The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1898-09-15

dlorS with 6COmaCnS, CONSTITUTIONS anu
nerves that nothing short of rifle ball
or shell will disturb and an expression
on his face while drinking his tin cup
of black coffee, prepared over his little
fire and by himself, that if he had in
his infantile days drawn such nectar
| from his mother he would not have
been weaned yet.
| But is there the amount Of suffering
| (cur) journals are trying to make out?
When you meet one of the boys who
has come home they do not say so;
Col. Watrous, who is with the boys,
does not say so, and lie ought to be
able to give us pretty good idea, with
his experience with the cold Iron
Brigade from it's inception to disso-
luton. He says: You naturally
think, if you believe the yellow journals
that the army is helpless as a baby;
that it could not march, much less
fight and win battles. 1t is not true;
there has been no such state of affairs
as has been pictured.
The amount of it is, that the expert
ence of 1913 is but a repetition of 81 '65;
| they have the men with them that are
never we'll treated, they being the
Judges. Those who never get enough
to eat, that have it in for some one,
generally some of their officer
| ly kickers, just plain kickers, and who
are curse to any army. Never do
their duty if they can avoid it; in the
company or battle they like sensation
and nothing does them more good than
to pour such trash into the ears of
correspondents and some of the papers
like to get hold of just such fellows,
and report their slush better than the
truth.
1t is equally true that this country
was hurried into this war by public
opinion and that now that they are
relieved from the exciting events in
Manila, Cuba and Porto Rico, and they
are commencing to meet the wan faces,
the empty sleeve, the unhealed wound,
they are brought to realize the truth OF
Sherman's saying War is hell"
AS to those who are calling upon
Gen. Alger, to convene a court of in
quiry to investigate" abuses, they
are either ignorant or are relying upon
the ignorance of the public of the
second paragraph of the Articles of
War, which reads: "But as Courts of
Inquiry may be perverted to dishonor-
able purposes and may be considered
as engines of destruction to military
merit, in the hands of weak and envious
commandments, Shey are hereby pro-
hibited, unless directed by the Presi-
dent OF the United States, or demanded
by the accused" Under this Gen.
Alger could not convene a court Of IN
quiry if he so desired.
Don't think that the boys Of 81"
are envious of those of 1913, for they are
not. feel that but voice the senti
ments of the old soldier when say sO
don't we know that many Of the boys
Of today are the sons of the best men
| the world ever saw, who came down
out of that war and had the choice of
| the best women on earth for the moth
ers of the boys of today; are we not
glad that their campaigns have been
shorter; that the experience of their
and our mothers have enabled them
to send to the front of today,
through the Red Cross, Woman's Re-
lief Corps, Ladies Aid Societies, trained
nurses to care for them-for all this we
are gIad-glad as we'll that they may
come home in good coaches and palace
cars in place Of the freight and cattle
cars of years ago. Don't we know
that when their country's honor and
integrity was assailed-When the lives
of its men of the navy were destroyed
by dastardly deed-when the cause
OF humanity called they did all that we
did, all that human beings could do
answered Here" and just as prompt
ly as we did. And we want to say
that none will give them more kindly
greeting, a more heartfelt God bless
you, boys, than the old soldier. We
know and appreciate what a campaign
means. We shall be just as glad to
hear them tell of Siboney, Santiago, or
the charge up San Juan hill, as they
were in their younger days to hear us
tell of Kenesaw, Lookout Mountain,
Mary's Heights, or the Bloody Angle.
But we ask the friends of the soldiers
not to place too much confidence in the
stories of suffering and starvation in
camps and hospitals, whether it is
written by the correspondent or his as
sociates, who ought to have been shot
for the violation of courtesy and con-
fidence, instead of expelled from the
lines, or the superannuated politician,
or the envious officer, largely the pro-
duction of the politicians, and for polit.
ical purposes or personal advancement.
Don't believe it for minute. If new
danger threatened you would see these
regiments, with ranks nearly full,
brave, ready for a march or battle.