Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1893-07-22

conclude that, if they had known be-
forehand what soldering is, they |
would not have enlisted; next, they |
reach the conclusion that it is no harm |
and no disgrace to desert in time of |
peace, and away they go. OF course, |
If we ever catch them, which is seldom,
they are severely punished; but l al
ways feel sorry for them, even when
sitting on court-martial and condemn
ing them"
How about the morals of the men?"
"They soon reach the point where
they have no moral sense at all. There
is great deal of drinking done, both
by officers and men. In fact, you will
rarely see an officer of the army on
fnntier post who does not bear upon
his countenance the marks of more or
less deep dissipation. 1t is unfortunate,
but it is true. | know that the same
condition prevails aboard ship, where
the officers and common sailors have as
monotonous time as we have at the
post, save that they occasionally run
into port and get liberty togo ashore
When men are confined, without So
ciety of interest, they unfortunately
fall into the habit of drinking, and
that usually leads to habitual drinking.
The private soldiers, and the common
sailors, are saved by their poverty.
They cannot afford to drink as much
as they would like to. But they are
intensely profane, and obscenity in
creases with their terms of service.
They become very common, low set
of creatures, kept in place and under
subjection by rigid discipline and the
consciousness of the power of the gov
ernment over them"
These are hard things to say of our
soldiers"
Very true, they are hard things to
say of them; and they must seem espe-
cially harsh to you, coming as they do
from an officer of the army, concern,
ing his own men. But | am telling you
the truth as seen from the standpoint
of one on the inside. | am not malign-
ing my men, nor traducing the soldiers
of other regiments, but answering your
questions candidly. / want to add that
if there was any prospect of war with
any foreign country, these same sol
diers would stand by their colors and
fight as long as they had any blood OF
breath in them. They are dem oralized
by the mouotony of camp life. 1t
would cost the general government
somo money for transportation, but it
would improve the army, if there were
annual reunions of regiments, or OF
battalions. Moreover, after such re-
unions, when the companies are re-
turned to their posts, they should be
changed Furthermore, and this is q
serious matter, the army is sadly handi-
capped and demoralized by favoritism
in Washington. There are colonels
here, on detached duty ut the war de-
partment, who have not been with
their regiments for a long time.
could name some majors and captains
who have never seen their companies
or battalions. They have been dancing
around the national capital for many
years, enjoying themselves like lords
and princes, while other men, and
some of them vastly better men, are
obliged to lead the dcmoralizing life
have in some measure described to you
1t is shame and an outrage. 1t is Z
, disgrace to the entire army"
In speaking of this matter, my army
, friend became very warm and earnest
, He mentioned the names of some of
ficers of both the army and navy whc
, have long lived in Washington, whil'
, their less influential brother officer
are unable to get here on visit NOR
than once in a life time.
, SMITH ID. FRY.