The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-11-07
AMERICAN IS BEST
SOLDIER IN WORLD
Mrs. John A. Logan Touches
Up the Army and Ma
ti0naI Guard.
THE CLASH IN CALIFORNIA
SOME PROBLEMS THAT MUST BE
SOLVED BY LEGISLATION.

Washington, Nov. cit is unfortunate
thai friction should have been the result
of the encampment of the National Guard
and Regulars together the past summer
especially on the Pacific slope. The
causes are undesirable, but principally
were from the Discrimination of the Ma
tionai Guard to conform to discipline and
DO the real drudgery OF a camp -,
In California the feeling between the
Regulars and the National Guard
reached an acute stage. At recent
gathering resolutions We're suggested 10
repeal the law in regard to annual en-
campments of this character. Luckily il
was subsequently withdrawn. but the
feeling has not changed.
General Chaffee, retired officer CT the
army, made a speech in which he uttered
some very astounding sentiments touch
ing upon the approaching necessity OF
having CONSUMPTION in this country.
Anyone who has paid any attention TO
the matter of recruits, and the difficult
ties which confront recruiting officers IT
securing desirable men, realizes they have
greatly increased and that there are fewer
enlistments in the army today than at
any time in the history of the government
since the civil war
1t shows, in the first place, that our
ratio of native population is very much
depleted by the enormous number of for
eigners who have monOpOlized the oppor-
tunitles in the United States, but who nat
uTally do not feel the same devotion and
patriotism to our country as did the ma
Ahead of His Time.
In speaking of this matter a few days
ago, another officer said he thought that
General Cnaffee was in advance OF MS
time, and that a much better system
might be adopted whereby the boys
might be educated by the government for
the service. and as compensation for
their education, serve five to seven years
in the army, and then be young enough
TO enter into civil pursuits if they so de
sired This would insure the government
a reserve that would be available for any
emergency.
Legislation that would authorize such a
plan may become necessary to make the
army Of the United States as efficient as
it should be, because of the fact that the
population is so cosmopolitan. Coming
generations may not be as patriotic as
the generations of the past.
The probabilities are that many of the
assertions and difficulties with which the
officers of the army have to contend also
arise from the proximity of almost all OF
our army posts to large cities, making
IL nearly impossible to maintain discipline
on account OF the frequent visits OF the
soldiers to the cities, where they are
Immediately surrounded by all kinds OF
temptations,
Mercenary agents are ever on the alert
for men who receive, salaries at stated
times and the very fact that soldiers
have money to spend exposes them to the
COnspiracies on the part of men of vicious
character, who organize all kinds of de-
vices to beguile men into temptations.
Great effort has been made to destroy
the liquor traffic among soldiers but prob
ably there never will come a time when
it can be altogether debarred. If the
authorities would exercise as rigid disci-
plne over the officers of the army as
they do over the men, a great change
would be wrought in this respect.
While it is supposed habitual drunken
ness IS punished in the army, there are in
Vulnerable instances where it is we'll IN
derstoOd that officers are habitual drink
eFs and yet escape being tried on the
ground OF dissipation II they can claim
that they have performed their duty a:
officers
1t is unfortunate that a majority OF the
best citizens of the country are undel
fhe Impression that there is almost uni
VeTsal addiction 10 intempeTance in the
army, and, therefore, they try to exert