St. Landry democrat., 1888-05-26
DlMINUTiVE SOLDIERS.
The Military Establishments of the Central |
Ameri can RenuhIics

american Republics.
Travelling from Panama northwar,l
along the Pacific coast one is immcdi-
ately made TO feel that each of the
Central American Governments has an
army. The steamer hardly comes to
anchor when a barge rowed by uni
formed marines approaches. bringing
the 'commandante. He is a most
important individual, not usually more
than five feet high, with very dark,
curly hair. His little form seems to
have been melted into his tight-fittine
blue-and-red trimmed uniform. his
small feet are crowded into smaller
shoes with Louis Quinze heels, and he
fairly reels under the weight of enough
gold lace to tit out u French Field-Mar-
shall or Captain of marines in the
United States.
He is q very polite little man, and as
he walks the deck he bows to all the
ladies. Then he takes another drink
with the captain, pronounces the ship S
papers correct, and passes ashore. But
it is in the interior that you must see
the army to form any idea of it's eff
cheney.
The private is low-cast native; he
does not show much Castilian blood :;
he wears sandals instead of shoes; his
forage-cap is two sizes too large and
rests on his ears, and his business
seems to be to lie in the sun and to fire
salutes to the president. The officers
and commissioned officers hob-nob
with the men, and the effect on disci-
pline can be imagined. The army
pays little attention to cleanliness; the
expense of washing is, perhaps, the
cause of the absence of collars or white
linen. Once, when watching an army
in San Salvador pass in review before
its chief, could not help thinking of
the majors remark to poor ensign
Clutterbuck: Ensign Clutterbuck. ~
said he, Il am no friend to extrava-
gance, but on the day when we are to
pass in review before our sovereign, in
the name of God, l would at least
show one inch of clean linen.' But
wait till Sunday, when the city's militia
is marched through the streets in co.,
umns of four-platoon marching is
never attempted. and company 'front.'
is unheard of. The militia comprises
>vety ybody, from the one who has not
enough money to avoid it down to the
one who is too low on the social ladder
to carry gun. Here you have the
sickly-looking drug clerk, the editor of
the opposition paper, the fat butcher
and the stopped cobbler marching side
by side; and, queerly enough, many
seem to have toothaches, for nearly
half have their jaws tied up in cotton
handkerchiefs. This service is not in
tended as punishment but it is. With
guns at a right shoulder and at every
angle under the sun, they stagger over
the cobblestones, up hill and down,
after their little German band. From
the size of the privates, one would sug-
gest pop-guns as appropriate, but in
stead they are armed with heavy Rem
ingtons and with the bayonets always
fixed. When the Captains bring their
companies to rest they leave the guns
at a carry, and the privates are fools
enough to think it's all right.
Not many days ago. on tie arrival
of the President in the town, the artil-
lery brought out two small, Fourth-of-
July looking cannon to fire him a salute
of two guns. One gunner was in a
hurry to discharge his piece first, and
in his haste he blew off the right arm
Of No. l and sent the "sponge and
rammer STAFF through a German dry
goods store on the other side of the
plaza. This was explained as a mis-
take in tactics. There is no trouble in
Central America about the 81 hree-
Battalion organization or any other
anization-because the army don't |
know what organization is. The slow
ness of promotion, that truthful theme
Of the frontier post and of the Letters
to the Editor" is thing unknown
privates are always privates, and Cen
erals are always Generals, on 5000 a
at discount of 80 per cent.
when there is money in the treasury to
pay them.--M T. Times.