The Hawaiian gazette., 1885-08-26
sO1ne Phasea ID Ar,nv u.


There IS report gaining more OF less
credence," said Lieutenant Davis, one of
the Army officers at West Point, when
speaking to Tribune reporter recently,
that the sons of Army officers have more
favors shown them and get along easier
and stand higher at the Academy than
those who have no backing, but unfortun
ately an examination OF the reports proves
the opposite to be the case. l have run
down the list and with one or two cxcep
tons the officers sons occupy honorable
positions in the rear The reason is not
difficult to understand either, for the son
of an Army officer is either brought up
away from his father and allowed to run
wild, or else If he Is to have the benefit Of
paternal restraint and advice he must
spend his boyhood at some out-of-the-way
post where the advantages of education
are, to say the least, limited. In either
case he is poorly equipped to withstand
the strain of work piled upon him here,
and he soon seeks his natural level-at
the bottom of the class The exceptions
to which l have alluded are the sons Of
engineer officers stationed in the Eastern
States Here at West Point, as in every
other college, it is tine man without friends
or station or backing, who has his own way
to make in the world. that digs i'll for all
he is worth and comes out at the head of
his class.
The most popular branch of the service
at present is the cavalry. Not as some
suppose, because officers are killed oil
faster there. but because they are used up
and retired. which results in the same
thing, generally promotion. Let me give
YOU an idea of the work which had to be
done out in Arizona lately, where they
have been bowling about the inefficiency
of the troops. The problem was about
like this: Given 4 detachment of troops at
New York and another at Montreal re
quired to catch an enemy moving from
Albany to Pittsburg, with the possibility
OF finding water twice between New York
and Albany; mind l say the possibility,
not the certainty or even the probability.
And then when you catch up with the
Indians, they lust scatter and that's the
end of 1t rs far as striking any serious
blow is concerned. The only way any
thing can be accomplished is to take along
some friendly Indians, talk the thing W
over the campfire, make up your mind
about where they're going to meet again
and lay for them. These fellows that have
been tearing up and down Arizona are
simply lot of roughs and outlaws that
came up from Mexico some time ago, and
the 10000 peaceful Apaches in the Terri
tory would like nothing better than to see
them all killed off.
Cur regiment was stationed on that
ground for four years, and We have lost
fifteen officers from the effects of it, while
as many more have been retired utterly
used up. I've known detachment Of
troops to go seventy-two hours without
water, until their tongues hung out and
swelled up so they could hardly speak
The settlers there are either lot of DIES
peradoes or else they're green and easily
stampeded They're always ready to how
for troops to protect them, and then wher
safe to turn around and murder a lot o.
peaceable, innocent savages. I've seer
the time when / had to turn out my whole
force with bayonets fixed to guard the
Indians from band Of settlers thirstins
Tor their gore." ~. J. Tribune.