The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-22
WORKING THE GOVERNMENT.
The Railroads Make Uncle Sam Pay
Wen for Transporting Troops.

the uduEtE may arise again at any time.
when the regular army will be called upon
as IL has been within the past few weeks.
There is one thing that is not often taken
into account when we think of how our
forces are scattered throughout the coun-
try, and that is the cost of mobilization
at any particular point at given
time. Compared with European ma
tions the distances from which troops
must be transported when they are
needed are something startling, and the
cost IS larger than any one would think.
In the case of the infantry it is not so
bad, but when it comes to carrying
horses and the guns of the light battery
it is altogether a different matter"
"You don't mean to say that the rail 70
roads are very particular about collecting
fares for soldiers who are brought in for
the protection of railroad property"
asked the Star man.
THAT is just exactly what do mean TO
say. II you notice, you will see that rail-
roads look upon the government as some
thing from which they must get all they
possibly can every time they get chance.
You can't get very many horses into
freight car, and when you take the guns
of the battery they have 10 go on trucks,
and they are pretty bulky freight. OF
course they have to 90 through on express
time, and express rates are charged in
Aull nave Hdu SOluG luuuy experiences
in this line in times past, +" said the officer,
in reminiscent mood
NO PASSES ISSUED.
II remember back in the COS 1 was sta
toned down in Kansas at the time the
Kansas Pacific railroad was being built.
The Indians were pretty thick at the time,
and our principal duty consisted of pro-
tecting the construction parties from the
attacks Of the redskins. It was neces-
sary to keep force of bluecoats right up
at the head Of the line all the time. 1t
was pretty hard going and not much fun,
you may be sure, and every Saturday
night we used to fix it so that two of the
three officers of the company could slip
back. TO the army post to spend
Sunday with the boys. Do you know
that that road had the effrOntery TO try
to charge for our transportation, when
we were Just about the only passengers
they had 10 carry, and we had to ride
back on a gravel carr Kicked} Well,
you bet we did, and don't think the road
made very much out Of us, but still it was
squeezing pretty close when you think
that we were assigned to that wretehcd
task solely for their safety and comfort.
They would send the construction train
through to the end of the line as fast as
the tracks were laid, though, of course,
it was a pretty tough case of travelling
We got our supplies through on the freight
cars, and do you know they charged
freight on those supplies} They wouldn't
give us waybill or a receipt Of any sort,
nor would they be responsible in case of
loss. IL was necessary to send a man
along with the supplies, and they charged
fare for that man.
But got oven after q while, though
il was some time coming. l remember
one fall the cold weather came on earlier
than usual and the railroad men found
themselves short in the matter of blank
cts. was acting as quartermaster at
the time, and had a considerable number
that we did not need right away, but |
had no authority to lend them. The mat
ter was finally referred to Gen. Schofield,
who was in command of the department
at that time, and he ordered me to com
ply with the request if there were no
good reasons to the contrary, let them.
have several bales of army blankets,
about hundred and twenty in all, and
it was very timely loan, 1 can assure
you.
GOT EVEN WITH THE COMPANY.
"Some time after that / received orders
from the war department to transfer the
government moneys for which l was re-
sponsible from a Kansas national bank to
the subtreasurer of ST. Louis That official
necessary to carry the cash itself to ST
Louis. thought it would be pretty
nice trip for me, as | had been campaign
ing it for some time past. When l saw
the vice president of that same road one
day i suggested that pass TO st. Louis
would come in very handy. but he turned
down my request with great alacrity. He
said | was going on government business
and the government could pay my mile
IS 4
little sore, but l went TO St. Louis lust
the same and kept quiet, thinking that
my time would come some day. II did.
Shortly after 1 got back one of my men
came TO me and told me that he had been
down among the stables of the railroads
construction party and that he had found
there about sixty government mules.
IA short time before a number of Uncle
SANS quadrupeds had been lost from
post up on the Platte river and it was sup
posed they had been run off by the In
dams. reported the matter to the chief
of my department for action, and a few
days after that he sent down company
of cavalry and told me to get those mules
back again. We waited for Sunday,
when they were all in the stables, and we
raided that place and discovered fifty odd
head Of choice government mules, though
never quite found out how they came
pany. We took them back TO camp, and
had irons heated and we branded those
same mules with big U. s. in a number
of different places so that they would
probably never get lost again. Then |
issued an order calling for the return Of
those blankets, and it took some pretty
steady hustling for them 70 get them all
in on time. They didn't like TO do it, for
il was cold weather then, but the blankets
had only been loaned for thirty days. and
they had already had them three or four
months.
1T MIGHT HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT.
"Some time after that was riding in a
railroad train with the vice president Of
the road. We fell into conversation, and
in the course Of our talk he said to me
Lieutenant, YOU haxe been putting us to
an awful lot of trouble lately
i am sorry 10 hear that, sir said ],
but do you remember little incident
about railroad pass which you refused
some time back''
'''You don't mean to say that mad any
thing to do with IL. do your
Well, won't say that IL did, for I
have only done what my duty compelled
me 70 do, but then you know human ma
ture Is very much the same in the army
as well as out
$50 my turn came. never did accept
pass on that road, but ] have an ideao'
said the old soldier as the smoke from
his cigar curled gracefully toward the
ceiling that II had ever made another
request it would not have been refused"
A.-"You say Smythe's new store on
the avenue ia closed yff