Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1912-07-30
TROUBLE AT GATE, WASH, SUN
DAY DECLARED TO BE NEWS
PAPER PROPOSITION BY
COMPANY CAPTAIN.
YET FREE FROM CHARGES
Local Militia Officer Hints at Devel-
OpmentS If Affair is Carried Fur
theP: Admits DiSObedience of Or
Time, Humane.

Declaring that the alleged mutiny
of the Second battalion of the Third
regiment o. N. G. at Gate, Wash
last Sunday has been greatly eXag-
gerated and that no charges have as
yet been preferred against him, OF
any of the offending officers, Captain
Walter L. TOoze, Jr., commanding
company G, of Dallas, who arrived
home with the company last night
makes the following explanation of
the affair:
Has Been Exaggerated.
You ask me to make a statement
with reference to the trouble eXpe-
rienced at Gate, Washington, on
Sunday, between General Maus, COM
manding the department of the Co.
lumbia, and the officers of the Sec
ond battalion of the Third Oregon
infantry. Inasmuch as no charges
have been filed against the officers,
there is very little | can, or care to
say, at the present time. But / will
say this, that thus far the whole
thing has been more of newspaper
proposition than anything else. Mat
ters have been exaggerated. To the
charge that Captain Williams and
myself were unsoldierly in our re-
marks to General Maus set forth in
the papers, / will say that it is un-
true. To the statement in today's
Oregonian that the officers of the
Third oregon were against us in this
matter, will say that that is untrue,
with the exception of a few political
spellbinders who see in this an op-
portunity to make trouble for, and
get rid of their present Colonel whom
they do not like for the reason that
he has not fell into their combine
and stood with them, but has at all
times stood for the welfare of the
Regiment.
Hints at Developments.
''It is my belief that if this matter
is carried any further that in the end
there will be many developments that
will not be to the entire benefit of
the officers and others of the regular
army in charge of the maneuvers at
Gate. There is always two sides to
a story, and everyone must know
that our side is pretty strong, else
military men with the spO'less record
of Major Scott, Captain Williams
and Lieut.. Deich, men who have
served their country long and well,
would not be connected with it. Ma
ior Scott is acknowledged to be one
of the best officers in the Guard,
both by Guard officers and by reg
ular army officers
"The protest made by the officers
was made for the benefit of the men
W tn
march was made; i. e., no direct re-
fusal. A request was made, and, as
soon as granted, the battalion was
put in march, and went into camp
at Oakville right behind the other
battalions of the Third. though it
left some time later. Not one nan
dropped out, though the thermome-
ter registered 100 in the shade.
From the other two battalions, Al
men were counted along the road
side.
Protection For Men.
THE stand took was taken in |
the protection of my men. 1t meant
nothing to me personally, nor to any
of the officers involved. Being in
charge of the men, it is to us that
the commanding officers must look. I
and to no one else. From a strictly [
military standpoint. the stand the
battalion took certainly is wrong; I
from a humane and sensible stand ]
point and as a matter of right and I
wrong. between man and man, the .
battalion was clearly in the right; it 4
was merely a situation where blood .
was thicker than water.
Personally ] have nothing to hide
and If charges are preferred against .
me, I shall fight the matter out to 4
the end. When the whole story is
known I believe the people will vim
dicate us. OF this I am positive. and .
for that reason I do not worry. No .
charges having been preferred against .
US. we are in no position to say
much. hut we want the people to
withhold judgment on the case until
they know both sides thoroughly"
characterization Charged.
The following account Of the trou-
ble al Gate was wired u the daily
press from that place Sunday:
According 70 newspaper Dispatch