The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-02-13
DAY SO-MAE
TEST ON HORSEBACK
WORRIES OFFICERS
Army Desk Men Are Limbering
Up Their Muscles in ..t..
Preparation.

washington, Special: There Is no
denying that the army Is WORRIED
over the prospect OF complying with
the presidents order for a three-day
O-mile horsemanship test this year.
.Modificationv of the presidents
original horsemanshfp test fs being
worked out by General Bell, cnieL oI
staff. and the general stan BUT tne
modification that the sse
going to make the test yasSy worse
man ever, according TO army 'otnsers.
instead OF a 16-mile ride, &c is 1g9ng 10
involve the proposition OF riding 20
miles An three days-72 hours--and TO
include, according to present Rlans.a
stunt in tramping y Isauihs WIG
horse several miles daily. y 2nSSIs
are sustained by one conslSsrauon:
tbev don,t believe such ankorder wiMsbe
Continued In force after b end OF y
present administration, and SO. are get
ting themselves in shape to meet me
requirement as well as possiple;
In opposition to the presidents dlfi-
cult test, 1t is urged by army peopIe
first that there is no gooo reason tuF
stair men to be put through such per
formance. and second that IT VIII De
yery expensive. Already, oflcers on
desk duty-the roll-top soldieEs-are
being given two hours a day Tor exer-
! else of various sorts in order to Kefp
| themselves in condition Tor Inc tests.
Provision OF horses, grooms, etc,, mus
be made at many places in order 10
Lean nm these exercises. 1t is stated
nv .. high military authority that tne
lowest estimate which has heen maue
Indicates that It win cost, this year
SI00. 600 to carry out these tests OtheI
odfcers put the figure "A Eood aea,
higher than this. They q tnat ~
will cost the service a gopd many val
- .-n, IryIn a RI needle 1n0uKn un-
able and not equipped for this KIND OF
a trial.
The e-miles in -three-days test VII
cnne off this year for the first 1nme
The greatest concern Is adLlittet
among army men about the conabipoh'
which viii be arranged by Genera
Rel and his aides, for much depenui
on this. Thus far it is not known 10
Instance at how many places ties
rides Will be made, or under wnat Sor
of conditions as to roads, weather, etc
NJ Is pointed out that for such a sever
stunt the difference in roads, temper
AZURE. horses. ETC., might mean Ine NtI
ference between success for an 1nIer
ior rider and failure for the best one a
the service. The organization or u
a proiect so as to assure n squar
deal for everybody is declared to %
next to impossible.
None the less, the presloent Is oe
termined to have it, and the army pee
nile sadly admit that the country think
he ia right about it. That Is one OF IN
great griefs Of the officers. The
haven't been able to convince h COM
murity at large that the president
idea is all nonsense.
Marches All Buneomhe.
In the practice marches for the In
fantry, the public seems VIKING 10 ao
init that there is a good deal OF bur
. combe. The soldiers object 10 Ihes
1 and claim no good is accompitshe
while great physical discomfort Is ofte
INFLICTED. People In generals slde VA
the soldiers. But when 1T comes 10 tf
~officers nobody has n sympathy. Isl
ervbody seems to suspect them OF b'
ing fat and lazy, OF having tobacC
r hearts and more capacity for
: than for campaigning. So the public
thumbs are down for the officer, but l
for the private.
The army men are of the opinion tn
the real thing needed to Improve u
army is not horsemanship tests, b.
he passage of the legislation TO II
, crease compensation OF officers al
/, men. They could work for this b
q with a good heart If they were not oil
: Outraged about the horseback orders