New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-05-08
THE SEVENTIES ATTITUDE
REASONS WHY THE REGIMENT DID NOT
rXIJST-CONFRONTED BY THE LOSS
or MANY THINGS HELD DEAR.


To The Editor of The Tribune
s,r. Members of the 7th Regiment are stu
.oi,.inc much attention at the hands Of critics
,...ouse Of tho action taken by the organization
T., rarard TO enlistment In the volunteer service.
49,. hundreds of citizens who were indignant
.,hen they heard Of the action, and who were
r.sdv to brand the officers and men OF the Or
canization as towards, are beginning to see that
,ara was nothing coWardly nor wrong in what
.,a,. did We wee asked through the Colonel
- declare whether We were willing to eHliat for
two years unless sooner discharged. ana we
eo,d NO" and letters like that Of Josiah {.
f2ein in the Tribune show that many intelligent
Won are still uniformed as to Why we said
40"
qodav We know that the members Of regi-
..,t Who remain behind and recruit another
.o,ir,o,,t to take the place Of the one that has
,,e 10 the front viii not take the place Of the
vo,rntcer regiment. We know that the new "th
will become The 1o9th the new I'm VIII be the
11oth and the rcorgan.zed Sth VIII he known
a. the 1US,h Regiment. We know also shat
when the original comm lnds return from their
-o.,oe f., the volunteer army they will have the
ors, right to the regimontal armory ana the
rcrlnental property, and that the service OF the
men Will be credited to the original comma'luS'
Al this was unknown when the 9TH Regiment
was assembled for the purpose OF d"'ld''"E
,vhe,her they were willing to enlist for a term OF
two years etc
The order received from General Smith was as
follows. commanding officers Of each regiment
=, ,b,s brigade VIII assemble his command at us
--,o,v at once in uniform. and there. by mol
,.dual expression freely and voluntarily gwen
learn now many officers and enlisted men oi lis
organization declare to be mustered into the ser
,;ca 20 the United States for the term Of two
,.,ars. unless sooner discharged, to serve "here
ordered by the proper authorities
You Will be mustered into the uni'eo slater
-.,,oo. vou may retain your officers and you
may not: you may retain your orsah'%a'io' any,
49,, NAV not. These are all matters which vii!
no decided later. Those who remain VIII Keep
~, the organization. and there are hundreds Oh
men now ready TO step III anu '"N0 "
of those vino enlist"
1boea were the conditions we understood
.,er, and !. was only natural that we should
have hesitated Any man would De s'au ~
leave q poor business and step mo ohc Inv
- been well established and p!acru on " Pe!
;@ frCtino The 7th Regiment had many wears
o. honorable service 10 its credit Hs air
v.ere proud Of the Orsanizatloh' us yin ~
,r,ded themselves on their standing ana Oh op
i.T.ierov of the mea under them. lNeE hau
their own armory and each OF us Voii'i'a,I :,
rooms was a club in which the meinueIs Inc
where nothing was discussed win NOR c! H
am man matters pertaining to the Wela'e oi
the regiment. . ,,,Lrovc,
An This has 10 be turned over TO uI'niio"
naonla to recruits who could never nav H"p'
- become members Of the regiment uhu'i y,
6trerv conditions We objected. We pIv'eS' ~
W. refused TO enlist if enlistment Would pidC'
- ~, the same level with the man VINO ma
rever seen service. and if our pay shou'u ~
~ Sierre,nherrnent of the regiment
Tho fact that We were right in the stanu W.
,colI vas demonstrated last week, Wheh tII'
Adintant-Ceneral issued order TO the enc
that members OF the Natonai Huaru ~ - 80 80
I'll moi sac
bersbin In the Guard by doing So ana INA. 'I
nov regiments would not have the uesisii I ~,
-. ,ba old regiments If those points had peel
ee,tled before were asked 10 eilli;', NV =
rnent would have responded as 1t always az
when called TO duty. We wanted - ICON ,t
aoor after rs we wanted TO take the key VIII
~ so that when we returned we nleh' nav
boroa TO 20 TO- and objected TO siNhs GU
Lev m men whom we did not know ana 81 WhoH
&c should have to beg for shelter when 'ile VIC
was over Other regiments looked UPON '"'
,natter IN n different light. because they ulu a.,
avn their armories and some commanding Oh,
csra forced men 70 enlist by asking them W !,
vouY on the drill floor. in the presence OF c'0"u
Cd galleries. o .ha No
When the present excitement Is oN"r tle r.
~,tton az the 7th Regiment Will be seen III ~
Sroner hight and the good citizens or New Oh
xhn justify its action and its temporary loss
tha ruhlic's esteem may then he chaIseu
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT on the part or the Au Ira az
Generals department "HN i'
evy-York May Z. 1898