The Topeka state journal., 1899-09-12
NO ENLISTMENT.
Citizens of MeadviIIe, Pa, Balk-
ed Recruiting Officers.
Persuaded the Men That the
Cause Was Unholy.
A STRONG PROTEST.
Men Who Passed Examination
Did Not Take Oath.
In the City Where Mr. McKin-
ley Was Educated.

Pittsburg, Pa, Sept. 12.-Lieutenant
T. o. Murphy, U. S. A, of Pittsburg,
who went to Meadville several days
ago to swear into the service recruits
for the Philippines, found that the men
had been induced to stay at home. The
officer will make a special report OF
the matter to the war department
The branch recruiting station at
Meadville was opened a week ago and
placed in charge of Thomas Baldwin,
a private, who, after inducing a dozen
to enlist, asked Lieutenant Murphy to
swear them in.
Baldwin told Murphy that the people
of the town were trying to get the men
away and when the lieutenant arrived
he found that they had succeeded.
Baldwin, when asked about his exper-
ience, said:
Hardly had I opened the station
when 1 found that 1 would have op-
position and that many of the best
people of the town resented my pres
ence there.
''The first few days I received num-
Der of applicants. After a number of
the men passed the examination, L
wrote to Lieutenant Murphy to come
to the town and swear them in. al
ready had five men who passed cred
itably and were to appear to be sworn
in. Lieutenant Murphy arrived in due
time, but the recruits failed to show
I'VE found one of the number at his
home and asked him for an explana-
tion. He said that he had thought the
matter over and had decided that he
would not enlist, as he did not care to
sacrifice his life for such a peculiar
cause. He said that the situation was
misrepresented to him. or he woulo
not have even applied at the station
for admittance.
Then we found two others. The
former wOuld-be soldiers recited at
length the awful horrors of fighting in
the Philippines. All said that our gov
ernment had no business in the Philip
pines, and the sooner we withdrew
from the islands the better it would
be for the government.
when put the question point blank
to one of the men, why it was that he
was so enthusiastic over the army only
few days before and had changed
his mind so suddenly, he said: Well,
the fact is the people of our town have
told me that it means to go to the
Philippines never to return again, and
I guess I am not much stuck on throw
ing my life away for a little while yet.
Not for this kind of business any way
This explains why we were unable to
do anything under such circumstances.
1T was the chief topic of discussion
among the townSpeOple during the time
the station was opened. AS fast as we
would accomplish anything some one
would upset it and we were compelled
to give up. Some of the people, when
they were apprised that We were about
to enlist five men, held an informal in
dignation meeting, and they even went
so far as to appoint committees to see
the men who had signified their in
tentions of joining the army, with the
purpose of diScOuraging them.
Little knots of people were to be
seen in the streets all day long dis
cussing what should be done to thwart
our plans"
One interesting feature of the matter
is that President Mckinley got all the
college training he received in Mead
Vile, where he attended Allegheny col
lege until just before the outbreak of
the civil war. He has always spoken
in the warmest terms of both the col
lege and the tOwnspeople. This is also
the home of Representative Joseph Sib
ley, who is known to be opposed to the
war in the Philippines.