Omaha daily bee., 1898-06-10
prcrArroN OF GOVERNORS.
Hnrn.sirn the Reconsideration for
Political Ends.

New YORK sun.
The purpose Of the president in making
his second call for volunteers was to use the
men enlisted, so far as necessary. to recruit
the regiments already in the field to their
maximum strength. To do this will require
the majority Of the 75. 900 volunteers called
for, and unquestionably 1t is the best serv-
ice to which they could be put. since a large
part of the regiments are in need OF such
recruits to render them thoroughly effective.
1t seems, however. that governors of states
are using every effort to balk the execution
Of this plan, approved by all sound military
Judgment as essential TO the true interest OF
the army and the nation. These governors,
reinforced and abetted by men who are
working solely for political and personal
ends, without any regard to obviously mill
tary necessities, are urging the president
to organize the new volunteers as separate
regiments, leaving untitled and imperfect
the regiments OF their states which are now
In the field. Their motive. of course, Is TO
make places for more commissioned officers.
So far as the troops obtained are used to
recruit existing regiments, they will come
under the command Of officers already COM
missioned, and an additional supply will be
made unnecessary.
Hence, agents of these governors are now
swarming at Washington and using all pos
SlDlt pitS6ule W lhuNNt II DltHlIthI w
continue and aggravate an evil from which
the volunteer regiments are now suffering,
to the distress and confusion Of all eXpe-
rienced general officers under whose COM
mand they come. Military maneuvers which
depend upon regiments of maximum
strength for their proper and successful
execution are hampered by organizations
short of the requisite number of companies.
Yet many, If not most, of the governors, are
straining every nerve to prevent their COM
pletion, though a suficiency of recruits for
that purpose is easily obtainable.
During the civil war the baleful conse-
quences of raising new regiments. though
those already in the field had been reduced
to a mere shadow of their proper strength
by casualties, were demonstrated so strik-
ingly that the president and all his military
advisers were determined to avoid their
repetition at this time. Accordingly. the
prime purpose in making the additional call
for volunteers was to recruit the regiments
of every state already in the field to their
full and requisite strength. These govern
ors, however,, would make use of 1t for an
other and contradictory purpose, careless of
the military need which occasioned it.
They want to leave their present state regi-
ments incomplete, in order that they may
have a chance to sendothers, with a full quota
OF Of1CerS, no matter now snort the RANKS
Of both may be.
Such a policy is not merely injurious to
the existing organizations and to the gen.
eral military interests of the nation. 1t is
also prejudicial to the welfare and the eff
fectiveness of the volunteers to be enlisted,
for they will lose the advantage of associa-
ton in the same organizations with troops
who have received much valuable training,
and of being under the of officers
already initiated in their duties, and in very
many cases of long familiarity with them.
These governors would sacrifice the inter
ests of the enlisted men 70 schemes of po-
litical advancement concocted with a view
to multiplying commissions needlessly and
to the positive injury of the military serv-
ice.
The president should refuse absolutely to
give any heed to these self-seeking and un-
patriotic governors. His imperative duty is
to make the best possible use of the volun-
teers under the new call, and he knows, and
every military man knows, that this is TO
send them as recruits to raise the existing
regiments to the full strength necessary to
their effectiveness, accepting no separate
regiments from the states until that has
been done. Efforts to interfere with the
execution of that necessary plan are directed
against the life and health and effectiveness
of the new troops, and hence are nothing
short of criminal.