St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-10
GRIN AND BEAR III.
Further Remarks on Abuses In
the Army.

Further Remarks on Abuses in
the Army.
To the Editor Of the Globe.
AS so many people are ventilating
their opinions concerning the alleged
army abuses through the medium of
your columns, perhaps you will admit
few words FROM me. AS Charles G.
Brown. formerly private Company K,
Fourth United States infantry, seems
particularly hostile, dOo't you think 1t
will be well to give the matter fair
sex parte" consideration? 1t is con-
ceded that in the United States army,
like that of every nation, snObs Occa-
Sionally find an entrance, but it doesn't
take long for them to find a proper
level. There is no doubt some of the
young fellows just freed from West
Point life, do feel their oats trt1e, but
how long does it take by contact with
Older and consequently experienced Of
ficers TO rub the irregularities off?
will guarantee that they do not dis
play One-half the snObbiShness that lots
of young men do who are just promoted
from a clerkship to share in BUSH
ness. Next, if proper distance is not
observed between officers and men, how
is discipline to be maintained?
No doubt soldier is sometimes asked,
nay ordered, to do things not called for
by the United States regulations, but
has he not a remedy? l will wager
good cigar that if young officer asks
an experienced soldier to do mental
service, and that soldier in civil and
respectful manner declines, he will not
be forced to obey. But there are differ
ent ways of declining. A man, feeling
u ;,rI,f M; Gil for
get what is due to his superior officer as
to do wrong even when right.and unless
the work requested were very disagree
able, in my humble opinion a man
would be fool to refuse.
A soldier need not be an officers
servant unless he chooses to; and If he
is, he surely doesn't expect the officer
to share his cot with him and take him
to mess, and should not kick against
emptying slops, if required to do so.
do not admire dog robber" myself.
but if man takes a soft snap, as he
thinks it. he ought not to quarrel with
it. | think the system bad, anyhow.
No enlisted man ought TO be an officers
servant.
As far as my experience went, of
three years in volunteers and FIVE years
in regular army, only remember two
where, as was always the rule
at guard mounting, the cIeanest
man was selected for commanding
officers" orderly. This man reported
at the commanding officers house and
was requested by the lady to take off
his belts and help wash the dishes. He
declined. and when the matter was rep
resented to the colonel the soldier was
upheld and the lady notified that the
adlutant did not pick out his cleanest
men to wash her dishes. Another at
jackson barracks, New Orleans. A
lady sent to me, as company clerk, in
absence of the first sergeant of the COM
pany. to detail two men, one to help the
girl wash the clothes. the other to
wheel the baby carriage. | declined,
and the lady was hot; but my captain
and, when he knew of it, the lady's nus
able to change her for one
that was. 1t surprises me to hear
of such wholesale charges against the
army officers. 1 served sixteen years as
an officer in the British and eight years
a private in the United States armies;
and. as may be supposed, the declen-
sion was somewhat Startling-frOm
epaulets to a blanket; but,reaizlng that
was private of my own free will,
laid down my rules Of conduct, and am
proud to say that in the whole eight
years have yet to know the first case
of being treated with anything but true
courtesy, and | use the word advisedly,
by all the officers under whom | served.
and had pretty wide experience. l
served in three regular regiments-the
First, Third and Fourteenth United
States intantry-and cheerfuIly bear tes-
timOny to the gentlemanly and sOloierly
treatment received at all the officers
hands. and | was not model man,
either. Now, as to officers gambling,
ETC.. think friend Brown need not have
been so sharp on the officers or the
Fourth. Suppose they did have game
of draw" what then? Mr.. Brown did
not lose any chips at it, and no doubt
his company quarters had a faro lay
out, draw poker, Sweat board, chuck
luck, ETC., OH pay or tobacco days.
Why should not the officers play draw
as much as our young (and old, for
the matter of that) business men? That
there are black sheep in every flock
would be folly to deny. but can safely
say, from my own observation and eXpe-
rience, that the United States army
bears favorable comparison with Eu-
rOpean ones in this particular.
Friend Brown is very denunciatOry
of the officers calling upon enlisted
men to clean up their quarters after a
debauch. If the soldiers did clear up
the room, I'll engage they were no
poorer in pocket when they had done,
and no doubt their stomachs were
gratified with something better than
c0mmissary whisky.
L do not think it fair to raise such
howl, for unless discipline is main
tanned the army goes to pieces, and
soldier has recourse if the officer or
ders and insists upon his performing
some duty not in accordance with regu-
lations; instead of refusing or putting
himself in wrong light, perform the
putty and prefer charges afterwards.
My word for it, it will be looked into.
But after all said and done, my advice
to any man who. finding that he has
barred all doors to making decent liv-
ing, by dissipation or what not. and as
a last resort takes five-year blanket,
is to ''grin and go through with it,"
and the less he kicks and grumbles the
asier his bed will be. Very respect
fulIY, JOHN c., SHAW,