Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1898-08-30
TERMS
Abolish Red Tape.

While it may be proper to have
system of red tape in the management
of the army, yet it would seem almos
impossible to show any reason why thu
red tape tactics should re followed whel
the soldiers have been laid upon the co
and are placed OH the sick list. Hat
much of the red tape been abolished il
the camps and hospitals it is safe to as
sert that not SO many of our soldier
boys would either be placed on the rol
of those Mustered Out" or on the
dangerous list at the hospitals. Will
any advocate of red tape " tell us why
that a ship-load of ice was allowed tc
melt in the harbor of Santiago with
never move being made 10 unload the
same while there were hundreds of sick
lads anxious for the cooling ice? Was
it because no one knew how to proceed
by the red tape rules OF the army and
unload the samep Where was the
proper officer to give the orders 10 care
for that ship-load of ice9 Was he on
duty elsewhere P If so, why was there
not another officer to give the COM
mand f.? If no officer WAS present to
give the command, then why did the
subordinates allow the ice to melt !?
" For fear of court martial" someone
answers. A court martial for unload
ing ice without orders to be used by the
brave suffering boys in blue? Such
procedure would not be allowed by the
American people. But it is just such
system that has been responsible for the
suffering in the army camps and on the
fever-stricken transports.
The story is told of one division sur
geon at Chickamauga who reported to
the general in charge of the camp that
the place was unfit for the soldiers, but
the general replied, abe very careful
young man what you say about this
camp, and see that you do not send any
such reports over my head to Washing
ton" Why was such reply given to
the young man? Was the officer 10
whom that medical report was made in
partnership with any nearby contractor
who was supplying the camp with IA
tons? Was he n stakeholder in any
company which was real =.
ing harvest because OF the location of
that camp9 "Why did not the young
man. make his report to Washington?" is
The question the rank and file of the
American people see fit to ask. Be-
cause army 1ed tape must be observed
Ind the young man dared not break the
rules. The medical men at the army
camp made theirreport to the command
er OF the camp and he in turn sent the
'ame to Washington for the informa-
ion of the Secretary of War, In an in
erview with Secretary Alger he is re-
ported as saying that the commanders of
he various camps reported to him that
was all right. If the Sccrc~
ary Of War has any such report from
he camp at Cbickamauga, whoever is
esponsiblc for the report should be
'iven the most severe punishment, for
no section of the country can there be
ound those who will believe any such
hing concerning the camp ground by
lookout Mountain. But for the army
cd tape 1t is more than probable that
he camp at Chickamauga would have
cen moved to more healthy place, for
1e medical men would have sent diff
'rent report to Washington than APP
cars to have been given by the camp
Not until the different
ates opened fire on the war depart
lent was the camp moved. Governor :
lack saw what red tape was doing for ,
lie New York boys when he said, G
New York soldiers must not be allow ,,
to rot in the swamps of Chickamau-
a." When our soldiers are ill let red
pc be forgotten and let the general
Tx with the private without fear of be- 7
g court martialed. Let physicians :
direct with the President \
by such communication the life of an s
merican soldier can be preserved, but !
t every American citizen keep at the t.
ar department until we discover who n
FRIED the club labelled cred tape" +
ound among the hospitals Of our army
mps, and let us see that such an in
man is "drummed out of C
my camp" Tho officer who is not =
lie to use discretion in time of the ill., II
IS of his priyates had better exchange p
J straps with the latest raw recruit 9,
L. \