Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1908-03-20
TRIBUTES TOpROCTOR
Reforms Effected by Late Sen.
ator as War Secretary.
ABOLISHED Suffers STORES
Welfare OF the Enlisted Man Near to
His hsart-Faod and Quarters Of
Soldiers improvsd-Hsld In Tender
Memory BY Veterans.

inglon 10 drape the department build
Tugs with mourning when chief otfi.
cial dies or when some former chief
official dies. The war department
showed no black after the death Of
Senator Redtield Proctor. ex-secretary
of war, OF Vermont was announced
hut If there was no exterior symbol
of grief there was grief within the
building, for Mr.. Proctor did much
for the service.
In the civil war time Rcdtied Proc-
tor was II soldier He served on the
staff of General William F. ("Raldy'l
Smith. and later he was colonel OF
the Fifteenth Vermont Infantry The
enlisted man and his welfare We're
close 10 the Nermonter's heart says "a
Washington correspondent OF the New
York Post, and while he was secretary
Of war under Harrison he succeeded
in bringing about reforms in the serv
ice which ought to have been brough,
about long before.
When Redfield Proctor went into
Harrison's cabinet. there were what
We're known as suffers stores at the
recruiting rendezvouses of the country
personal knowledge of the conditions
on Davids island, New York harbor
at the time says that the recruit who
came to DaVids island was practically
compelled TO buy certain parts Of his
equipment at the suffers 1t made
no difference that some soldier leav-
ing for his post, WAS willing TO turn
over some of his supplies to the re-
cruit-the recruit had to buy or 1t was
intimated to him plainly that he must
buy cleaning material. button sticks
and half r dozen other things OF the
man who sold them as side line to
the selling Of beer
The result was that the recruit many
time spent money for things he did
not need, and the sutler waxed
wealthy. The sutler sold beer. and
there was no restriction placed on the
amount that he was allowed TO sell TO
store at Davids island was sight. In
that day there were few restrictions
placed on enlistments, and as long as II
man Was physically qualified for the
service he was taken In with few ques
tions about his antecedentS. Within
two hours after the men were paid on
at Davids island the barroom IN the
suffers establishment WAS filed with
meu drunk to the lighting point. Then
the sutler, wholly responsible for the
condition OF things, howled for the
guard. and corporal and two or three
privates would rush 10 the place to
clean it out. AS result Of the desire
Of the sutler to make money quick
forty-two men were placed in the
guardhouse on one day In the winter OF
1888.
Mr.. Proctor went into Harrison's cab
met as war secretary. and reforms be-
gan. The suffers store with its unlim
tied beer. went the way Of all things
bad. and the Canteen. with its limited
beer and the provision that all profits
should go to the Improvement OF the
soldiers mess. took its place. Restric
tons were placed upon enlistment. Liv-
erpool wharf rats and the deserters
from foreign services We're barred from
enisting. Food improved, and there
was the beginning of the vast improve
ment Of the quarters for the soldiers.
Secretary Proctor took personal in
terest in the conditions Of life of the
enlisted men. When he went to post
he was not content with review of
the troops. He went in the barracks.
he asked questions, he tasted the food
and he acquired a lot of information
which he afterward put to use. The
men liked him. and they showed that
they liked him. Some Of the older Off
GERS doubtless thought that the soldier
with good food and comfortable quar-
ters would be turned speedily into a
mollycoddle, but nothing Of the kind
happened. 1t was found that the addi
ton Of a ration Of vegetables to the
soldiers dietary did not make him fee
from before the face of the enemy and
that the fact that he was given more
liberty between retreat parade and taps
did not make of him less steady
marksman on the range. The old sol
diers hold Redfeld Proctor in tender
memory.
The United States senate has passed
bill giving Major General o. O. How
ard. retired, the rank OF lieutenant
general, rank that ought to have
been given him years ago. Howard
never asked congress for the promo
ton. and he never asked a friend to
ask it for him. He was perfectly con.
deserving go on the retired list with
the rank which should have been his
One Of the last acts in life of Redtield
Proctor was to prepare and introduce
Il bill for the promotion of General
Howard. Proctor did it voluntarily,
and he succeeded in getting the senate
to pass it. 1t seems probable that sen
timent will move the house to approve
Of the last measure which the senator
introduced into the upper house.
1t was always Secretary PrOctOr's
belief that a large part Of the credit
for the proper deploying and placing Of
the Union troops at Gettysburg be-
ionged to General Howard. II he dies a
lieutenant general the fact will be due
to the work on his behalf done voun-
tarly by the senator from Vermont
over whose soldier body taps were re-
Gently sounded.