Year: 1878

PETITIONS FROM THE LINE OFFICERS AND En-


LISTED MEN--A SPECIMEN OF CAMP LIFE ON


THE FRONTIER.


CAMP RurIEN d. t.


NEAR BEAR BUTTE, Dec. III, 1875
To THE EDITOR THE HERALD


The honorable committee appointed by Congress to
work out plan for the reorganization of the army
will shortly have presented beforeh it, and through to
Congress- two petitons-one from the officers of the
line and one from the enlisted men. Blanks have
been forwarded to every post, barrack and camp on
the frontier for signature.


THE LINE OFFICERS PETITION.


The officers petition is lengthy one and no doubt
it will attract much attention. Complaint therein is
made against the staff. They ask that it be changed
every two years that officers serving with their
regiments may have an opportunity to learn the
duties pertaining thereto they ask that officer be
permitted to the staff until he has been with
his regiment at least four years. Complaint is made
that the army is too small to perform the duties
allotted to it, and they ask that il be increased to
100000 men, They willing to bow to decrease
of pay il necessary to lessen the taxes of already
overburdened people. As an increase of the army
would naturally demand an increase of officers they
willing that ex-Confederates should be appointed
The plan for promotion of meritorious non-com
missioned officers and privates is approved or





just as they should be, noting that when the order
was issued compelling the department headquarters
to remove to government buildings they (thc staff)
found what was fit for officers of the line to live in
was not fit for their dainty constitutions, and that
the government has been to great expense to lit up
these buildings and get them i'll condition for the
occupancy OF the staff.


They suggest that officers recruit for their own
regiments; that when the ranks of regiment have
become depleted the skeleton-offcers and men
should be sent back to some convenient station
civilization and from there send out recruiting par
ties into the district allotted to that particular regi
ment; when enough men have been obtained to ill
the ranks they could then be ordered to take the
place of another regiment whose ranks had become
thnned


There are many good points advanced for the
ing the different places Of fashionable resort in
order to find solution of this never ending army
problem, particularly in regard to deserton and
labor. They too. ask an increase of the army, and
also that aborors teansters. mechanics, &c. be en-
listed employed to perform the work necessary in
building posts and keeping in repair the costly csab-
lishnent. As it is they are compelled to make long
marches through heat and cold, tight hostile
Indians. build posts. labor at all kinds Of
night. police quarters. cook. and, ia fact.
are merely cheap government laborcrs Many times,
escape from what they consider slavlsh work they
become deserers. and for this their company officers
are blamed by those high in authority. The officers
compelled To employ the soldiers at laborng
work and should not be blamed for the many deser
tions that occur. The men state that they are willing
to perform any service properly belonging to the line
of duty, matter how hard 1t may be- that they
pect to endure suffering, to fight to drill and to per-
form guard duty. to march. Sc: but they did not
dream when they were enlisted that they would be
compelled to handle shovel and pick for five years.


They ask that their pay be kept at its present stand
ard and that the money squeezed from their little pay
to keep up residence for tue President he
applied for their benefits that the fines and forfeitures
for misconduct be kept to furnish libraries for the
men instead of being added to the enormous amount
already accumulated for the Soldiers Home, to
which but very few go. They claim that they
are tile friends of the laborng and will never be
used to crush him. but in Of mob violence
other disturbances they are ut all times ready to put
them down and to assist the local governments until
reason shall have assumed its sway.


THE SOLDIERS POSITION.


They consider that they the hardest worked
and most abused class in the country-hard worked
because the government is either too poor too
stingy TO employ civilians TO perform labor that no
soldiers In the world are driven to but in this Repub
lie: abused by those in civil life. scorned aud even
laughed ut because they soldiers The people do
not yet know this small band Of men the frontier