The age-herald., 1898-09-22
SOLDIER BOYS
 AND OTHER BOYS
BY NED BRACE

These soldier boys of the First Alabama regiment seem determined to fight They didn't get any fight in the war, but they seem to be fighting on paper at a very large and prosperous rate just at present. They remind me of a lot of school boys organizing a company with broom-sticks with which to drill. In these school boy companies the priyates usually get along all right, and perform their duty. The of- ficers are the men who are always mak- ing faces at one another.
 Some of the officers of the First Alabama appear to be veritable school boys. I hear it said that a half dozen or more of the officers won't speak to Colonel Hgdon, and that Colonel Higdon won't speak to them except on official business. l hear that Chaplain F'itzsimons and Colonel Higdon had a row growing out of something in connection with a furlough or something else, and that this matter grew until all the officers and all the men were arrayed on one side or the other
 It amuses me to hear the opinions ex- pressed on the street by officers and men, and the most absurd thing of all is to sec these men airing their grievances against one another in newspaper columns. The public is getting very tired of brave so- diers who enlisted to fight, as long as there was any fighting to be done, coming back home and squabbling with each other be- fore the public and through the press. The usual military method of settling dificul- ties is by a court martial. That will set- tie the matter of any incompetency and it will decide whether an officer performs his duty properly or not.
 If there be personal difficulty outside of the military rules military men should set tie that between themselves in their own peculiar way, but they should not exhibit themselves before the public These men are not schol boys, but are supposed to be the genuine article. They probably know their business, but most of us, who know very little about military rules and military etiquette, are impressed with the idea that they are dealing in very little things.
 Every time you meet private or an of- ficer on the street he has something to say either about Chaplain FitzsimmonS or Colonel Higdon If there is anything serious in the matter it should be ventilatl ed through the proper channels, or else all this talk should be stopped. Military mzn, whether they be volunteers or regulars should be strictly military men.
 
 The Commercial club is making an effort to get a large military camp at or near Birmingham. committee will go to An niston to see the secretary of war and bring him here to inspect the location. Twenty or thirty thousand troops camped near Br- mingham would undoubtedly bring lots of money here. It would be distributed among the bars, and places of amusement largely, but it would get into circulation and would remain here. Yet Birmingham may get tired of this before they have abeen here Otbar cities which have had troops have grown very weary of them. However, I am very much of the opinion that Birmingham ought to try everything that is to be tried and get slice of every thing which is going. So let us get them here and see how we will like them.
 am sorry to learn that MT. C. A. Mount joy has determined to leave Birmingham and cast his fortune in the legal profession in New York MT. Mountjoy is the kind OF man Birmingham wants to keep. He has been practicing law here for fifteen years and in that time he has accumulated quite a neat little fortune. He is public-spir- ited and enterprising, and while 1 always shall wish him well, I hope he will get tired of New York very soon and come back 10 Birmingham.
 Is if not about time that the board of al- dermen were getting in action on that gas ordinance it passed some seven or eight months ago.? What is the matter with the new gas company which MT. Haas and Mir. London were going to start? The board of aldermen told the people they were to have cheaper gas and the board of aldermen by an ordinance instructed the gas company that it must sell it's gas at a fixed price much cheaper than 1t is now being sold. There seems to be some doubt about the power of the board of aldermen to enforce this ordinance. This matter eba ba dapidp1 that the people may Know what they are to pay for gas.