Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-08-01
TELEeRAPHERs NOT SOLDIERS.

The House Committee on Military Affairs
Reports Against Their Being So Rated.
WASHINGTON, Aug. For a mum
Der OF years past an earnest effort has
been made by those interested to secure
the passage by congress of bill giving
a military status to telegraph operators
who served on the Union side during
the war of the rebellion.
A bill was reported in the Forty
eighth congress placing the war oper.
ators on the same footing as other mem.
bers of the army. Similar bills were re.
ported during the Forty-ninth and
Fiftieth congresses. The house com.
mittee on military affairs of the present
congress does not regard the proposition
with much favor, and says So 1t dis
-sents from the reports made to previous
congresses wherever it is declared that
military telegraph operators were an in
tegral part of the army.
The committee holds that the services
performed by the military telegraph op.
orators during the war of the rebellion,
were both interesting and important,
and il reports a bill which defines their
status and proposes TO give them a GER
lAiAtttC illCli DClNiCG ~ tGWdIu
of merit-but does not propose to change
history or pervert the facts as they actu-
ally existed.
Brave Men Were They.
The committee says the men of such
service were of unusual intelligence. and
showed themselves possessed of cour-
ageous spirit and indomitable pluck.
No men who served with the army
showed themselves possessed of these
traits to greater degree. They put mp
their instruments many times ON the
skirmiSh line, and frequently almost on
the lines of battle They went with the
advance and were often the last to leave
an abandoned position, even when it
meant capture and Imprisonment
Some were killed at their posts of
duty, many were wounded and crippled
for life, and still they were only civil
ians. They We're made prisoners of war
and exchanged for important officers.
They were to a certain extent subject to
military orders but have never been
able to claim soldiers reward, or bear
an honorable title among the Nation s
defenders. Some held an assimilated
rank, but not the real rank of officers.
Their Duties.
Their duties were just Us important
and just as faithfully performed as
though they had been sworn into the
service of the United States. These
men have come through their represent
ative officers with a bill, and have asked
to have it declared by legal enactment
that they were an integral part of the
army to he accorded n military status at
this late day, twenty-five years after the
performance of the service, which all
agree was meritorious. By their bill
they ask to be enrolled and declared a
part of the army of the United States
of that period. and also that they be
granted commissions of actual rank rel
ative to the assimilated rank held by
each, and then a certificate of honorable
discharge from the service. reciting the
character of service, rs from the army
of the United States.
The committee would withhold no
need of praise or just reward for patri-
Otic and efficient services performed
but do not feel at liberty, and think it
would be unjust to those who also did
other valuable service with the army,
while not actually in the army, to de-
clare the military telegraph operators
were what they were not and thus at
this late day give them military status
not held by them at the time, when
such recognition has been refused to
other branches of civilian employees who
served in different capacities with the
army.
Their Services in History.
The history of their services is al
ready written, and no legislation can
add to or take away from that history.
Their actual standing with the army
must always remain as it was at the
time such services were performed
These views are apparently shared by
the war department, whose report is