The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-04-07

which has taken place in this city in
many years was the public distribution
of marksmen's badges in the armory
| last night to those members of the
eight city companies of the Thirteenth
| regiment who have gained the right
| during the past year to wear them.
| Promptly at $50 o'clock the eight
| companies which had previously been
| formed on Adams avenue, started at
| the sound of a bugle call and marched
over the principal streets of the central
city, which were well lined with citi-
Zens, the majority of whom always de-
light in seeing soldiers on the march.
| The line was headed by Colonel Wat
res and the staff officers on horseback.
After these came Bauer's band, the
members in their new military uni
forms. This was their first appearance
as the regimental band, and they were
greeted with approval all along the line
of march. After the band came the
| eight companies, and the boys marched
with a vim and a dash that would do
| credit to regulars.
| In the meantime, the friends of the
officers and men. to the number of 500,
were filing into the armory, the seating
| arrangements of which had been linn
| tied to that number in order to allow
| plenty of space for the troops. A plat
form had been erected on the centre OF
the southerly side of the armory AMI
on each side of this the seats were
placed, leaving the entire northerly
half vacant for the soldiers.
ON THE PLATFORM.
Seated upon the platform were Col
onel E. II. Ripple, Major Everett War
ren. Captain w. A. May, Mayor James
Moir, Charles Won Storch, Major w. S.
| Milar, Rev. DR.. S. c. Logan, A. w.
| Dickson, Rev. Robert F. Y. Pierce and
Captain Charles c. Pierce, U. S. A.,
chaplain, under General Macarthur.
Colonel f. l.. Hitchcock presided and
after the soldiers had filed in and
stretched themselves in four blue lines
along the entire length of the building,
he made a few opening remarks. in
which he referred to the fact that the
whole system of rifle practice used
throughout the country at the present
time originated right here in Pennsyl-
vania, through the efforts of the pres
ent commander, Colonel l.. A. Watres.
He then introduced Chaplain Pierce,
who made the address of the evening.
The chaplain, after paying a splendid
tribute to the part played in the Phil
ippine campaign by the Tenth Penn
sylvana, and after referring to the
fact that the men should feel proud of
receiving marksmens badges honestly
earned, plunged into a bitter arraign-
ment of those Americans who belittle
the work of the United States troops in
the Philippines, and who speak with
holy horror of the awful effects which
they claim have followed the Ameri-
can flag in the east. He said, among
other things:
IF there is anything that makes me
fighting mad and sets my head al
| aflame it is the slurs cast upon our sol
diers at present serving in the Philip
pines by a portion of the public press
of this country and from certain So
called citizens who are the last to &c
to war, but the first to talk about
things which they do not take the time
to inform themselves on.
II have yet to see the regiment thai
has any reason to feel ashamed. of 1t:
conduct These people say that oul
soldiers are debauching the pure-mind
ed Filipinos; that they are carrying
over the American saloon and that they
are sowing the seeds of rreligion where
before all was peace. What infinite ro
and rubbish!
ABOUT THE SALOONS.
These people say that there wer,
only two drinking places in the city o
Manila when the United States troop!
entered. want to say right here tha
the man who says that is either a liza
or an ignoramus. A resolution wal
recently introduced in the senate whicI
think was the most dishonest one eve
presented in that body. 1t called upol
the secretary of war to inform the sen
ate as to how many American anC
English saloons We're in Manila whei
the United states troops arrived anC
now.
The intention of that resolution wa
to give the impression that Genera
Otis deliberately carried the American
saloon to debauch the natives. Wha
a libel and a calumy! I'll tell yol
something of the saloons that wer
! there when the American troops ar
rived. They were stretched along tn
thoroughfares of Manila from end L
end and the only thing sold in then
was a native gin and this sold at on
cent glass.
! This stun is the most fiery tastinI
: and most vicious in its effects OF an,
lquor I have ever seen. Our mel
drank 1t because they had nothing els
to drink; they became many of then
victims of it, and have laid away II
| the cold earth more than one man VIII
has died from it. There may be NOR