The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-06-08
Volunteers and Regulars.

a correspondent at Tampa is much
impressed with the distinction that
appears there between private -oldiers
in the regular army and private SOL
diers in the volunteer forces. No
distinction is made between privates
and officers Of the volunteers. They
take their rank socially on their
merits, just as they would in ordinary
civil life. But the private in the
regular forces is under many restric-
tions. If he enters the big hotel
where the headquarters of the army
are and which is constantly full of
officers, he enters it only as a messen-
ger for an officer, and must enter it
hat in hand, and go by an incon-
sp;cuous Way around to the desk and
present his message, and when he has
had his answer he must go out in the
same way. The private soldier or
non-commissioned officer cannot eat at
the same public table with officers,
nor drink at the same bar. This social
distinction is not founded, it should
be said, on the assertion of any differ
ences Of class, but on the necessity OF
discipline. In consequence of it,
however, young women shun appear
ance in company of private of the
regular forces who would have no
more hesitancy in going anywhere
with a private of the volunteers than
with civilian or an officer.
This distinction maintained for the
sake of discipline is advanced as the
cause Of there being so small proper
tion of native-born Americans in the
regular army. There is, however,
another point which is important in
this connection, and that is the slender
chance of promotion in the regular
forces to man who has not military
education. 1t is noted that the regu-
lar soldiers whose terms of Office are
expiring or likely to expire during
this war are all anxious to go iLto the
volunteers rather than to re-enlist.
No great number of them appear
likely to be able to get into the volun-
teer service just now, but it has great
attractions to them. So it has to all
the young officers; they seem to be to
a man anxious to get commissions In
the volunteer army superior to the
ones they now hold in the regular
army. They all hope to return to the
regulars after their possible volunteer
service shall be over, and they do
hope to come back to it on terms
much better than their present ones,
but there is generally believed to be a
better chance of ''getting or" in the
volunteer organization.
There are also other considerations
that make it improbable that many
Americans will ever take to the regu-
lar army in time of peace. The small
pay, the loss of individual freedom,
the probability Of change Of location,
the drudgery Of the service, all go to
make it an Objectionable life to the
average American. In time of war,
however, these discomforts and draw
backs are readily endured, partly from
feeling of patriotism, partly from q
love Of the excitement Of actual hos
tilities, and partly from a feeling that
the occupation is only temporary in
character. These make the volunteer
service the only service. that the
American bred citizen will naturally
have much inclination for. There
| will never be any trouble in recruiting
large armies in time of war but it Ger:
tainly would be difficult to maintain d
large standing army in time of peace
that was composed to any large extent
of native Americans.-hdianopoli'
Sentinel.