The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1889-12-12
PITY THE LIEUTENANT.

me unfortunate Omcer ON Whom the
Burden OF Work Il Thrown.
While the entire country is bestir.
ring itself in behalf OF the regular
army soldier there appears to be no
manifestation of active sympathy
towards the deprivations to which the
regular army officer is subjected. Our
Government is not tyrannical, nor is
the War Department Intentionally
harsh, while West Point appears to be
a worthy and well-meaning institution;
yet to the earnest observer there is a
manifest injustice in the system which
hts out young man with all the arts
OF social warfare and then turns him
loose to vegetate on barren prairie and
alkali deserts.
For the army officer whose influence
secures to him a succession of downy
details at the great social centers no
consideration is asked. but to the war
rior whose existence is relegated to
duty for which the Government trained
him our commiseration is due. The
causes that lead to. the desertion of the
private obtain to certain extent
with the officer-isolation idleness,
ennui
The chief difference between officer
and private is that of pay, of quarters
and accidental comfort. Let the en-
terprising reporter solicit the hospi-
tality=of an isolated frontier military
post during forty-degree- below-zero
winter, and he will probably reduce
the yawning gulf between officer and
private to shallow rivulet. He will
find the same exactions of rank under
the official glitter, and the grievances
Of the Captain quite as great as those
of his corporal.
The only really independent fellow
at a frontier post is the ''old man, :"
the fortunate individual who ranks
the rest, and, as commandment, can lie
abed and send -for-any body he may
happen to want, instead of prowling
around in the cold to look him up. It
is he who gives the other officers
acquisitions for brooms, loans out the
ambulance. and gives permission Cor
refuses iD to officers wanting to stay
away from home all night. 1t is this
enviable person also who has gloved
and armed orderly forever pacing be-
fore his door. ready to carry a note to
a LADY, or give warning Of the APP
preaching -enemy@N Next come the
Captains, mere ''slaves" to host of
regulations, and so reduced is the
army that he is often left with less
than thirty men to do odd jobs or dec
crate his quarters. Then the Captain
is forever on tender-hooks lest the
''old man" order his pet painter, host
Ter or carpenter into his own service.
1t is upon the hopeless Lieutenant.
however. that the burden of military
drudgery falls 1t is he who acts asQuar-
termaster, Commissary and Adlutant.
who must sit on boards of survey, sign
his name to innumerable documents in
red ink. and have his gloves and sword
forever at hand.
Extraordinarily duty compels a
shivering, sleepy officer, who may
have been up all night on picket duty,
to crawl out at sunrise to see if any
one of the men have fed their warm
quarters during the night. The life
of the Captains is miserable effort to
keep the company employed killing
time for them. The existence of the
subordinate officer is anpunceasing de-
murrer to the privilege of his superior.
while all pass their exile with long
ing eye on the Eastern horizon. and a
prayer in the depths of their souls for
detail. !" 1t may be poor private,
none the less it is justice to say.unfor-
tunate officer; unfortunate army that
has no fghting-fortunate alton that
can support it in idleness. ASKING
ton Post.