Evening star., 1898-06-18
Criticism Not In Order.

| Criticism Not IN order.
This seems pretty sensible view. There
| fore. criticism is In order on that habit
Of good many OF the soldiers of appear
| ing with more or less tlghtly-wrapped
| bundle on the other arm The soldiers.
| most of them, surely look if they had
| their hands full. thus trapseing along with
the blouse loosely slung. over one arm and
| the bundle closely clutched in the other.
Washington has occasion to congratulate
itself upon the orderliness of the soldiers,
| in view of the tales working their way up
from the big camps down south about the
| rioting of the soldiers there stationed.
There have been only few minor scraps
or two, and they eteTHsI friendship on the
part of the combatants-ahd the men have
let their rifle racks alone. When encamped
soldiers get themselves in mix in the
adjoining town. and then make for their
camps to get at the rifle racks trouble and
| a whole lot of 1t, for all hands, is bound to
| follow. There hasn't been even a sugges-
| tion of that sort of thing in this neighbor-
hood. This may be due to the fact that
there are few regulars stationed here
abouts. The regulars and the mlitiamen
do not pull together when there is no fight
| ing directed against the enemy in progress.
When the regulars and the volunteers came
| together down at Fortress Monroe on Tues
| day last, and whaled each other to a stand
| still, it was but repetition of many such
wrangles that have occurred in the past.
When the regulars and the militiamen were
serving together in California during the
big railroad strike in the summer of '94, for
example, they slammed each other into the
camp hospitals by battalions.
Another point that has served to preserve
orderlness among the soldiers rendez-
vouSed across the river Is that very large
majority of the men encamped at Camp
Alger are workingmen who send three
quarters of their soldering wages home on
| pay day. quarter of a soldiers wages
| does not go very far in riotous living.
A Fellow Feeling.
The police Of Washington have gone very
| lightly on the soldiers thus far. A consid-
cradle number of the policemen of Wash
ington are men who have done their bit in
| the regular army of the United States be-
| fore becoming law preservers. and these
men know the mischievous spirit that is
| bound to animate soldiers on leave of abb
sence from camp or garrison. When SOL
dier bit under the weather heaves in
sight, the Washington policeman looks the
other way, unless the soldier is disorderly
! or noisy. A big, brawny. red-faced soldier,
with white leggins-clasped trousers and no
blouse, either on his back or on his arm
the blouse had probably been lost in the
shuttle somewhere-lurched up to police
| man in front of The Star Office the other
afternoon.
Say" said the soldier to the policeman,
| II want to be 'pinched.'t"
For why?" inquired the officer.
"Oh. dunno-I atust want to be pinched,
that's all,' said the volunteer.
"G'wan," said the officer.
who, me?" said the soldier, bridling.
But he was a gopd-nafured chap, and he
| grinned. ''rr smack you right on the
| wrist. SO I willH said he, to the cop
"G'wan, there, BILL" said the policeman.
Better takesa nap Here comes an officer,
anyhow. Maybe he's from your outfit"
The soldier looked up the avenue, and,
sure enough, big captain. with his cam
paign hat turned Up at the side. was strid-
ing in his direction. ~
soldier, and his gait was good deal more
steady than 1t had been when he drilled
around the corner Of 11th street.
Fun for the Crowd.
Another soldier,5ewhora an officer was
| compelled to arrest orn7 7th street few
| mornings ago, not because the soldier was
| disorderly. but because he wasn't quite Up
to the Job Of handling himself, guyed the
officer heap as he was led along.
"Oh, you mean thing!' said he to the Of
hcer, with a funny imitation of the fem
inine manner. II think you are SO ruGe,
deed l dor Then the arrested soldier,
after amusing the crowd with this sort Of
thing for while, charged his manner.
| Say, ossifer." said he, solemply, whats
this going to cost me, about?'
"Five-spot, guess" said the policeman.
The soldier thought for a moment, and
then he halted
Say, said he, suavely, to the police
M,ke?'
The cop only grinned. and the two went
on toward the station. The soldier enter
I tanned himself fer the rest Of the way by