The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-23
Utah Volunteers Send a Petition to
Governor Wells.
WANT TOBE MUSTERED OUT
INJUSTICE OF HOLDING THEM
FOR GARRISON WORK.
Having Done Their Whole Duty, and
Peace Being Declared, They Ask to
Return-How the Boys Voted For
State ofiicers-Majorities For Rob
erts and Zane.

Surrounded with sickness and death
and the living misery Of garrison duty
in peace times, the Utah volunteers,
through their officers, have appealed to
Governor Wells to invoke the war de-
partment to release them for an early
return home and muster-out from
service. Already the governor has re-
ceived numerous requests to secure the
discharge of many members of the
Utah batteries Knowing that it would
avail little satisfaction to the petition
erS to apply to the war department for
their discharge individually, when, in
all probability, according to the press
dispatches from Washington, the inten-
ton is to send regular forces to the
islands to relieve the volunteers, the
latter to be returned home in the order
marking their arrival at Manila, the
governor a couple of weeks ago wired
the department for definite information
to guide him in his deliberations. No
answer has been received, and yester
day, on receipt of the appeal from the
Utah artillery officers, Governor Wells
telegraphed again to Washington to
ascertain the intention of the war de-
partment as to the muster-out of vol
unteers in the Orient. On the reply
will depend the governors mode of
procedure with reference to applying
for the muster-out of the entire bat
terry or for the discharge of individual
members of the organization, especially
those who desire to remain in the hill
ippines to engage in business.
Following is the appeal for muster
out of batteries A and B, received by
the governor yesterday:
Manila, Philippine Islands, Nov. 8,
1893.
Governor Heber NJ. Wells, Salt Lake
City:
Dear Governor: It is understood to
be the fact that many organizations of
volunteer troops are making every
effort to secure their discharge, and
to that end are sending cablegrams to
the governors of their respective states,
to congressman and to the press.
I'm order that silence on our part
may not be misconstrued as an express
sion of a desire to remain in the serv-
ice, we will say:
"That since the 14th day of August
last our duties have been simply those
of garrison routine, and, so far as we
can judge, the future duties here will
be little less than those of occupation
and garrison.
This command, officers and men, as
a unit, do not desire to continue in the
service for the love of the duties of
soldier. We enlisted in the service to
support the government in the time of
need. And as soon as our services can
be dispensed with honorably and with
out embarrassment, we wish to be re-
called to our state and mustered out
Without criticising the action of
other troops, and without entering into
an unnecessary scramble to that end,
we do not want to see one organization
after another discharged before us and
be among the last to be mustered out.
when it shall be determined to send
the volunteers home, it may require
several months TO transport all of
them. 1t will be pthen that we desire
your active assistance in having us
named among the first to be mustered
out
1--WE stand ready and willing to do
our whole duty but feel that the neceS-
sity for our presence here has passed
Since Manila was occupied, two light
batteries of the Sixth regulars have
arrived, and in the routine duties of
garrison life we are of little practical
use, the work necessarily falling on
infantry. >ImBi
Hoping that weShave made. our posi-
ton clear, we place the matter entirely
in your hands and request that in such
manner as you deem proper you secure
our recall at as early a date as prac-
ticable and consistent. Most respect
fully, your obedient servants.
RICHARD w. YOUNG,
IF. A. GRANT,
GEORGE w. GIBBS,
"E. A WEDGWOOD,
81. F. CRITCHLOW,
80. z. GROW,
RAYMOND C. NAYLOR,
WILLIAM C. WEBB"