The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-08-02
Border Heroes Find Hardships
They Didn't Expect.
Enlisted to Fight Mexicans;
Busy Digging Trench.
FACTORY WORKERS COMPLAIN
Burnt Potatoes Start DiscOrd
Among HOOsiers.
Sick Private Left 5000 Job;
Now Longs for Home.

San Antonio, Tex, Aug. 2.-National
guard companies which contain mem
hers who left factory positions expect
ing to fight in Mexico are rife with
discomfort.
II is undeniable that the federalized
national guard system, which broke
down in connection with soldiers who
had dependents also in connection
with students who will be leaving for
their homes shortly. is working I'M
fairly in respect to factory hands.
in the street of Company F, Second
Indiana regiment, I found twenty
men digging.
you want % know why we joined
the militia % said ore man. All
stamped digging and gathered around.
ave were blankety-blank fools.
Became Section Crew.
1--WE quit our Jobs IN Muncie fac
tories to come down here and fight
and they turn us into section crew,
said another.
ediy. IF there's going to be no war
we want to go home. It's n blankety-
blank shame to bring us down mere
from our factory jobs and keep US
working like this"
aThey got us excited with war talk
that's why we joined" said another.
.This isn't bad; it's only a soldier
sIsn't bad2' exclaimed another sol
der Come into this tent.
In the tent of Sergt. w. T. Jones
If Muncie. a member of the Brother
hood of Railway Firemen OF the Lake
Erie road, found sick man
Stretched out
High school Boy Doctor"
rive been sick in the stomach for
tv-eight hours he said. MY name is
7 ut
avenue, Muncie- I'm a foreman lh
the Warner Autogear machine shop
and | had seventy-three men under
me. / quit my position to come down
here to fight for my country ana III
treated like a dog. We all are.
.sYes" spoke up another man, lying
disconsolately on a cot in the cther
corner of the ter-. It's been nell ever
since we started from Muncle. we
didn't get enough to eat on the tram
and we lave not had enough to eat
since we've been here. What we &c
get we can't eat The cooking iS ter
rible The potatoes are nearly always
burned -,
erson G. Miller a machinist of Muncle
The sick man spoke and said
s'When 1 asked for a doctor they sem
me a Muncie boy whose only training
in medicine was high school chem
istry l know him personally All ne
did was give me a pill ana III SlChel
than 1 was 4S hours ago. If you have
q sore eye that high school chemist
gives you a pill.
Shoe Clerk Is Captain.
zone of the officers who has oul
lives and fates in his hands and who
makes us dig like section hands is
only a shoe clerk in Muncie who gets
about SIS week there, and $2O(
here, while we get 5000 there and 81;
here. OF course he and his kind wani
the troops to stay down here"
Sergeant Jones said he thought The
men ought not to talk about theii
troubles publicly-they were not SO
bad off as they thought themselves.
The war department has made the
same mistakes that were made by
the French war department at the
beginning OF the big war in calling on
all trades, Including factory hand,
and machinists. After a few weela
oflwar, all these were called back t.
their homes to make munitions.