The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-06-27

cruited might answer yes and no. The
entire country was divided into three
recruiting districts. So far as my own
regiment was concerned. il was my de-
sire that it be recruited entirely from the
territory west of the Missouri The war
department thought this would be out of
al proportion to the population, and was
manifestiy unfair I was at work on a
plan for recruiting the regiment and had
made fairly good progress. when general
orders No. 6S were promulgated. These
designated where the regiments were to
from what was first contemplated"
WHO designated the recruiting station
in your district
A FAIR DISTRIBUTION.
ct did. Perhaps any one city named
or some city not named. might have been
designated for recruiting the entire regi-
ment, but this would have been an in
regiment fairly distributed geogra phic-
THE OFFICERS.
What has been the aim so far as Off
cering the regiment is concerned?"
so far as l have been able to control
IL The matter the aim has been to have
the officers for the various companies
come from the territory in which the com
panies are recruited. And 1 think it but
justice that their officers be from their
locality"
NO CAPTAIN FROM UTAH.
In the case of the company recruiting
III ILLS ely ll4b ID DlS1llts II Is uuuCISlOOu,
will not be local man. How is this?"
NO, he viii not be. At first blush this
may seem inconsistent. l have a pride
in the whole regiment, but very mater
tally more pride in the Salt Lake COM
pany. l am extremely anxious that it be
the very best in the regiment. When the
captains are named by the president, of
course they are assigned to the different
companies by the colonel. The regiment
is entitled to three regular army engineer
officers. l have assigned to the Salt Lake
company Captain tombstone, an engineer
officer General Wilson, the chief of
engineers, tells me he is a most worthy
readily see why 1 shall assign him to the
Salt Lake company. There is no better
material for an engineer regiment any
where in the world than in the inter
mountain states The men of these states
are used TO pioneering and to overcoming
the obstacles of nature; their whole life
and practical education fit them for the
duties of military engineer soldiers. 1
hope the Salt Lake company will be made
up of this kind of material. For certain
branches of this work the mining camps
Of Utah. Nevada. Idaho and Montana
should furnish ideal material. In the field,
you know everything has to be decided
quickly and without waiting to consult
the books and authorities; it has to be
done then and there. and we need prac-
teal men 10 do it. 1 presume it will be
here as 1t has been at all the other re-
more tenders Of service than it is posi-
bic to accept. 1 should like to take every
OI2l man VINO tenders his services. but
II viii be impossible.
Mr.. MILLS WILL BE AN OFFICER.
do you know Mr.. Mills, the local re-
Not personally, though 1 know him
professionally, he having been state
engineer of Idaho when L was state en-
gineer of Utah.
"Will he be an officer in the regiment?''
VERY likely a lieutenant. All the
aspirants for official appointment. Mr..
Mills among them, must go before an ex-
aiming board
UTAHS RECOGNITION.
DO you feel that Utah has been fully
recognized in the matter of the Second
regiment Of engineers?"
q do indeed. There are but three such
regiments, Utah gets the colonelcy of one
the Second-she gets the surgeon, DR.. |
Meacham. with the rank of major Could |
you realize the tremendous pressure there |
is upon the president to give places in the |
army, you would think Utah had been |
treated splendidly. Here l wish TO say /
that the Utah NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Can |
non and Rawlins and Representative |
King-treated me most cordially and |
courteously and did all in their power to /
secure my appointment as colonel, and 1 |
appreciate all they did. So did the other |
state senators-Senators |
Jones and Stewart Of Nevada; Senator |
ShouD of Idaho. Senators Carter and |
Mantle of Montana-al did what they |
could
E1aS any pOllllcd1 DteH eA-
erted in securing appointments under
you?"
Fitness and capacity are the only
standards that I have applied. A mans
politics, or lack of politics, is a matter of
q bsolute indifference to me-
Colonel Young said the regiment would
be rendezvoused at Fort Sheridan and
San Francisco, two battalions at the
former place and one at the latter. AS
to the ultimate destination of the regi-
ment he said he knew absolutely nothing,
in fact he did not think that anyone
knew not even the war department peo-
pie. On his return he will be in the city
for a day or two