The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1899-06-09
THE AMERICAN REGULAR.
High Character of the Men Enlisted
I'm the Service of This
Country.

dignation the hippant, ungenerous
sneer at the man who fights for pay.
1t is undoubtedly true that the ranks of
the army and marine corps-and to a
lesser degree the crews of the navy, for
in this service the admirable appren.
tice system, which it is pity is not
more widely extended, furnishes con-
stantly an excellent element in the
ships companies-are mainly recruited
from the vast numbers of the unem-
ployed, who join the colors under stress
of poverty; but environment, example,
the traditions of the services, soon ex-
ert their influence, and very large pro-
| portion of the enlisted men remain, for
at least portion of their lives, soldiers
or sailors from choice, just as others
| in civil life are mechanics, farmers,
tradespeople, doctors, lawyers or even
writers and artists. Forming, as they
do, in the community a class by them
| selves apart, yet are they sprung from
all parts of great nation, with all its
virtues, all its faults, but with the at
tributes of courage, patriotism, and ro-
bust, physical vigor, qualities which the
American people possess to a high de-
| gree, fostered and developed by careful
| and intelligent training of officers and
men in both land and sea services. All
| sorts and conditions fill the ranks
from the college graduate to the farm
er's boy, from the deep-chested, long
| legged Yankee fisher to the wharf-rat
of seaside city; most of them are
hard-fisted, hard-headed, rough-hewn
e. IL /
| are unworthy of this or any other hon
orable calling, but by far the great
mass are bright-eyed, vigorous, clean,
manly fellows, respecting themselves
| and others-"first-clas fighting men,"
| One of those admirable women, lady
prominent in the good deeds of the Red
| Cross, who gave her services day after
day at one of the supply-bureaus of the
society, said to me recently: eve can
always pick out regular among the
| soldiers we see here. Not many come to
us, but those that do are invariably
| clean and neat in appearance, respect
| full and deferential in their demeanor
| toward the ladies here, with modest
courtesy of brave men that goes
| straight to our hearts" can bear that
statement ready witness. 1 have seen
| them under many circumstances - in
war and in peace, in the field and in gar
rison, on shipboard and in port, on and
| off duty-and l have yet to meet the
regular soldier or sailor who has treat
| ed me otherwise than with decency and
| civility. happened to be in Tampa last
| spring when the troops were paid.
Some $4,000 to $4,000 regulars, infantry,
| cavalry and artillery, had received their
money, and the streets were crowded
with the men.
had occasion to 60 to the post Office,
| but gave up the attempt to reach the
STAMP window" so packed was the
room with soldiers buying money Or
| ders to send to their homes. Although
the drinking places dislike the term
saloon-were wide open all through the
| principal streets, and no visible re-
straint was placed on any one, soldier
or civilian, who desired to visit them,
| l saw no instance of disorderly conduct,
and during the whole time that these
| troops were enCamped at Tampa and
| the vicinity peace and good order pre-
vailed among them generally, except in
| isolated instances when, as / regretted
| to learn afterwards, some of the negro
| troops, under great prOvocation of their
pride as soldiers, at the hands of civil
ians, were guilty of acts of disorder and
violence, speedily checked, however, by
the authorities. 1 wonder how many
of our people know that hundreds of
| the fine fellows on Admiral SIMPSONS
ships had not set foot ashore on liberty
| for more than six months-many of
| them for even longer period-until
| they met with the enthusiastic welcome
that all, high and low, We'd with one
| another in extending to them on the
return of the fleet to New York? All
| through the dreary waiting at Tortugas
and Key West, before the breaking out
of the war; all through the long, mo-
notonous days and anxious nights of
the blockade; all through the tropical
summer, through wind and storm,
| bombardment and chase, and the last
glorious fight with Cervera; through
the hard and ceaseless work in the tor
| rid waters of Guantanamo bay-no leis-
ure had been theirs. Would not any
one with drop of warm blood in his
veins make indulgent excuses if, free
for the time from the rigid discipline
of the ship, in the eXuberance of
brawny health and high animal spir-
its, many among them yielded to the
temptations of the lavish hospitality
pressed upon them by an admiring and
patriotic people? Yet out of about 1000
men ashore on that occasion, but six
per cent. of the number overstaid liber-
ty, and practically all of them reported
for duty eventually. Taking the in
stance on that occasion of one of these
ships, the New York, as an illustration,
of 255 liberty men all but three re-
turned on board on time. l think that
under the circumstances the incident
speaks volumes for the character of the
men and the discipline of the SERVICE