The National tribune., 1900-10-25

of campaigning yet. They make favor
able appearance at drill. The officers are
fine-fookine men.
Xxx. GREAT BRITAIN's Sinks.
The unique soldier here is Grea
Britains Indians. They are tall, athletic
and fine-looking, although as black as the
r native African. Their clothing consists OF
bolt of brown cloth wrapped about them
in neat fashion, and turbaned head
They have been well drilled and salute the
y officers, regardless of nationality.
The British Government has made a
great display of her native troops (mostly
Sinks from India. At last accounts she
had 5000 in North China and transport
load arriving nearly every week.
: The Indians are Differed altogether by
white men, There are comparatively few
white British troops here. The Indians
are desperate fighters in battle. particu-
larly the Mahometans. Being from a hot
country, it was supposed they would stand
the great Summer heat of China, but hun
dreds of them succumbed on the march to
the Capital.
BRITISH CHINESE REGIMENT.
The British Chinese soldiers are inter
esting, and the new arrival in Tientsin or
Peking wonders who the Cinnamon with
broad-brimmed straw hats and yellow or
clay-colored uniforms are. He soon finds
out that they are Wei Hal Wei men
| (Chinamen from Shangtung ProyinceJ,
who took the oath of allegiance to Queen
Victoria and enlisted in her army at Wei
Hal Wei in 1S9S-1S99, under Col Hamil-
ton Bower, who came out from England
| to build up British army of Cinnamon.
| Col. Bower told me that he had not
actually used them in fight against other
Cinnamon, but he had no reason to doubt
| their loyalty. 1t was true a few had de-
serted.
Great Britain pays them eight wood
en- dollars ga gold) a month and feeds
them. They had all discarded the pig
tail, and the experiment this Government
had made with this regiment was salts
factory not only of making soldiers of
these particular men, but in demonstrate
ing that the same thing can be done with
the Chinese that has been done with the
East Indians.
This regiment is well drilled and is COM
posed of select-looking lot of Cinnamon.
1t demonstrates once more that Great
Britain is the best organizer of all the na-
tons, with all her faults.
OUR OWN BOYS.
The American soldier is being observed
as he has never been before He is also |
doing some observing on his own account. |
1t is no uncommon sight to see on the |
streets of Peking or Tientsin groups with |
two Or more each of American, Russian,
japanese, East Indians, French. Ger
mans, Italians, etc, all laughing and jab-
bering away, not one of whom can under
stand the other.
The American is the most intelligent.
the most self-reliant and the most indie
pendent soldier in the world. None have
the courage of the American soldier. But
he has his faults He is careless about
saluting officers when he doesn't have
to. de will let an officer of another
army pass right by him as if he were a
nobody.
This matter has caused our soldiers to
be severely criticised by the other nation
alities here. They say, why don't you
Americans discipline your men, But
this isn't the worst fault of our bows.
They are the best paid of any soldiers in I
the world; in fact. they have too much
money to spend. 1t would be better if
they received less pay, for they want to i
drink all the vile stuff and sample all the {
vices of the different countries they visit.
and money puts these vices within their ,
reach.
SECURING CAMPAIGN MATERIAL.
A New York yellow journal has lust !,
two or three drinking deHs I
n Tientsin, and is going to print these
with an elaborate account of j
he American army canteen in China, and !,
low this awful institution" is supplying :
he soldiers Of oil nations with American l
ntoxicants. This, understand, is to be ]
printed as a great sensation in the shape I
II an attack on the Administration Just
week or two before election day. These G
'ictures will appear as reproduced photo s
,raphs with the sign Army Canteen" a
anging before each, and might be made a
o look genuine enough to unthinking peo- e
lie, whose votes it will be sought to in y
uence. VI
Now, the fact is there is not an "army Il
anteen' in all China. Your correspond u u
Mt made it point to visit three drinking " "
laces in Tientsin run by renegade Ameri- n
ans from Manila. They had pitched cheap
ents, two of them along the Bund and 81
ne on back street, and put out the sign 1
each place Army Canteen." VI
Army canteens do not sell whisky. .
hese swindlers, who are selling the most
aadly stuff called whisky and beer and
Il kinds OF vile native drinks, will un-
be looked after by the recently
'ganiZed provisional government of Tien-
in, when it is well under way and work
e smoothly.
OF course, the least said about some
lings that always follow the army the
orld over the better, as a rule; but the
in the shape of badly-soiled
omen who are trying to get into Tentsin
Id Peking to follow up the army at this
me are too numerous to attempt an es-
nate. The military authorities have not
lowed many of them to come in as yet;
,wever, they are waiting at Hongkong,
Shanghai, at Chefoo, and at Nagasaki.
hey represent all nations and speak all
nguages, and are from Paris from Lon
IN, from st. Petersburg, from Berlin,
om Manila, San Francisco, Seattle and
ctoria.-J. MARTIN MILLER
In the Philippines.