Evening star., 1902-03-04

can people, II 1t Is ordained that the islands
remain our own. l am of the opinion that
everything here should be on the colony
plan. An island army should be organized,
paid out of the island treasury. Everything
should be paid by the islands. Recruiting
should be done in Europe and other places
to keep up this eternal struggle.
The youth of America should not be relied
upon solely to put down this rebellion. as I
believe that an American boy Is too good
to be compelled to stay for two or more
years in these islands
Does it ever occur to the average thinker
that nearly all of the American army is
now camped around these islands; that our
brightest military men have spent the last
three years under this tropical sun, and
that the majority have gone back to the
United States to recuperate their falling
health?
Where are the men who formed the army
previous to the Spanish war? Consult the
muster rolls in the War Department. and
venture to say that you won't fnd per
cent in service now. They were fighters
and soldiers, as any officer will tell you.
and you hear the generals yearn for the
old timers. They have sickened and died
off, and I do not believe they will average
per cent Of the army Of today. We
speak with pride of the regiments before
Santiago. but the men who fought SO
valiantly there are not IN the regiments
now.
Farm Boys as Soldiers.
here Of late it is composed Of western
farm boys Nearly every officer in the
army has been over to these islands within
the past three years. This debll1tatlns
climate has more or less wrecked our en-
tire army, and what will the end be II
we keep the flower Of our army continually
in this climate? I would suggest that We
have colonial army here. paid out or
island funds. Let this army stay here al
ways and the American army stay IN
America. Keep the old regiments III Amer
lea, and as long as the islands pay for
their own army peace will be at least in our
own country, il not here. 1t must De al
ways remembered that revolution Is ever
soothing to the tropical native.
We are ordered to station on the 1siand
of Samar, which. am told. Is but a short
distance from "Balangiga." where Com
pany c. 9th Infantry, was butchered by
supposed friendly natives, led by the pres,
idente, last September. They captured
ffty-seven rifles and $4,000 rounds Of am
munition at that time and the boys feel
that they must be on their guard over
there at all times. Friendship ceases, they
say, from now on.
The savages destroyed all of Company
C's records, and I understand it is a diff
cult matter to straighten up the affairs OF
the company. Each mans affidavit can
be taken, but nine out of ten cannot tell
how they stand. The paymaster general
has a record of the deposits of the men
and exactly what pay Is due them. but
there is no check on the clothing account
Of the men. A man can say that the gov
ernment owes him 500 for clothing and
there is no record to disprove it except
company records, and when they are de-
stroyed I do not see how it can be regu-
lated except to take the word of the man.
The clothing allowance Of soldiers is the
only item in the army that there is net a
complete check on. The quartcrmaSter
takes the company commanders receipts
in full for the amount of clothing furnished
at an issue, but the department requires
no report or return to show that the
clothes were issued.
If such returns were rendered it would
not be a difficult matter to straighten cut
matters when the records of a company
have been destroyed W. 8. X.