The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-11-22

ton of the cavalry. For years the friends
of the army have been endeavoring To
set congress to pass a bill increasing the
army and making a thorough reorganlza-
ton. AT present the army is organized
in an obsolete way and OF course Is
utterly unfit to cone With any country
with its present organization With the
improvements in firearms and the higher
and more perfect methods Of military
science it becomes necessary for All
army to keep pace with the times or be
incapable OF facing those who do one
view of the matter IS expressed as foI7
lows:
for our army to entirely reorganZe. which
would REQUIRE time and be 4 less TO the
country which would need active SerV-
ice and could not wait for the new Tor
nations TO be made. A generation aga
men were put into the Held without mill
tary training but then II was That nc
army well up in tactics. 1t was more
of a stand up and fight proposition. Now
ii is different. The mouern Sman arms
have made war so fearful IN us oestruc-
tiveness that if men are not properly
trained they viii march TO certain oeath
The strategy Of war has become ar
absolute necessity and IN order tor our
soldiers TO have any show with any OF
the foreign nations ii is essential that the
army be reorganiZed-
An attempt will be made at the coming
session OF congress to have The three
battalion bill passed. If this is done II
will put the army on a footing with the
best. The strength OF the army IS at
present SO low that scarcely 5000 men
could be put in the field ready for active
service. There is a great deal of talk OF
increasing the artillery. but the plans
are at the expense of the cavalry which
IS to furnish the men for the increase.
The scheme was to disband two troop.
OF cavalry and send the men to the
artillery
position Secretary Alger has disap-
proved the recommendation of General
Miles for skeletoniXng the cavalry troops
under the law to take the proposed
action, and announces that nothing viii
be done in the matter without authority
from congress. The cavalry is already
tw-o troops less to a regiment than /.
should be. and to reduce that branch of
the service more would be to cripple it.
The bin that will be introduced in con-
gross at the next session viii favor the
Increase of the artillery, but will also pro-
vide for a corresponding increase in the
infantry and cavalry.
There has been great deal of discus
sion both in military and civil circles rel
garding taxation of military property.
part of the civil authorities to tax the
post exchanges and require them to pay
a license These efforts have proved in
vain The canteens are government in
SritEtiOns and are operated on land THAI
is under the exclusive control of the gen.
eral government. For that reason the
from all taxation.
Another question that came I'D lately
was as TO the taxation of the property of
officers Of the army when they are living
OFF of military reservations A decision
was given by the judge advocate general
OF the army recently, which was that ex-
ce9t as to personal property which Of
fcers of the army have and use in the
discharge Of their military duties their
personal property is taxable the same as
that of any other person, unless some
special exemption IS granted. Of course
this has no application to places, like
military reservations, where exclusive
jurisdiction has been coded to the United
States.
The orders which were recently issued
making q change in station for severa
number of reasons which induced Sec
rotary Alger to revoke the orders CHEZ
among which was the passing of the
Union Pacific. one Of the bond-aided rail-
roads. out Of the hands of the govern
ment 1t has been the custom for the
government to transport the troops over
TINS road without charge, but the ex-
pense which would now be incurred
would be more than could be spared our
OF the army appropriation. The proposed
changes will now be postponed until next
autumn.
o % 8
The experiments that are being made
with the sample shoes that have recently
been sent out by the cuartermaster's
department for trial, are resulting salts
factorily- The troops at Fort Never ana
Washington barracks report that the
shoes are very satisfactory and the
soldiers are well pleased with them They
are lighter than the ones now issued. aud
II favorable reports come in from other
places they Will undoubtedly be adonfed
An ATTEMPT will be made by the people
or 1oaho to have soldiers home founded
al Fort sherman upon the abandonment
OF that place 1t will undoubtedly only
be a wear or two before the post is
abandoned ana the troops removed to the
new post at Spokane City, which is now
building. II the home is built at Sher-
man ii viii be a great advantage to the
soldiers. as 1t IS Just the place for such an
institution.
A few days ago a gentleman from the
city visited Fort Douglas and in the
course OF his wanderings about the post.
Strayed over to the Rapid Transit track.
From there an excellent view of the
target range can be had AT the time the
stranger was there he was surprised to
see small group of soldiers running up
the range with their rifles in their hands
Suddenly they all dropped to the ground.
and While in a lying position began 10
shoot rapidly at some objects further UP
the range.
Looking in the direction they were firing
the surprised man saw another group of
soldiers lying on the ground in, a line
ana the i1rSt group were shooting at them
It was an exciting moment for the strang-
er he danced about CRYING. Look at
Inen- 1ney VIII XIII each otheri'' He
watched for q moment in GREATNESS eX-
pectaDcy as he saw the dust kicked nm
around the soldiers next TO the hill Sud
denlv one of them was evidently struck
and fell over on his side
Then the firing ceased and the errouD
ran IN 10 the place where the man had
been killed. and stopped over examining
him, in what appeared TO be a very crifi9
cal manner At the same time another
group of men from one side of them
rushed up and joined the crowd. rhe
civilian was pale as death as a sol1iier
came past him with a rifle in his hand
IN a weak. frightened voice the stranger
asked: What wera you all doing nm
there? Was it a fight or a duel? Did
they kill the man2'
The soldier laughed at him. as he com
pretended what the stranger meant. and
answered, No. That was only sllfrmis6
practice, Those figures were paper
targets.
It is surprising to see the n,rohar or
people who visit the post that ask yrben
they arrive at the garrison. Where ie
the fort?'' The idea among a great
many of them is that Fort Douglas is a
fortress surrounded with roassive cfone
walls bristlng with cannon. It became
such q common occurrence when the Six
tenth infantry was at the post that the
soldiers rather than disappoint them sent
the bewildered tourists upon the target
range to look at the butts. Of course thev
expected stone walls. but they were told
that the banks Of earth were more effec
tive in repulsing the attacks of Indians
Lester A walker, the man that was ar