Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1895-07-20

nad dropped her DAINTY embroidery IN
her lap and was listening attentively.
Something in the gravity of her de-
meanOr gave Kenyon encouragement.
Now you. Miss Marshall. are accus-
toned to social circles in the north. Tell
me frankly, now, did you ever hear men
prominent in civil life express any other
opinion of the profession of an army Off
Ger than that it was rather a useless.
dawdling and unworthy occupations"
Sin peace times. presume You mean.
major"
In peace times, certainly; though the
necessity for its existence then is rs great.
You recOllect what Washington said: In
time of peace prepare for war.
Il confess that men who lead narrow
lives in business or professions and never
get beyond the groove are apt to say
something of what you suggest, major.
But men who think and travel, especial
ly those who have visited our frontier,
come back with feelings of much adml-
ration for the army, officers and men"
Then I'll rest my case with the men
who think and travel, said Hearn laugh
ing brightly. Come, you old cynic.
don't make me believe | have no friends
outside my profession, when it some
times seems as though hardly had one
in it."
Nov. there you go, Hearn," inter
rupted Kenyon. That's just exactly
where you're wrong You would trust
to the few Travelled and educated men
but what are they among the mass of
voters, who know nothing of the army
but what they read in the papers? 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 "A
newspaper SOLDIER and God save me
from more of them. What could your
thinkers aud travellers do, even if they
would condescend to bestir themselves
in our behalf-which they don't-as
against the masses and the press: No
paper i'll the land is SO low but what it
can hurt and sting you"
"How? I should like to know"
How: Simply by printing any low
scandal at your expense; and no matter
what Your record or your character may
have been, no matter how damnable u
lie may be asserted Of you, the mass of
the people will read and believe, and
yodr natural protectors the generals
and the war department-will call upon
You to defend yourself against even
anonymous assault"
You do not mean that, major, do
your" asked Miss Marshall.
II do, emphatically. [ have seen Off
GERS time and again compelled to report
to division OF department headquarters
that they We're innocent of allegations
made by nameless scribblers i'll the daily
press. have seen the most abstemious
men in the army heralded as drunk on
duty by IA sheet that withheld the name
of its informant But all the same the
officers We're called to account. When
we We're sent to aid the marshals i'll
breaking up the whisky distilleries in
Brooklyn: when the first colored cadets
were sent to West Point; when Chicago
was burned and we had to shoot some
prowling robbers to rid the ruined city
of the gang that flocked there; when we
were hurried in again in II. and all the
great cities of the north were practically
at the mercy of the mob-at every one
of those times, and heaven only knows
how many times between, the press
made scandalous assertions by name
about one officer or another.
IN most cases there was no truth
whatever in what was said i'll every
case, however, the officer was compelled
by his superiOrs to establish his inno-
cence. By heaven! I'll never forget oul
experience in ~. We We're ordered to
lose not an instant in reaching Chicago.
The strikers had sidetracked the Ninth
on one road and blocked the cavalry on
another line, and when we stopped for
water the railway men attempted to
leave us there. Iput Lieut.. Marin with
small guard at the engine and kept the
strikers off, using no force, saying not a
word, making no reply to jeers and in
suit, but the leading paper came out
next day and denounced Marin and me
as being armed ruffians. declared we
were both reeling drunk, and gave most
outrageous details of things that never
happened OF course as army officers
were the targets of this abuse, the ar
ticle was copied in eastern papers Nairn
was a man who never drank drop. had
magnificent war record, was a general
officer of volunteers and a gentleman
honored throughout the whole service,
"All the same he and | We're com
PEELED to submit written denials to de-
partment headquarters, and all the sat
isfaction we ever got was that the editor
said his reporter had perhaps been I'M
duly influenced by the prejudiced state
ments of the strikers. Why hadn't this
occurred to him in the first place? Why