The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-02-08
ROUGH TALK ABOUT GREELY.
Why the Proposal to Create a New Office
for Him Was Withdrawn.
Distinguished officer Declares He Has
Done Nothing to Merit Reward-NOtes
from Private Henry's Diary.
AN INCOMPETENT COMMANDER.
An Army Officers Opinion of Greedy as
Leader of Men.

An Army Officers Opinion of Greedy as a
Leader of Men.
Special to the 1ndianap polls Journal.
WASHINGTON, Feb. THE House military
committee has finally concluded to report a bill
creating the Office of assistant chief signal
officer, with the rank of major, and to recon-
mend Lieut.. A. w. Greedy for appointment
thereto. The threat from some mysterious
source that facts demonstrating Lieut.. Greeys
incapacity, and even cowardce, cruelty and in
humanity toward his command, caused the COM
mittee to withdraw its request preferred to the
appropriations committee that that committee
would include the salary of the new Office in the
army appropriation bill This is the true reason,
though the military committee publicly assigns
as the reason for its action that under the pres
ent usage legislation cannot be
attached to an appropriation bill,
simple objection killing it. All this fencing
has caused much comment in military and legis-
latiye circles here. To-day was talking with
distinguished ex-army officer about the Greedy
proposition, and asked him what he thought
about it. Said he: 81 do not see what Lieuten-
ant Greedy has done to merit so great reward
He went to station of observation in the arctic
circle where he perfectly safe, had good
shelter and plenty to eat in fact was as com
Portable a man could be in the polar regions,
staid there his allotted time, retreated on
carefully prepared route, and then, because
death. He was rescued, just as many another
forlorn wretch has been. And for this he is
lionized and is to be rewarded by the creation of
new Office. In the vernacular of the street, it
makes me tired"
''Then you don't think that the bill should
passp suggested interrogatively as he paused.
81 do not" said he mphatically. II do not be-
lieve in according to failure or chance the re-
wards which properly belong only to success
and well-directed effort"
SIN what way did Greedy faill" inquired the
reporter
From what can learn, by the published ac-
counts and by conversation with the survivors,
think that Greely failed as disciplinarian
from the start, and that when the time came
which tested his quality as leader, when he had
reached the most southerly point of retreat,
starved, helpless many of his men dead, one
shot for acts of insubordination which
a competent commander would have stopped by
less harsh means some of them eaten, Greely
gave up He destroyed his boats and resigned
himself to the chance Of fate. He made no effort
to escape. but lay there supine, effortless wait
ing for the help which happened by mere luck to
arrive in time"
s"But could he have done anything2"
"Yes. Littleton Island was but short dis
tance away, with plentiful supply of food 1t
do Ca bod
mander of resource, skill and daring would have
attempted it. 1t might have succeeded, and all
would have been saved Failure in the attempt
would have made matters no worse. The course
chosen by Greedy was not courageous one, and
meant death, save for chance"
do you know Lieutenant GreelyT Inquired,
thinking, perhaps, there might be some personal
animus behind this criticism, though my ex-
army friend is singularly free from anything of
the sort.
''No," he replied, II do not I never met
him. 1 am only disgusted at the attempt to
make hero of man whose only claim to glory
is that he did not quite starve to death. Look
here, my friend; if Congress wants to do some
thing for a real arctic hero, one who succeeded
where others had failed why don't it put Lieu
tenant Schwatka on the retired list2 He went
on an expedition to the polar regions and sue
ceded in solving problem which had baffied
arctic explorers for thirty years Where others
had been partly successful, he was wholly so.
He did not shoot anybody, he did not starve
to death, or nearly so. nor did he subsist on
the flesh of his comrades. He simply
succeeded. Therefore is he no hero in these de-
generate days. So, when his friends wanted his
resignation held up for few days that he might
go before retiring board, they were met with
curt refusal by the man who is not the son of
his father, Secretary of War Lincoln. It is
queer, after all, that failure should succeed 40
much better than success, isn't itl Why, there
was the De Long expedition-but, no, + won't
say any more about arctic heroes just now
Going to print what I've said9 All right but
don't use my name. I'm too busy to be drawn
into a controversy just now."
And we separated. respect his wishes, but
give you his opinions.