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


patronizingly asked me over their card
tables at the clubs what on earth l could
find to do with myself in the army, and
why didn't quit it and come in here
and try to DO something. You know
perfectly well, Lane, that when you
were recruiting in Cincinnati you had
just such questions put to you, and you
had been through one campaign after
another for years.
1.-THE general manager of the Midland
Pacific, every mile Of whose road through
the Sioux country l ard my men had
helped to build by standing off the In
dams day after day, and having many
sharp fight doing it-this general man
ager, | say, met me at the Union League
and asked me how | had managed to
kill time on the frontier and remarked
that it must be very delnoraGzirg life.
lie was out next day in n circular cutting
down the wages Of some twenty thousand
employees 10 per cent, but thought the
rank and file of the army were treated
rather like dogs by their supcriors. A
man. he said, must be at the lowest ebb
of self respect to enlist in the army; as
! though every one of his army of twenty
| thousand hard working, hard shaving men
was not infinitely more at the mercy Of
a single official than could ever happen
i'll the army of tho United States. My
own people, by Jove! Were 50 impressed
by what they had been reading for years
III the papers of army life and army
officers that they were perpetually urg
ing me to quit the service and come IN
and begin life over again at forty-ive-
! clerkng or something.
"Why, only ton Years before their
! homes had been rescued from the mob,
after police and militia had been whipped
/ to the winds, only by the prompt rush
/ of tho regulars from the frontier Oh,
/ they lionized the shoulder strapped
autocracy' then, and for just about one
week it wasn't fashionable for decent
paper to lampoon them, but the moment
the danger was over their gratitude fed
with their anxiety | tell you, the pa
pers that are sold for two and three
cents in our big cities have to pander to
/ the prejudices of the masses to keep
alive, and there is no surer way of tick
/ ling the paiates Of the populace than by
lidiculing or abusing the army officers,
and in lending themselves to this the
editors Of Course influence the Judgment
OF people Of much better class--the
great middle class, so to speak, of the
whole nation
1T isn't at all so where come from"
iuterposed Hearn, promptly. "At home
al my ltinsfolk are proud of my being
in The army"
"Ah you're a southerner, Mr.. Hearn,
and your people are all Americans. All
through the north, however, we have IN
immense FOREIGN population that has
fed from the Old World to escape mill
tary duty. They hate the very sight Of
soldier. Tnrcc-fourths of the people
Of some of our big cities are Of foreign
birth or parenlago. The papers seek
their patronage, and III trucking to
them they prejudice northern Ameri-
Cues against their own friends and roia-
tivcs who have been idiots enough to
become their defenders. 1t was bad
enough before the war, God knows, but
It's worse now. People wonder how it
was that it took the north, with 5000,
900 soldiers, SO long to suDlue the south
with less than u fourth that number.
Now | see nothing TO wonder at what
ever. The south has always respected
the profession of arms; the north has al
ways dcrided il. Lee, with TO, 600
Americans ut his back, and only $4,000,
knocked 200 out Of Grants over
wholming force between the Rapidan
and the James.
Lees 10000 had the love of every
southern heart to sustain them. How
many Of tho north, think you, had DO
persopal interest in that struggle: How
many thousands of the north today
care nothing whatever for tnlt flag -
aud the major pointed to the standard
floating over the rison-"and only
ask 10 be let alone to make money thCir
own way? God knows, I'm as loyal q
Union man as ever lived, but | don't
like to think of the new generation that
has sprung IN in this country; ali sol
diers in tho south; ALLEVIATE in the
north"
And old Kenyon, flushed, almost
breGthless, paused and mOpped his brow
with silk handkerchief as red as hi
face.
There was silence Il moment Capt
Lanes kindly features wore an expression
half grave. half quizzical. Hearn had
edged around nearer where Miss Mar
shall was sitting, and that young lady
had dropped her dainty embroidery il
her lap and was listening attentively
Something in the gravity of her de
meanor Gayo Kenyon encouragement.
Now you, Miss Marshall, are accus
toned to social circles in the north Tel
Inc frankly. now, did you ever hear meI
prominent in civil life express any othe
opinion Of tho profession Of an army Off
Ger than that it was rather a useless
dawdlng and unworthy occupation
SIN peace times, presume You mean
major"
In peace times, certainly; though tn
necessity for it's existence then is as great
You recollect what Washington said; III
time of peace prepare for war
II confess that men who lead marrow
| lives in business or professions and neve