
4" is found drunk on his guard, party, or other
" duty, shall be dismissed from the service"
This order was generally regarded in the
light of a reproach as well as menace, ex-
plotting as IL did low form of vice, or
crime" as the order called II, as il IL we're
or we're becoming alarningly prevalent in
the Army, and needed new and stronger
measures of repression than usual How
coming from the temperance fanaticism reign
ing in and about the White House, and
Army officers asked nothing more than that |
the order should be enforced in good faith,
so as to rid them of the unworthy members |
who had given cause for imputation on the |
sobriety and fidelity of all. Subsequent de- |
velopments have caused the record of the |
Administration on this question to be scru- |
tinized, with what credit to the consistency
and sincerity of its head may be Judged |
from what follows. The first case found is
that Of Lieutenant Hall S. Bishop, as early
as March 16, 1877. He was convicted of
drunkenness on duty, aggravated by con-
duct unbecoming an officer and gentleman,
disebedience of orders, and refusal to observe
his arrest, in all, violation Of four articles
the service, but the President commuted IL
to suspension for one year with pay at $50
per month. In the same month Captain M.
l.. Ogden, Eighteenth Infantry, dismissed
for being drunk on parade, had his sentence
commuted at the White House to suspension
for two years, with pay at s75. After this
brilliant opening II is not surprising to find
exactly similar action in the case of Lieuten-
ant James H. Lane in April. In July much
more notable instance occurred Captain
John B. Engle, Fifteenth Infantry, was con-
victed of drunkenness after giving pledge
against it. In two similar cases Just previ-
ously the President had actually approved
sentences of dismissal, with flourish in
general orders about the high reputation
{" the Army has always held for honor and
| uiShitys lct hc iioW plOCttucu pTOuptly
to contradict his own eloquence, which had
just about reached the frontier, by his usual
action of committing to suspension for one
year, with pay at $50 per month. In the
same month Lieutenant William =. Reed,
sentenced to dismissal for a most aggra-
waited case of inebriety, was let off with
two years suspension. In September Lieu
tenant Bernard Reilly, Jr., Fifth Cavalry,
for lying drunk by the roadside, got
of by Executive clemency with one year 8
suspension, (remitted at the end of six
months,) and Lieutenant Bishop, mentioned
above, was restored to duty. In October, just
before issuing the Pecksnifiian order referred
to at the outset, Mr.. Hayes retained in the
service by his authority Captain John A.
Parker, who had a drunken quarrel at cards,
and Captain Charles J. Dickey, Twenty
second Infantry, drunk at the head of his
battalion. On the rery day that the order
was issued Lieutenant Edward d. Wheeler,
drunk on duty, had his sentence of dismissal
commuted to three months suspension on the
limits without even loss of pay, and on the
nert day Captain Howard E. Stansbury, who
had not only got drunk, but broken a
solemn pledge in doing so, escaped with
eighteen months suspension on halfpay. One
,oeek afterward Lieutenant Lewis Warning
ton, Fourth Cavalry, twice drunk, was re-
lieved from the penalty Of dismissal in favor
of one years suspension. In December the
first year of the term was closed by the vir-
tual free pardon, after few months suspen.
sion, of Captain Joseph Bush, Twenty-second
Infantry, drunk on duty in the mining
regions, and Captain A. c. Wildrich, Third
: Artillery, drunk at New York.
Turning now to other and more serious Of
fenses, it will be found that the same policy
4 has been pursued of polluting the service
Mr.. Hayes is SO sweetly anxious about, by re-
tanning in it cashiered and disgraced officers
e In January, 1878, Lieutenant Charles T
g Witherill, Nineteeth Infantry, was sentenced
Q to be dismissed for misappropriating Gov
ernment property, and for conduct that can
not well be detailed he was only suspended
, for one year on half pay. In February
a Captain John B. Nixon, Twenty fourth In
|
9 to his men and put spies on brother officer
S was relieved from dismissal, and thre,
: months suspension ridiculously substituted
: Lieutenant Colonel Charles E. Blunt, Corp
: of Engineers, suspended about the sam,
r time for two years, got of with one year by
I the exercise of Executive clemency. It ma,
n be recalled that in August the fellow Max
C well, foisted upon the Army in return fo
Q his guardian care over the timorous Mr.
e Hayes on Inauguration day, was sent to tn
Penitentiary for two years for selling hi
9 pay several times over; II may not be 81
!, readily recalled that Mr.. H., though h
= could not very well restore Maxwell to hi
lieutenancy, did pardon him out after onl,
:. eight months imprisonment. In Novembe
Captain James S. Casey, Fifth Infantry,
gallant offender against both the genera
order condemning drunkenness and tn
special order against violating pledges o
:, y, sobriety, had been sentenced to dismissal TO
. :. no less than nine violations of his solemn
y pledge. The sentence was this time remit
> ted outright.
II The catalogue for 1879 is long and eve,
. tedious. Captain Walter Clifford, Seventh
. Infantry, repeatedly drunk, escaped all pun
!, : ishment, and by order of the President, Feb
ruary 5, was released from arrest. Captain
;. Thomas French, Seventh Cavalry, sam
offense, had his sentence commuted Marcl
, 26 to one yearon half pay. Captain p.
), Lee, Tenth Cavalry, Gaming brother officer
I /,
:, 500 month for ten months, got of with