Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-07-12
Russell e. WQsf0n 1872 Water Street,
~ " O~SAA9 Maine
A CRkCK.A JACK. REG MEM.
Col. l. n. Kendall Tells What an improvement |
is Made in the National Guard.

You may say that the LIST Regiment
is crack-a jack" said Col. l.. II.
Kendall, last evening. He with Col. T.,
Z. Newcomb of PASSPORT, was sitting in
the smoking room at the Augusta
House, talking over military affairs
and the events Of todays inspection.
Many of the officers who are to be eX-
amlned We're already at the hotel.
Among them beside the staff officers,
We're Captain L. A. Royal, and Lieu
tenants +. $. Randall and Alfred E.
Matthew, the newly-elected officers of
co. X, I'd Infantry, the new company
which has just been formed in Farm
ington.
Yes sir" continued the colonel. the
lst regiment was never in such good
condition as it is now. Fully 40 per
cent. of the men who served the Span
ish war are back in the companies, and
are military men through and through
They are just like men who are on a
ball team. You take the men out the
factories and put them on the diar
mond and they do not show up very
well. You put them on salary list
and let them play base ball and moth
ing else and it is but short time be-
fore you have base ball players
1T is just the same with the military
men. While they We're in the South
their business was to become soldiers.
They Were paid for that and now they
are soldiers. Their influence on the
other men is more than you can imag-
inc. The best of it is we are getting
the cream of the young men,
"A great many" interposed Colonel
Newcomb, said that the war would
be the breaking up of the State militia
But it is not the case"
No, sir" said COL Kendall. The
State militia. today, is worth 100 per
cent. more than it was. two years ago
But what pleases me most" he contin-
ued. lis the interest that the people
are taking in the men. 1t was not a
great while ago that the appearance of
the militia on the street did not excite
any comment. What difference there
IS now. The other night / was in West
brook and there was such a crowd out
while the men We're drilling that the
men had hard work to find a place to
drill. 1t was not the school boys and
girls that made up the crowd but it
was the best people in town. There
We're three or four cX-mayors. the
mayor and the agent of one of the
mills. among the spectators 1t was
the same way in my own home. Bidde-
ford. There crowd turned out, some
thing that was almost unknown before
The effect of such interest in the
men cannot but be good. 1t shows the
men that the people have an interest
in them and the men work harder than
ever to make good showing.
There is one thing l do not quite
like about the new arrangement for
the muster. That the two regiments
are to be here separately. With 46 men
in the company. and a part of these
taken out for detail, but n small part
is left for the drill and the men can
not make the good showing that they
otherwise would. But it is better to
have Il healthy camp condition than a
superlative showing. But it will make
no difference if the men do not appear
in such great numbers. they will make
a great showing and you will agree
with me when say that the list Regi-
ment is a crack-a- jack"
Col. Newcomb also is greatly pleased
with the appearance of the I'd Regi-
ment and of the interest that the peo-
pie are showing. The visits that he
and Col Kendall have made to the
companies We're unexpected so that
they saw the companies at the worst.
and even in that condition the appear
ance was so pleasing that they were
put in the best of humor for the rest
of the evening.