Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1891-02-06

wow, tHtTc you 70, I1esTn, 1uUet-
rupted Kenyon. '@lThat's just exactly
where you're wrong. You would trust
to the few travelled and educated men;
but what are they among tho mass OF
voters, who know nothing OF the army
but what they read in the pepers2 Do
you ever see anything good OF an army
officer in any paper until he's dead?
Never, unless it's something put in by
newspaper soldier and God save me
from more of thea, What could your
thinkers and travellers do, even if they
would condeecend to besttr themselves
in our behalf-which they don't-as
against the masses and the press? No
paper in the land is so low but what it
can hurt and sting you"
How? l should like to know"
"How? Simply by printing any low
scandal ut your expense; and 10 matter
what your record or your character may
have been, 10 matter bow darnaable a
/ lie mey be asserted Of you, the mass of
| the people will read and believe, and
| your natural protectors tho generals
and tho war department-will call upon
you to defend yourself against even
| anonymous assault"
lyon do not mean that, major, DO
your asked Miss Marshall
81 do, emphatically. have seen off
GERS time and again compelled TO report
to division or department Headquarters
I that they were innocent OF ALLEGATIONS
made by nameless scribblers in the daily
press. | have seen the most abste1nious
men in the army heralded as drunk on
! duty by a sheet that withheld the name
Of It's informant. But all the same tie
officers We're called to account When
we were sent TO aid the marshals in
breaking up the whisky distillerios in
Brookiyn when the first colored cadets
were sent to West Point; when Chicago
was burned and we had to shoot some
proving robbers to rid the ruined city
of the gang that focked there; when we
were hurried in again in II, and all the
great cities of the north were practically
ut the mercy of the mob-at every ono
of those times, and heaven only knows
how many times between, the press
made scaudalous assertions by name
about one officer or another.
In most cases there was no truth
whatever in what was said; in every
case, however, the officer was compelled
by his suplriors to establish his inno-
cance. by heavenl I'll never forget orr
experience in II. We were ordered to
lose not an instant in reaching Cnicaro.
The strikers had sidetraciied tho Ninth
on one road and blocked the cavalry on
another line, and when we stopped for
water the railway men attempted to
leave us thora. l put Lieut.. Nairn with
"a small guard at the engine and kept the
strikers OF. using 10 force, saying not a
word, making 10 reply to jeers and in
suit, but the leading paper came out
next day and denounced Marin and me
as being armed rutfian5, declared We
We're both reolinG drunk, and gave most
outrageous details Of things that never
happened. OF course as army officers
We're the targets OF this abuse, the ar
ticle was copied in eastern papers. Marin
was man who never drank drop. had
a magnificent war record, was general
officer Of volunteers and gentleman
honored throughout the whole service,
"All the same he and | were com
pelled to submit written donials to de-
partment headquarters, and all the sat
!EIatLiOil W tFNl Ap- W tsS GiIAit lAl' c'ilti'I
said his reporter had perhaps been nm
duly influenced by the prejudicad state
nents Of the strikers. Why hadn't this
occurred to him in the first place: WHY
didn't he know that these men, furious
at being tAwarted, would say anything
to revenge themselves after we had gone
ON our way? He did; but because just
such sen ati0nal articles would make
his paper sell among tho masses, and be
cause he knew that where the army Of
ticer had one friend he had Il score Of
enemies, that was enOU Sh for hun. Now,
that and host Of similar experiences Is
why / say thnt no sou Of mine shall ever
take up 50 thanklcss q profession. OF
course If The country were in danger, the
flag assaiod, he would fight as | would.
As for me, I'm too old n dog 10 learn new
tricks, and having lived my life in the
service l must die in it," And AGAIN the
MAJOR paused for breath. "Hou think
I'm an extremist, don't you, Lane he
finally asked.
Perhaps 50, major, although | admit
that the press has been most unjust; but
think we have more friends among the
people than you give us credit for.
Not one bit Of it! You think the
press knows better now and wouldn't do
it all over again. That's what Hcarn
hare would say. Now, You mark my
words, gentlemen, so few are our friends
in this country, that is, in the north at
least-either in tho press or the public,
that any story at the expense of an army
| officer would be eagerly published by al
most any paper in the land, and used rs
text by hundreds of editors all over
the nation to warrant q vicious stab at
our whole army, and the people far and
wide would eagerly read, and even those
who declared they didn't believe it
would be Influenced"
IL can't think our people are such
fools as to believe yarns that are evident
! " manufactured to malign," said Hearn
sloutly. "Evvrybody ought to know
? that it is from doscrtcrs, or dishonorably
r discharged men, or low camp followers,
Il . =