The San Francisco call., 1909-08-16

From the top Of SAN Juan hill;
We disciplined the EOO-gOos
TIL they're quiet now and still;
Wen beat all EurOpe's armies.
And on that you well may bank,
But viii all surrender
Our roof trees and prOvender
To suPeriOrs in RANK.
From Ballads Of Officers Row.
The alert Thirtieth infantry. L. s. A.
has captured the Preside cantonments
and Mars only knows where the seden-
tary coast artillery viii find itself
or course, there are the most pleas
ant relations in the world existing be-
tween the officers of the artillery long
stationed there under Colonel John A.
Lundeen. and the officers of the Thir-
ueth, who have just arrived under
Colonel Edward B. Pratt, but there
have been several moving bees at the
post and the army knows no such com
mandment as Thou shalt not covet
thy neighbor's house"
That is. if you have a house at a
military reservation which YOU have
found comfortable and an officer with
more fanciful pair Of shoulder straps
or longer period Of service behind
him comes along. he can set his cov-
etoGs eyes on your quarters and out
you go.
But RANK Is RANK
Then, Of course. is the time when the
members of your family deplore that
they are, in the service But rank is
rank and out you GO
Because Colonel Pratt is very much
of a gentleman and is not covetous
he has allowed Colonel Lundeen to oc-
cupy his quarters near the flagstaff
while Colonel Pratt is contented with a
captains quarters in another and less
fashionable row
Lieutenant Colonel Nat p Phister
has not been so complacent When he
came with his regiment and looked
over the field he found the quarters
occupied by Lieutenant Colonel John
c. ". Brooks Of the coast artillery to
be desirable. Lieutenant Colonel
Brooks is Of the same title as Lieuten-
ant Colonel Phister, but Phister is
Brooks senior. So when Phister said
10 himself I like that house." Brooks
had 10 say TO himself, i might as well
move and look pleasant"
So Brooks is pleasant about il. II
q special messenger from Mars Cthe
god OF war-not the planet) had come
down and whispered in Brooks eat
that If he moved ne might some day
be general in chief of all the armies
Of the world, Brooks could not have
accepted the mandate TO move in a
more agreeable frame OF mind.
BROOKS Is SATISFIED
Why" he said yesterday. when
asked about the moving bee, 7 am per-
fectly satisfied with this ARRANGEMENT
and you viii do a wrong if you say
that / am not This house is about the
same as the other moved in yester-
day and am settled now. I have my
things placed in their relative posi-
tions. This house happened to be oc-
cupied when I first came 10 the post,
or ! might have taken il then. AS it
is I like il just as well as the place I
am living in, if not little better"
Other officers who have moved their
"a miles from quarters now occupied by
officers Of the Thirtieth are Lieutenant
Paul Beck Of the signal corps, now in
Chicago, and Lieutenant Oliver P. NJ.
Hazard, quartermaster attacked to
headquarters.
In explaining the moves Colonel
Lundeen said:
Under the army regulations an Of
fcer has choice Of quarters over an
officer whom he ranks. Colonel Phister
outranked Colonel Brooks, and so took
his quarters Lieutenant Beck moved
from the west cantonments before the
Thirtieth regiment came I moved his
command from these cantonments over
into barracks to make room for the
Thirtieth and Lieutenant Beck came
over with the men and occupied quar-
tiers near the barracks. At present he
is away from the post, attending the
army shoot in the east Lieutenant
~.
only occupied quarters here while they
were available He left the reserva-
tion when he heard that the Thirtieth
was coming. He now receives a house
rent allowance from the government
Colonel Pratt would be entitled to take
my house. but there is no change con-
templated for the present. There were
several officers quarters available fol
the officers Of the Thirtieth, and Sc
there was little difficulty when the
regiment came"
NO DIFFICULTY, SAYS PRATT
Colonel Pratt also said that there
was no difficulty over the changes.
When we came we found the west
cantonments unoccupied for the most
part" said he. 'Dr. Baker, Captain
Lsngdshl and Lieutenant RIoseley were
there, and they are still there. Every
fcers OF the two commands"
The officers referred to by Colonel
Pratt are now attached to the Thirtieth
so they properly belong where they are
located.
Lieutenant Hazard is living in Fill
bert street. AS he is nephew Of Col.
onel Pratt and was the host Of the Col
onel and Mrs. Pratt when they first ar
rived il is not thought that there were
any clsshing inharmonies when he
moved.
With the coming Of the Thirtieth sew
eral families Of noncommissioned Of
fcers and civilian employees Of the post
had 10 move to make way for the
coming officers.
But the incursion and occupation OF
the Thirtieth is not yet complete Ev.
cry coast artillery officer turns pale
when he sees a ranking infantrymar
cast covetous eyes on his cottage. Yet
all is pleasant