Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-07-03
The Philadelphia Enoampment.

The Philadelphia Encampment.
/ The National Military Encapment at
/ Philadelphia does not appear 10 meet with
/ much favor from the people Of that city.
/ The companies which have reached the
camp at Paramount Park, and which
I have announced their intention 10 take
part in the drill, are almost all from the
South and the West.
1t has been commented on as rather e
markable that no Pennsylvania military
organization is at the encampment. 1t
seems that two or three Philadelphia
companies asked permission of the Gov
ernoc Of Pennsylvania to take part in the
drill, aud it was refused. We have seen
no statement Of the reason for the refusal.
The New York Sun undertakes to eX-
plain why the Sou tbern and Western
soldiers are so coldly received at Phila-
delphia. 1t says: "But why is this gath
ering held in Philadelphia? Why should
the militia Of Wisconsin,, Alabama, and
Texas come to the banks of the Schuyl-
Kill, at no little cost of time and money,
when their meeting might be held nearer
home? 1t is plain that the Philadelphia
encampment is an experiment at intro
ducing in the North and East a species Of
military exercise and entertainment very
popular in the South and West; that it is
regarded by the military authorities Of
Pennsylvania, New York and New Eng
land as only an experiment; and that they
are not disposed to put aside their own
methods of drill and discipline in its favor
IL
shall appear. This decision is wise and
sound. Taking, for example, New York
and Brooklyn, many of their regiments
have already been, or by turns viii be, in
camp at Peekskill tins year. The others,
whose tour Of duty at the State enoamp-
ment will come next summer, would
doubtless prefer reserving their energy for
that occasion; and meanwhile they have
their regular duties 20 perform in drills,
target practice, qualifying as marksmen
and SO On. Pennsylvania has her annual
camp, which calls for about as much at
tention in summer as her citizen soldiers
can spare for military training; and 50
it is with Massachusetts, New Jer-
sey and other States. The Philadel-
phia camp is really only continuation
Of the series Of competitions already
held this season at Mobile and New
Orleans. Among the most prominent of
the contestants in the drills are COM
panies which have already competed this
year in the Southern cities; and the true
answer to the query why Philadelphia is
chosen for the scene of the present con-
test, when its own militia take so little
interest in it, is simply that the money
could there be raised for the prizes, and
that as the hot weather advances a more
northern latitude is advisable for the later
| series Of these exhibitions"
If these reasons for the absence of in
terest at Philadelphia in the encampment
there are the correct ones there is no
reasonable ground for complaint on the
part Of anybody. The visiting troops are
not in any sense the guests of the Penn
sylyania militia, and are not present at
! the Paramount Park encampment on the
invitation or at the suggestion Of that
/ State.
1t would be pleasanter, doubtless, for
| those taking part in the encampment if
Pennsylvania were represented there, and
! they would appreciate probably courte-
sizes from the Philadelphia militia. There
are some fine armories in Philadelphia
which the visiting troops would, perhaps,
like to inspect, but if their presence in
the beautiful park of the Quaker City is
practically ignored they Will not feel that
they have been purpOsely neglected.
The newspapers of Philadelphia have
not spoken of the encampment very en-
couragingly. The explanation of that
may be found In the fact that competitive
drills, such as attract so much attention
at the South, are comparatively unknown
in New England and the Middle States.
If the Philadelphia encampment,h however,
proves to be success, it may serve to
introduce encampments of that character
at the North.