The age-herald., 1898-09-01
Muster CD, the Spare Troops.

From the New York Sun.
 We think it would relieve some of the anxiety felt In regard to the health and well-being of the volunteer troops still in camp if the war department should muster out the greater part of them forthwith.
 The discharge of considerable number Of organizations has at last been ordered, but out of over quarter of a million of sol- diers, regular and volunteer, we have not observed that a single regiment has yet been actually mustered out, although mo- body can say that 100000 or 150,OOO men would not be more than adequate for all purposes now, and, indeed, for all purposes that have existed ever since the signing of the peace protocol Day after day, and even week after week, have been consumed in making up lists and revised lists of organ izations that might "go first.'' They should hardly stand upon the order of their going, but go at once. If there Is any fear as to the geographical distribution of the regi- ments to be mustered out, this can best be disposed of by mastering out the great est number possible instead of the least possible. Aussuming muster out to be bad trea tment, which is preposterous where there is no longer any fighting to be done or other service of consequence to render. yet no regiment can complain if put on the
 
 the laborious picking out of a. regiment here and a regiment there, when there should be a general sweep, that can alone make trouble.
 If the expense were the only objection to keeping up great volunteer army weeks after the possible need of 1t is over, this, though serious, could be borne. But on all sides come up stories of sickness and death at camps. These stories are no doubt exaggerated, but young men are natur- ally careless about their health, and refuse to take the precautions that are necessary, in August, wherever great bodies of peo- pie are hudded together. They do not hab- itually observe the rules made for them regarding food, water, clothing, and so on; and in addition there are some complaints, more or less well founded, that the sites of camps are badly chosen, the water supply bad or the food unsuted to summer weather. Instead of conducting bitter dis cussions on these points in the newspapers, the first need seems to be to muster out the men and break up the camps. They are no longer needed, and the men will be re- leased all the sooner from the chances Of camp sickness.
 We arc aware that it takes time to mus ter out a hundred thousand troops, but they will never be mustered out at all un- less a beginning is made. In case of need we could quickly get them back and as many more with them. It is due to the country to the men themselves, and to the.r anxious families and friends that the work should begin at once, and should go op as rapidly and upon large a scale as possi- ble. All the accounts indicate that the men in the ranks, who enlisted so eagerly and patriotically and who would serve gladly for two years, if needed, are usually anx- ious to get hack now to their ordinary life, especially where their places of employ ment are still open to them. Those of them who desire to remain in the military service can enlist in the regular army and hll up the places made vacant by the losses or the war.