Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1908-02-20
UNCLE SAM
RECRUITING
Men For Army and Navy
Always Really Sought
After.
NOT MUCH DOING HERE
At Hopkinsville, Though Sta
ton Has Been Open.
Three Weeks.

AS rule Uncle Sam finds it up
hill work to get the young blood and
sinew Of the country to enter the
army and navy branches of his SER
vice. There is always a surplus of
young fellows only too anxious to
get into the military school at West
Point and the naval academy at An
apolis-they want to be officers, you
know, but what sort of an army and
navy would we have if every man
was an officer?
There have been many enlistments
during the past four months, proba-
bly, more in the same length of time
than for years. The cause is trace
able to the panic, which caused so
many large manufacturing concerns
to reduce their force of men, if not
to close down altogether. The har-
dy young men thus thrown out of
employment must find something to
do, and the recruiting stations were
soon visited and into the army and
navy, some of the best manhood of
the country went.
Uncle Sam has his eye on the stu
alton and a bill is now before Con-
gress granting better pay and offer
ing other advantages that will con-
tinue to call acceptable men into the
arms of the service.
The recruiting station which was
opened here three weeks ago by
Sergeant Louis N. Crawford, in the
postoffice block, has had quite a
number of applicants, though very
few have been able to stand the
strict physical examination. Only
two have been sent to Jefferson Bar
racks, Mo-, and but two others are
waiting for transportation and an
other examination. The first two
are ]. T. Campbell and w. M.
Quarles, colored. The latter are c. |
S. Lucas and H. G.. Bruce, white.
There is but little doubt that the
latter will go through all right,
though there is no telling what may
be done until Lieut.. Charles Roemer,
whose headquarters are at Nashville,
gets through with them. Lieutenant
Roemer was expected here yester-
day.
Sergeant Crawford left the city
Monday and went to Columbia,
Tenn, where he was ordered to
open up another station.
Sergeant Robt. T. Rulings arrived
Monday to take the place of Craw-
ford. When representative of this
paper called at the recruiting office
he found the Sergeant just finishing
the examination of an applicant. 1t
was young negro man just out of
the coal mines of Hopkins county.
He was built like gladiator and
met every requirement. Not flaw
could be found in his physical make
ny. But he could not read and write
and he was turned down. He could
write his name, but his chirography
was miserable.
We found the new recruiting Off
Ger to be affable and ready to an
swer pertinent questions. He is a
native of Jackson, Tenn. He has
been a soldier eleven years. He spent |
over two years in Cuba and several
years in the Philippines, part of the
time being connected with field ar,
tillery.
1t is not known exactly how long
the recruiting station here will be
continued. There is plenty of good |
material in this section, but some
how no great desire to enter the
army and navy has thus far been
manifested. A soldiers life in time
of peace is not hard one. A short |
drill every day, keeping his arms
and person clean, doing guard duty
occasionally and eating and sleeping
is about all there is in his daily
round. Why young men do not
more readily enter the service is a
question that is botiering the mill
tary heads at Washington and the
President now.