Wichita eagle., 1888-11-03
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
SHALL WE HAVE AN EDUCATED
REGULAR ARMY7

Con. August Kautx's Article in the Octo-
Der Century - The Regular Army In
1ses-ss-why Not Maintain . Militia
School at Each st~ts Capital?
Especial Correspondence
NEW York, Oct. 2e.-That the regular
army Of the United States is not an instieu-
ton to be specially proud Of, We all know,
and | have had the fact painfully impressed
upon me several times; but it is 200 per cent.
better than it was twenty years ago, and
am satisfied that measures lately proposed
will make it much better. l refer to the
movement to change the entire organization
and make the army a sort Of honorary train
ing school, something like the British Life
Guards once were or the celebrated House
hold Troops Of Louis XIV and Louis XIV.
Gen. August V. Kautz, in The Century
magazine for October, outlines a plan for
creating an educated soldiery; but am very
positive that valuable additions could be
made to hts plan by adopting the suggestions
Of western men and travellers who have often
come into contact with the army.
despair of being able, without offense, to
give duJ lCet VI ZIG Oc1flOIdllZttlOu VI tuC
regular army in the west as it was when
first saw it in 1S67-6S. That was, indeed, the
very worst period for the army since our
government was organized. II q man had
been thoroughly demoralized in the war for
the Union-and Of course there were some
such In the 1900, 900 volunteers-unft for a
civilized community and unwilling to work,
he enlisted in the regulars. II there was an ex-
Confederate utterly discouraged and with no
capacity to rally, he naturally envied the
well fed and well dressed ''Y ankee soldiers
he saw, and enlisted. Thousands of foreign
ers went into the regular army expecting to
stay only long enough to learn the language
and get to tbs far west Other thousands of
Americans enlisted with the avowed purpose
of getting transportation to the Rocky noun
tains and dsserting soon after
When l reached Fort Riley, Kan, in
October, 1867, my first thought was that l
had been misdirected and had struck the
penitentiary. Further north the officers
openly stated that if they let the men scatter
over the country to "scout Indians" they
would desert. In Clusters regiment the men
turned out of the line Of march in open day
light and rode of, deserving in squads of Ave
or six together. The next year. while the
wagon train in which / was a driver was
making its slow progress from the then end
of the railroad near Cheyenne) to Salt Lake
City, soldier left q squad he was with and
joined us, travelling in his uniform without
disguise and meeting other soldiers On the
way without fear. At one post the COM
nander joculerly declared, with profane
emphasis, that all the men who had any am
bition had deserted, that only the worthless
remained, and that he dared not form them
in close order lest the rear rank should pick
the front ranks pocketsI
There was no esprit du corps" 1t became
q national scandal. Severe measures were
adopted, and in time the army did splendid
work in the Indian wars There has never
been better fighting and campaigning than
that Of Gen. Niles command in Montana, in
midwinter, with the mercury ranging from
zero to forty below. But garrison life is, as
Gen. Kautz well observes, we'll adapted to
lower the mental and moral tone. Soldiers
60 on practicing and repeating routine du
ties, doing them as well, il not better, afteS
the first few weeks Of instruction, Is they
ever do afterwards"
Many remedies were suggested. The de-
vice Of the Prussian monarch In the last
century furnished q good hint. Being bound
by a disadvantageous treaty of peace to
limit his army to q very small number, he
managed to make it q service of honor and
to change the individuals rapidly. Thus the
picked men, the most intelligent, Of q given
district, would be enrolled, and few Of
them each month promoted-for it was so
managed az TO make it seem promotion
into the regular army; there they we're thor
oughly drilled for few months and dis
charged, new men continually taking their
places Thus the entire personnel Of the
army was changed oftener than once year,
and With no violation Of the treaty tie couD-
try soon bad six or seven times as many well
drilled men az tie agreement provided for.
They were at home, engaged 10 productive
labor and held IN honor; yet they were
drilled soldiers, and could be made effective
at short notice. Gen kAntss plan oonten-
plates some changes, and a citizen soidiery:
but in country so large as the United
States it is capable Of very great improve
meut
All veterans Of the late var remember tbs
great difference between the enlisted men Of
1861 and those of 1884; many regiments Of the
latter were Is well drilled in SIX weeks a. tbs
former had been In six mouths, and when
so.ne militia rsgincnr Of Indiana were called
to Indianapolis N Nay, Ss4, 30 serve Tor 100
day., Gen Carringson declared mat In one
week they were capable Of evolutions NOS
Usually attempted With troops q Lee than
two month training The country Bad BE-
como military In sptrt. almost every
able bodied man bod some knowledge Of tbs
drill and at least one<hro o4 tAst militia bed
seen sctual service in she Geld In view Of
these faoH m Indiana soldier suggsaed after
tbs war raa: ths P1sRaa kinGs sxpstisus Be
s1opeed by tnr sssse Tins thers might Be
|, 600 peA rnen constantly under dxO as
IotsanApoia, q whom ooessxsh should BE
saoh mouth. Zach oO00ey eo0an-
naiiy reoswinS il quota iron 10 pcfed
youth rha Il ssyec yeAys tos ssAs cooh
hass to.ssahay wsS drissd foroe q 1900
rnsu, sace pgFzeing his ordinary vOk ss
boua, sna eosA tns osusw Of volunteer CIR
ois a m With so36sAGty EcsinassaoA Con-
rin.nng ssAasaA.s 70 sns MILITARY Parsa
fhs na1knaA ooosaazto0 Coz hsds . ssats %
keep sAndns army In s-De Of peaca, ers
il Ought .cs % hs ei.E-ai: for oongrsss % de-
vise e.oa1iiav placing teess sEsss deaAch-
meuO G1AW nskeozj 0uCDDAo1A v@tnJS
b zrzesss this - n addison 70 Gen kscsxs
plan nod oss shat would 70 Tar 20 sufs~z sce
uocoaa1Ezahis American pz-1oeice agssnH
'Seantng ARMIES" far. a. be 70 val 1ys,
tn. pretnaloc IL after Al . natural result of ]
ese a-Heocrsse sxuy gsteu sdo2esd add