Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-05-09
HE OBJECTS TO THE NEW CUSTOM.

An Army Officer Who Doesn't Believe a.
Making soldiers Of Indians.
1.-THE opinion among officers and men in
the United States army 10 that the plan for
enlisting Indians is IN insult to the regiments
and to the American soldier" said distin-
guished officer Of the army to SrAR writer,
and he added:
''The army is muzzlsd by the regulations, 90
far - speaking in the newspapers 10 concerned,
but we must be heard on this subject, which %
nearly affects the welfare of our service.
- last July, by special orders from the War
Department, each regiment Of cavalry and in
fantry was reduced by two companies. Now 1t
is proposed to recreate one Of these companies
IN each regiment by enlisting Indians How
extraordinary is this project! We disband
crack troops Of white American regulars in
order to fill them with wild savages! Consider,
If you please, that each troop has its prestige
its history of battles fought and feats per-
formed, of which all the men belonging to it
are proud. The men take pride in supporting
and fighting in the field for the fame Of their
companies, and many of them have spent their
lives IN serving their country as soldiers Is 1t
nothing to abolish an organization that has won
honors by years Of faithful toil-honors which
belong to the company as company, render
ing its glories immortaP Shall this be done
for the sake of trying experiment in civil
izing o lot of untamed Indians, filed
always with vermin, upon whom the white
soldier looks down as he does upon unclean
beasts? Is it with them that he is expected to
fraternize in the same regiment, recognizing
them as comrades and equals? Suppose an
altogether parallel case-that the British war
Office should propose to disband companies Of
their crack regiments in order that they might
be filed with Arabs and Zulus. What cry of
ypryo n wis 80 tbo aoti
Of such an insane scheme, calculated better
than any other conceivable plan TO break down
the pride Of the English soldier The crack
troops Of the British empire can claim no
greater glory than can the regiments Of this
republic, the individual companies of which
are identified historically with so many bloody
fields in the war of 1912. in Mexico, in tho re-
bellion and in the canyons Of the west.
''The measure we speak Of Is against law,
too, not less than against justice and ex-
pediency. Section ll02 OF the Revised Statutes
reads: Each regiment OF cavalry shall consist
of twelve troops There is no direct or in
direct authority in those statutes for the dis
bandment OF troops or companies. 1t would
be as lawful to disbanu entire regiments - to
disband companies.
II WILL NOT BE USEFUL.
snow, let us consider for moment of how
much practical use this measure is to BE- Since
the earliest days Of the republic Indians have
been employed as scouts, guides and trailers
They have usually been enlisted for six
rules and articles of war; they were given the
same clothing allowance and rations as the cav
airy soldier and they got the same pay. All
Indians have horses and for the keep Of the
animals they were allowed 40 cents day. As
their horses lived on grass the scouts pay was
thus about twice that of the soldiers. In re-
turn for this they did ractically nothing, ex.
cept in time Of hostilities During peace time
they lived in their camps near the posts with
their wives and families, reporting from time
to time to the officer in command. During q
campaign they did most efficient service as
scouts not rs soldiers. Their aptitude for
scouting the whole country, front and on the
TANKS OF the column, was marvellous, especially
on the plains. As traiers they are truly won
derful, tracking footprints that a white man
cannot see. But when the enemy was reached
they have always expected the soldiers to do the
fighting, while they hung around ready to
pounce upon the booty and kill the wounded
As regular soldiers the Indians would be most
difficult. il not impossible, to manage. Turbu-
lent, mutinous almost, the white officer in COM
mand of them occupies peculiar and dam
gerous position. Some chief holds the place of
first sergeant and to his judgment the officer
must defer III many matters; army rules and
regulations are cast to the winds; cattle be-
longing to citizens may be brought into camp
for a feast and he can do practically nothing;
his men speak language that he does not an
derssand: such things as guard and police are
out of the question; the men desert and they
cannot be punished.
''The program Laid down BY the authorities
is that the Indian scouts shall be discharged
and enlisted as soldiers in companies quartered
at barracks. They will be enlisted for FIVE
years instead of for six months; they are TO be
paid els instead of S25; their wives and fami-
lies must not live with them; they are to do
guard duty and work with pick and shovel;
they are to keep clean, get rid Of the vermin
that infests them be prompt and attentive TO
duty and obey the Articles Of War.
IT WILL FAIL
'sNo one who knows the Indians inagiues
that this program is possible to be carried out.
The savages, accustomed to the freedom and
lavish pay of scouts, will hardly be attracted BY
an offer to give them more work less freedom
and less pay. Against their efficiency e sol
diers their customs, prejudices, religion and
language will prove insuperable obstacles. An
attempt to enlist them and subject them to dis
cipline will be followed by countless assertions,
and we will convert into outlaws those whom
we hoped to civilize.
"This new departure has struck q most seri-
Gus blow at the efficiency of the cavalry--thc
most relied upon. 1t was urged that the force
of the cavalry was too great, that the Indian
wars were over and that the cavalry regiments
should be cut down. To this plea a sufficient
answer has been given by the occurrence a few
months later of the most sanguinary and
dangerous outbreak for fifteen years. II was,
like all other Indian outbreaks. put down by
the cavalry, but the government spent hun
dreds of Thousands Of dollars in transporting
from long distances regiments 10 the scene Of
fighting, because the skeletonized regiments
| stationed near by had been 70 reduced In num-
bers.
SHOULD BE sToPPxp.
'This experiment should not be allowed 10
60 on. Already we hear from the west that it
is thought TO be failure. For the encourage
ment OF those who support the scheme We are
told that there win be no difculty in enlisting
Q company from Geronimo's band Of Indian
cut-throats. Perhaps It viii also BE- sneouras-
| ing to know that in 1885, at the time Of ths
Geronimo outbreak, many OF these spme In
disns were enlisted in the government service;
that when they went ON the waxpsth they
fought the troops with government riHss and
ammunition. These are the sort Of msn whom
| il is proposed TO employ - regular troops, on
equal terms with our own white 0oldieIG L0s
US have our companies back again end shandon
| this idiotic notion Of employing savaGes 70
take their places"
higgr-sNy wife had queer accident bsfall
her yesterday. Az she wss walking s1ong tie
street mans has blew of and struck her d
the ere. II cost me s16 for dootor's feea .
Briegs-'sOh, that's nothing. Ny VIZ ~
walking along the street the other dny, snd q
she passsd millinef's boanst IN tAe Wisdom