Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1898-09-23
POLITICS IN THE ARMY.

POLITICS IN THE ARMY.
The cause Of all the trouble in the
volunteer service may be told in one
word politics. In that one word is
summed up all the incompetency. in
humanity and brutality practiced upon
the volunteers. In that one word may
be summed up the location Of camps
in swamps, the failure to provide trans
ports for provisions, the failure to get
needed medical supplies to sick soldiers
and the blunders that forced sick men
to march and stand for hours in the
hot sun waiting for hospital trains that
were not ordered until after the sick
were ordered to meet them.
Before the war with Spain everything
in army circles was smooth. There
may have been petty jealousies existing
between officers, but they were care
fully concealed, and men worked like
machines in all departments. Then
came the war with Spain and the me-
cessity Of expanding the army from
25, 600 to $50, 900. This was task that
called for the services Of experienced
men, but instead Of calling into service
men who had spent the best years Of
their life in the pursuit Of work neces-
sary to the caring for such a huge
army Of men, young men and old men
whose only recommendations were their
political pulls we're called into service.
The commissary department. is the life
of an army in war as well as in peace.
And when the American army was ex-
panded from rs, 900 to $50, 600 the great
est task was in securing supplies and
getting them to the men. Here Of all
places was the place for skilled men.
But instead Of calling upon men who
had been trained to this work the poll
ticians prevailed upon the war depart
ment to appoint the sons of some
bodies who had political influence. Out
of eighty-seven officers appointed to
volunteer rank in the commissary de-
partment only nineteen were from the
army and sixty eight were from civil
life. These sixty-eight men from civil
life were absolutely without the ex-
perience so necessary in such grave
cases, and the result was that $50, 600
men who were in camp or at the front
were wholly dependent upon incompe-
tents whose only fitness If such it may
be, called WAS their political influence.
In the quartermaster's department
eighty-six men were appointed to vol
unteer rank after the war began. and
of this number only thirty four were
from the army, the other thirty-two
being appointed from civil life. These
civilians were ignorant Of the first re-
quirements Of the positions to which
they were appointed, and trained men
had to spend precious time in teaching
the new officers their duty. And this
in the face Of the fact that men to
the number Of 28O, 900 were dependent
in large measure upon the quartermas-
ters department for everything needed
by soldiers. Is it any wonder that
abuses prevailed, that hospitals be-
came death traps and camps became
the hotbeds Of disease! Retired navy
officers were called back to active
service when the war broke cut, but
politics has less to do with the navy
than with any other department. Of the
public service. But not one retired
army officer was called back to active
service. That course would have les
sened the number Of political appoint
ments at the disposition Of the secre-
tary of war. When military education
and experience were most needed they
were cast aside to make way for po-
litical pets, and through the appoint
ment of these political pets brave men
were forced to suffer and to die. The
whole blame for the horrors Of camp
and hospital management rests upon
the men ::who made humanity subor-
dinate to politics, and the people know
where the blame belongs Omaha
World Herald.