Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-08-05


more for political than military pur-
poses. The men are not expected to
do any fighting but to enjoy the ex-
perience of a campaign. 1t is to
CRAFTY the pride and demonstrate the
proves of lot of volunteers who are
eager for active service and do not
want to disband until they have left
their footprints in the soil of the enc
my's country. Their friends in con-
gress declare that it Will not do to
send them home without seeing some
active service, hence eighteen regi-
ments from as many states that have
had no representation in the army be-
fore Santiago are to he sent on an ex
cursion of |, 200 miles. ostensiblv 10
reinforce Gen. Miles. but in reality to
give them an excuse to assure poster
ity that they were real soldiers. Miles
already has 5000 men in Porto Rico,
4, 200 more should have arrived there
yesterday, and between 5000 and
5000 are on the way. which, with
Gen. Wade's command. will give him
an army of 10000 men to conquer an
island where the Spaniards have never
had larger garrison than 5000, and
where there has not been and is not
likely to be any resistance. Nor does
any one in the cabinet or any official
authority in Washington doubt that
Spain will accept the treaty of peace
before Gen. Wade's troops have en-
barked. But that will make no diff
ference. They are bound to go any
how. Ii is estimated that it will cost
not less than $l5, 200, 900 to send these
eighteen regiments to Porto Rico.
support them there six months and
bring them back again, which
makes it rather an expensive picnic,
but the president and the secretary of
war think it will pay from Il military
as well as political standpoint.
They have been besieged in a most
persistent manner by senator's, rep
resentatives, state officials, political
aud personal friends, and everyone
else who has pull begging them
not to send these soldiers home until
they have had a chance to smell pow
der and see a Spanish flag. New
York, Massachusetts,, Michigan, Ohio,
Illinois and the District of Columbia
Iwere the only states which We're rep
resented in the battle before Santiago
and these same states, with Indiana
Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, fur
nished the force that invaded Porte
Rico. Other states OF the north and
west are largely represented in the
Manila expedition. but New England
with the exception of Massachusetts
and the southern states have had very
little show. The president feels thai
the patriotism OF the volunteer:
should be recognized by giving then
an opportunity to do a little cam
paign work, and his military adviser.
regard an active service in the iielC
as not only important, but essentia
for the future welfare of the militia
They think that the expedition will
he worth all it will cost
If the additional troops are needle,
in Porto Rico, all glory to the boy
who 90, but it would be sad specta
Gle to see really ably conducted wa
topped of by a hippodrome in orde
that those who have not been needle,
8 and stand no chance of fight b
, lplaced in position to share in tn
, future the glory of those who riske'
and fought for it.
The real soldier. the one upon WHOM
the nation depends and to whom
: owes its safety, is the one who re
n spends and holds himself in READINGS
2 to 80 to any limit that may be require
: of him, and whether he is called t
t the field of battle or under fire or nc
: he is his country's defender. II
e need 20 no further than he is require
e to do his part. There is little salts
faction to the soldier impelled by tn
fright impulses in trodding vain-glo
II riously over fields already won for tn
: purpose of saying he has been there
that history may attribute to hin
| what others have done. The soldie
y who does his duty as it is eSpecte
;, of him. whether at home or abroad