Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1885-09-17
ARMY RECRUITS.
why They Are Not wantsd-The Kind o.
People Who Seek to Enlist.


Wbv They Are Not wantsd-The Kind o.
People Who Seek to Enlist.
Say. mister, do you want any re.
cruits?"
mo; we're not taking any one now
except old soldiers"
iii work cheap, mister. Board and
clothes is good enough for me; I'm
hungry"
Cant help it, my boy. We have
our orders"
Thus, kindly but firmly. spoke one Of
the officers at the recruiting station Of
the United States Army the other day
to an applicant for the honor of wear
ing Uncle Sans livery and eating the
bread of idleness in a Government bar
racks. Every one who has walked
along Clark street between Lake and
South Water any time within these ten
years back. has seen the flags pendent
from second-story windows on either
side Of the street. Blue-coated privates
group now and again at the bottom OF
the stairways, and a glance through
the windows overhead reveals the pres
ence of other blue-coats, whose sleeves
bear mark of higher rank. And
nearly every one knows that these two
places are connected in some way with
the standing ads in the city papers
which call for able-bodied men to enlist
in the service of their country. They
are recruiting stations, such as
are found in New York, Boston, Gin
cinnati, st. Louis, Denver. San Fran
discovery large city, East or West.
The Office on the east side of the street
is for the infantry service; that on the
west side for cavalry. The former is
under command of Captain Quentin OF
the Seventh United States Infantry
the latter of Captain Kerr of the Sixth
Cavalry.
The above interview was held be.
tween a subordinate officer in the in
fantry station and a rough brown rustic
lad of one or two and twenty. The lat
ter bore marks of long journey and
unprosperous. His huge brown hand.
were knotted and furrowed and twisted
by rough handling of the soil. He wa:
a workcr-there could be no doubt o.
it-and when his lips moved to utter
these doleful words: Il am hungry,
the deep burrows prematurely traced in
his brow twitched in fierce assent, and
the dull eyes shone for moment with
an almost savage glare. which said, as
plainly as the spoken words. Il am
hungry and desperate and n1tSt get
work"
When at length the rejected candidate
had left the room, 4 third person. who
had been present during the scene,
turned to the officer and asked:
Tell me, why you didn't take him?
Aren't you here to receive recruits?"
Il simply told the boy the truth.
Here. look at this" and he produced 4
telegram which he handed out for in
spection. 1t was an order from army
headquarters at Washington to receive
no more recruits except those who had
lately been discharged from the service
and were .'old soldiers"
What is the reason of this?' was
the next question. rs the army grown
too large?'
by no means. The significance OF
that telegram is simply that the bar
racks at Columbus, o., are overcrowded,
and no men must be sent there for the
present"
"You send your new troops to CO.
lumbus?'
"Yes; all the infantry recruits from
this station 90 there, and all the cavalry
to Jefferson Barracks, few miles above
the river from st. Louis. The men re-
main there certain time, until they are
sufficiently up in routine work to take Il
place at some station and enter upon
regular duty. 1t seems we have been
sending them too fast"
"What has been your weekly quota?"
''About ten-Sometimes a good deal
more. but that is about the average
This new order will cut it down to about
two or perhaps one week.
Is the number of applicants greater
in summer or wintcr?"
"Strange rs it may seem. in summer.
You would expect that cold weather
would drive them in hordes to place
where they at least get enough to eat
and keep them warm. But our ex-
perience has been otherwise Perhaps
the army department has this phenom-
enon in mind when it advertises for re-
cruits in the summer but not in the
winter. However that may be, the
truth remains"
"What percentage of applicants are
accepted ~
Considerably less than half, though
that varies in different stations. Some
recruiting officers are great sticklers
for the rules and require faultless
physique in every particular. Others.
again. will stand out for decent edu-
cation and familiarity with the English
language they will take no foreigners"
.'What are the requirements"
Briefly. sound mind in sound
body; good moral character (no buns
need apply) height of at least five feet
four inches. and a weight of at least 1875.
Cavalrymen NAV be lighter, but they
must not exceed 165. Then the appli-
cant must be over twenty-one and under
thirty-five years old"
What is the price put or oil these
perfections?"
Thirteen dollars month for two
years; Sl4 for the third year; S15 for the
fourth, and SIG thereafter. The enlist
ment, You know. is for five years"