The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-08-16

unteers was the reading of
a letter from Henry G. Corbin, who
was once second lieutenant of f Co.
of the Nineteenth and who today is
adjutant general of the United States
army and the commander-in-chief's
right hand man. General Corbin had
been asked to write to his old COM
rades about "militarism" and this is
what he said:
"The American soldier has been fair
and considerate in his judgment of all
things; he has always stood for the
defense of good government and the
liberty Of all the people, and has never
been less than of the people. No one
suggests a single instance where either
volunteer or regular has ever threat
ened or put in jeopardy the liberty or
rights of any peaceful citizen. With
a record of gallantry and self-sacri-
flee, having the full support and con-
fidence of our countrymen, our army
has always recognized the civil law
as absolutely supreme. 1t Is strange
that all at once we should be regarded
with suspicion and confronted with
hards names and attempts at es-
arrangement between the soldier and
the rest of the people.
I'VE have always felt that it was
patriotism that carried our flag from
Concord to Yorktown. from Maguage
to New Orleans, from Resaca de la
Palma to Chapultapec, from Fort Sum-
ter to Appomattox Court House, and
the same that carried the old Seventy
Ninth regiment from Resaca to Ben
tonville, and was the inspiration of
the regular army in all of its conflicts
with the Indian tribes, the subjugation
and the civilization of which have Civ
en- the country an empire that is now
the populous and prosperous west.
The same spirit of patriotism moved
our army in it's gallant deeds from
Santiago to Manila, and is today the
inspiration of the American troops un-
der the brave Chaffee in the relief of
our minister and citizens in Pekin.
"You ask me about volunteer army.
without a volunteer army our greatest
victories could never have been won.
Without volunteers pages of our his
tory that challenge the admiration of
the world never would have been writ
ten. And right here let me remark
that there never was a more thor
oughly volunteer army than our regu-
lars. Every officer and enlisted man
seeks the military service of his own
accord entering into an individual
contract with the government. And,
too, the democracy of the army can
not be better understood than by the
fact that more officers were commis-
stoned from the ranks this year than
from the military academy at West
Point a glance at the army register
will show how general this has been
for years, illustrating that in our SER
vice all things are possible to all men
courage, truth, intelligence and appll-
cation 10 the study OF the manifold du-
ties of an officer are all that is re-
quired to secure advancement. Our
regular soldiers in every instance are
been a man drafted for the regular
army of the United States.
Men are judged by their past rec
ords, and our army is entitled to the
same thoughtful consideration. The
army, volunteer or regular, has no
higher ambition than TO retain the
affections of the best of the people,
and until some act of theirs shall for
felt this right it is not fair that we
should be made afraid of 'militarism.'
IT has not and cannot ever exist in
this country in any offensive or dan
gerous sense"