The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-04

Discomfort Would BE Allayed If They
Knew They Were Wanted.

National Tribune
There is good deal of bitterness and dis
cCEtent among the volunteers about muster
ing out which might have been avoided if
the War Department had shown a little
tact The situation is this: There are more
than 100000 volunteers who have spent some
months now in camps of instruction, per-
fecting themselves in soldierly knowledge,
in the expectation to fight. and gave UP
good, paying positions and the comforts of
home, from patriotic desire to serve the
country. They are no less anxious to serve
the country now thai then. But no hint or
intimation comes from the War Depart
ment that they will ever be called upon to
do more than T. ey are doing to-day. or
course, there is an expectation that they
in Cuba or Porto Rico. But they are not
even told this. If they were it would
the service. To spend next winter in Cuba
or Porto Rico. enjoying the delightful eli
mate and spying out the good business OPP
portunities presented there to enterprising
young Americans, would make very pleas
ant prospect-prObably to a majority of
them. But with the fatuousness that has
generally characterized regular army Of
f1cers in their treatment of volunteers they
are not consulted at all on the subject.
The War Department persists in consider
ing them as it does regulars. who are en-
listed for a certain period and are bound
to go where they are ordered and do
told without asking any questions 1t will
be remembered that similar ineXcuSabie
blunder was made in the treatment, at the
close of the rebellion. of the men who had
patriotically veteranized during the darkest
period of the war. After Lee and Johnston
surrendered, and the 'latter-day regi-
ments" and the eleventh hour recruits
were being mustered out by the hundred
thousand, the splendid soldiers who had en-
listed at the first and served four years
were held to service and ordered out on the
plains to fight the Indians The result was
an immense amount of very just discomfort
and a great number of hardly-blameable
assertions. The War Department can clear
up this situation very agreeably by little
frankness and tact. The volunteers have
certainly the right to be informed at this
to make of them. and be asked whether they
desire to remain for that service. If the
government needs them for garrison duty in
Cuba and Porto Rico this fall, winter and
next spring. and can then expect to release
them, to be replaced by men enlisted eSpe
cally for that duty, let it say so, and offer
them some choice in the matter Those who
have business interests at home which de-
mand their presence-those who have
careers in this country which they desire
to follow-should be given an honorable dis
charge. Those who are willing to engage to
go to the islands for such further service
as may be required of them should be re-
tanned. They have already been perfected
in their soldierly duties at great expense:
They will make as directive garrison, patrol
and fighting soldiers as can be found, and
the government should avail itself of their
services. 1t is probable that this process of
election would reduce most of the regiments
to battalons, but the battalonS would be
very effective, the government would save
what their training has already cost, and
tfU process would give complete satisfac-
ton.
Certainly out of the 100000 soldiers whom
it is now contemplating dscharging the
government could get at least $1,000 Well
seasoned, well-disciplned soldiers, who, IL
allowed to in something like their present
organizations, with their own officers. would
be glad to render the government most ell
cient service for the next few months.