Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-09-07
Who Shall be Captnins

Mr.. Editor: Will you allow an old foot SOL
der to say one word in your paper, concerning
the fittest person 10 command the company for
the year 1922
Some of the corporals are making quite
fuss over the matter, as if they had the whole
thing to settle. Some of them talk and write
as if certain parties had behaved so well and
done so much for the company, that they are
entitled TO the command. / have done duty in
the company for forty years and more, and
there never was a man yet that did his duty so
much better than the rest as to entite him to an
Office. The only question before us is-who
will serve the company best as a commander
Without any disrespect to those who speak
by the press or otherwise for our old captain, |
had rather see the statement under his own hand
than take their statements for it, that he does
not wish to command the boys another year,
provided men and under officers all wanted him
to do so.
Captain Clahin is very modest man, and
like him all the better for it. never saw a man
that thought worthy of commanding this old
Massachusetts company, that had not a speck
of modesty about him somewhere. If it is the
captains heart-wish to retire, why, then saw
God bless him! we welcome him back to the
ranks. That's one thing If he permits these
things to be said of him because some of the
orderles, or corporals, or lieutenants, think he
ought to resign so as to make a vacancy, why,
that's quite another matter.
It's high time that the old democratic pro-
savery-pro-rebel doctrine of rotation in office
was wholly exploded. If man serves the COM
pany well and faithfully and ably, keep him. If
he does not try another
Some of the teetotal boys have been talking
the sheerest nonsense about this matter They
complain that Capt c. has not cleared ont the
cursed whiskey suffers that are everlastinclv
providing about the camp. Well, granted that
he has not. What then? Does he ever patron
ze the miserable wretches himself either the
big or little scamps2 Well, it's fotty-one years
since signed the pledge and we have been try.
ing all these years to be rid of these bad men
Every captain we have had since that day has
tried in one way or another either to abate the
nuisance or mitigate it. A good deal has been
accomplished. But the love of money and the
love of drink, combined, still battle our efforts
to clean the thing out.
| We have sometimes had captains who showed
considerable earnestness in driving away the
poor suffers by daylight, and then would 90 in
the evening and have gay time at some
wealthy suffers quarters with brother officers. ]
don'twant any more such captains. wish to
vote for a captain that does not drink liquor
himself first, neither when he is in camp nor
when at home, or wherever he may be, and
then leave him TO his conscience, with his oath
and his God before him, to do what he can with
the whiskey hell-hounds who forever hang on
our tanks.
AS a rty-one-years-teetotaller and CARR
sonian abolitionist, who departed so far from
his glorious old tle-leader as to vote for Ere
mont, and Lincoln twice, and Grant once, (and
who expects, if life is spared, to vote for u S.
G once more,) believe the best thing the boys
can do is to elect Captain Clafin to command
the company in II. OLD Boy.