River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1911-04-27

gray-hatred men still remember
that Fort Sam Houston was not
a show place, but a useful in
stitution to protect the pioneer set
tiers from depredations of rowing In
dians and organized cattle thieves, the
warlike enthusiasm of San Antonians
can readily be understood. The peo-
pie were as much aroused by the mob
ilizatiOn of troops as they would be II
the United States had entered upon
the greatest war of its history. Tex
ans are ready to fight the Japanese or
the Mexicans or anything they can
find to fight
When the troop trains rolled into
San Antonio hundreds Of citizens well
coined the soldiers and cheered. Texas
wants to fight 1t doesn't make any
difference who is to be fought, so long
as some powder smoke follows all this
war-like display. Beyond doubt, If
every terrible prediction of Richmond
Pearson Hobson as to the intentions
of the Japanese were to be realized
tomorrow Texas would simply mob Fort
Sam Houston to enlist and start for
the front
Certainly, it was an interesting sight
to see the trains come in, one after
another, and the soldiers come forth
and organize with the speed of auto
nations and march away. If they ar
rived at night, their tents had al
ready been prepared for them by the
comrades who arrived before. If they
in hn rrh nd
to the place marked out for them and
pitched their own tents. Everything
proceeded as If this mobilization had
been planned months ahead. One
would never think it was set in mo-
tion by kilograms flashed over the
country in a single night.
The telegram which set Fort Sam
Houston in motion was received at
one o'clock in the morning. An hour
after dawn officers were surveying the
parade ground of 800 acres and mark
Ing it off for tents. Two hundred men
began work shortly thereafter to lay
water mains. They worked night and
day until their task was completed.
Bids for supplies for 10000 men for
four months were asked. The con-
tracts are still being let. All this was
carried through according to the
letter of the law One firm which
came in five minutes late with bid
for several thousand of dollars worth
of supplies was denied permission to
submit It's proposition.
Every precaution known to physi-
clans and engineers has been taken to
keep the camps absolutely sanitary,
and as an extra measure the soldiers
are invited to take anti-typhoid serum
and thousands of them are taking the
injections.
Of late the camp has been a sea
of mud The mud, however, is bear
able. The dust which preceded it was
not. The amount of dust thousands of
marching men and hundreds of vehi-
cles pulled by from four to eight
mules can raise is beyond the under
standing of those who have not tried
to breathe in it, The dust was sim
ply sitting. But it is settled now,
much to the delight of the men.
An amusing feature of this mohiliza-
ton is the fear it aroused in winter
tourists. The mobilization is certainly
not an unmixed blessing for San An
tonic. because at least 1000 tourists
went home They feared trouble of
some vague nature and they did not
want to be near it. They scurried
away from San Antonio like ducks
after the hunter had fired his first
shot. The ignorance of the average
tourist is a matter of much amuse-
ment everywhere, but it is particular
lv amusing in Texas because visitors
do not understand Texas distances.
The ride by railway from San An
tonic TO Laredo, the nearest point on
the border, consumes an entire night,
but the tourists, even after a residence
of several weeks in San Antonio, were
still of the impression that stray
hnllet from across the line might
strike one of the local hotels. Troops
coming from ST. Louis and bound for
Ell Paso are only one-fourth of the
way to their destination when they
reach the Texas line.
Visitors are coming from every town
and city in the state to see the big
camp. Many of them are discharged
soldiers. One of the favorite occupa-
tions of these veterans in this city is
that of street car conductor or motor
man. They are also scattered about
as walters, cooks, bartenders and ice
wagon drivers. Meeting on street
corners. they discuss among them
selves the possibilities o. the troops
going into Mexico. Many of these old
campaigners are worried lest by not
reenlisting they have lost an oppor-
tuuity to get under fire.
If the parade grounds on which rme
troops are now encamped are not
large enough the maneuver grounds at
Leon Springs, about twenty miles
from this city, will be used. This
mobilization has impressed upon the
officers and the war department the
urgent need for having larger accom-
modations for the troops at this point.
Already arrangements have been
made for the construction of addition
al barracks and further arrangements
of similar nature will be made soon.
San Antonio looms up as the strategic