The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-12-23
STREETS MUST Be
BETTER POLICED
Otherwise Fifth Horse viii Moi
Take Part in Floral Parade
in February.

If Honolulu wants the Fifth United
States Cavalry to take part in the
Floral Parade next February guaran.
tee must be given that the streets win
be properly policed Unless such as
surance is forthcoming from competent
authority, the troops will stay in their
post at Leilehua.
Moreover the officers of the regiment
want a suitable place in town set apart
as q camp site for the three or four
hundred men and their mounts which
will form the squadron which will be
sent down if any at all come.
Director Wall and the other members
of the Floral Parade committee receiv-
ed quite jar last week over the pros.
pect that the Fifth would not take part
in the parade. This intimation came in
form of letter from Lieut..Col. II. w
Wheeler, now in command of the regi.
ment, to Chairman Willard Z. Brown
of the committee on military. The let
ter came in form of reply to one ask
ing for the participation of the cavalry
troops in the parade, and stated that
it would be impracticable" for his
men to do So There were some polite
reasons given about "depletion " OF
the strength of the garrison and "pres,
sure of work but that was all.
Then it was that the Floral Parade
committee sat up and began to take
notice. An investigation was started
and little by little number of griev
anves on the part of the soldier boys
against Honolulu began to be discov'
cred. They hadn't liked their treat
ment in the previous parades which
they had helped to make successes, but
being polite as well as game, they had
taken their medicine and hadn t kicked
Of course, it may be stated right now
as well as later, that all this viii come
as a big surprise to the members OF
previous Floral Parade committees. But
then the members were all "civilians'
and didn t know any better.
The great big kick on the part Of
the officers as well as the men, it seems
arose from the poor policing of the
streets during the parade. No Officer
who has any pride in his command like,
TO see that command all shot to pieces
by so prosaic thing as cavortinl
streetear just when the troops are max
ing their best appearance as a column
of platOons. Neither does he feel any
better if, instead of a streetcar, II
happens to be an automobile driven by
high territorial Official which friskt
! through the column and offends the
| sensitive nostrils of the horses will
pungent gasoline fumes. 1t is bat
enough to have to worry about how
many crippled children you are going
to leave in your wake because thu
police can u keep the crowd from press
ing ont into the street.
Besides these troubles which every
body connected with the command feels
the troopers had their own particula
grievances as well. 1t isn't any ful
to ride fifteen or twenty miles the da,
before the parade, go into camp in
field of lantana and mud out near For
Shafter, which is so far from tow
that you have to be in the saddle short
ly after daylight the next morning il
order to get in in time for the parade
and then after four or five hours o
unpleasantness from heat and dust, rid
back out to the muddy lantana fell
again, so far away from town tina
after you have groomed your horse ant
yourself it is too late to think of see
ing little of the city. Then the mex
morning to get the mud and burs ou
of your MOUNTS, name and tail, ant
ride back to Leilehua.
These things and more were gradual,
drawn out by the committee from of
ficcrs who didn't want to be callet
lSickers, but who felt that it was no
Justice to themselves or their men t.
be expected to do strenuous work unde
difficult and unpleasant conditions, an,
especially since the public which wen
out to be amused didn't seem to know
or to care about these conditions.
Now, however, that the committe
has had its eyes opened, there is littl
doubt that the necessary assurances vii
be promptly supplied to the Schofiel
Barracks commander. Steps have al
ready been taken which will guarantee
having the streets kept properly FIRE
from distractions during the next pan
ade. Also arrangements will be mad
for caring for men and horses at som
central point in the city, so that tn
troopers may have opportunity of EN-
joying an evening in town-one whicl
they do not have any too often. 0the
matters win be arranged for also whicl
will tend to make the men realize tina
they are looked upon as real men, ant
not simply as pieces of unfeeling mech
anism. En- tAfer ma