Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1898-10-17
The Red Tape Evil.
(EveninG Wisconsin,

Evening NiSCOiISli.)
The testiness of Gov Clough in his cor
respOndence with the war Department
relative to the dispatch Of troops against
the revolving Indians at Bear Island,
Minnesota, may have been unwarranted
but he gained his point. President Nc
Kinley is Il man of quick discernnent,
and wheE A djt.- Gen. Corbin showed him
the Governors dispath he ordered the
War Department to satisfy the Mime
| sofa executive in every particular. Red
| tape was probably not the cause OF the
gOverament's hesitat iOu in this matter,
as there was a difference of opinion even
! in the Northwest as to the real extent OF
the Indian uprising. Indeed the number
of the hostiles has not yet beer clearly
asccrtained, although the trouble has to
some extent snbsided.
1t was natural for Gov. Clough to as
clibe the sloWness of the government in
accepting his view of the military needs
OF the situation at Bear Island to red
DdDt. i liz W dl W ltlI PAM civ lGii ~
much trouble because OF a rigid obseIv-
ance OF hide-bOund rules in the army,
and particularly iilthe War Department,
! that people generally have II sched the
concl usion that the United States Army
is cursed by ali excess OF red tape. One
of the Witnesses before the commit tee
tI,, + No. If va
war declared That in his opinion the
army needed to be brought back tC a
bt tier campaign basis. AS things are at
present it is almost impossible to move
large body OF men. what he meant to
imply was that the officers We're so close
ly bound by rule and department re-
qnirpments that they have no freedom Of
a.tiOn. Orders must go down through
q long line OF authorities to reach those
for whom they are intended, and
acquisitions for supplies must proceed to
headquarters by a. route that entail $ de-
lay, and thus lntrrfereS with military
strategy. Even in times OF peace, SO
SItIdil tlIIl 81 NOlI u GtCC iOI NOl1SuI
ton OF shed fol soldiers home puts
contractor to more trouble to secure his
pay from the government than he would
experience i'll getting his money from l,ri-
waite individuals for the construction Ct a
row Of ten-Storv flats,
The red tape which hampers the War
Department and delays army movements
aud the delivery OF commissary and hos
pital supplies has developed slowly since
the war of the rebellion, through the
necessity Of guarping the government
against dishonesty. When officers are
given Il broad scope OfAutlority the dam
ger Of extravaganza, if not actual dis
honesty, Is increased. The habit of look
ing for the something in ita that makes
men seek opportunities 10 Get Il pullup
the public treasury, or to secure author
ity to let contracts and thus come in con-
tact with contract ors, is well nigh ami [
versaI. In order to guard itsef against
this weakness OF humanity for the ''al !
mighty dollar the government has SO
htdged its army transactions that Moth |
ing can be done promptly. The remedy |
for this is to give army and government
officials more latitude, and to punish !!
them with unrelenting severity if they
Dctray the government into the hands OF !
contracts and Others bent upon raiding
I ba 1,jthli,. ttpn CII.V