The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1916-07-06
WAR AND DUTY.

The governments orders that thu
movement of United States troops b,
withheld from the newspapers is prov
ing effective. The writer the othe
evening fell in with Thousand mel
from Vermont at the Union station
Kansas City. There were ten com
panies, each of 100 of the finest look
ing young men one would care to see
They were all splendidly clothed an(
groomed, with fine compilations ant
filled with the spirit that has Away
made New England famous for he
loyalty and fighting qualities. Tho
boys had been OH the special train
for two days and three nights, an(
were allowed three hours for breath
ing spell at Kansas City. The hea'
of the day had been terrific, but thu
boys We're game and eager to pro
coed to where something was doing
None of the officers or men woule
tell anybody where they were bounf
for, and the crowd cheered and won
dered, as each company reassemble(
in the waiting room of the Union sta
ton, and for obvious reasons eacl
company was marched out Of d differ
ent gate to the train sheds. -. t"@'
It may hate beef the newspape
Instinct or the fact that he was once
First Sergeant of old Company F
that enabled the writer to get unde
the canvas and find out where the
regiment was going. They were
headed for Eagle Pass, Texas, one o
the hottest places on the border.
would seem that more southernly
troops would have been moved first
but there was not a complaint from
the ranks of the boys who are USED
to a climate where they have from
every month in the year, going to (;
second edition of the hot place. Sucl
is, the makeup of the American vol
unteer. i, His is to do, and die if nee;
be for his country. ,,,,,.. -.
: 1t was a remarkable sight amone
the cosmopolitan crowd awaiting
trains at the Kansas City station
who cheered and clapped their handt
as the ranks marched by to the mt
sic of the corporal's little oft repeated
word of hep" hep" to find mum
Der of Neutrality-suspicious. (if thai
hyphenated word is permissible
beaming with pleasure and joining il
the expression III delight. Il Here
again If one cam get Under the canvas
or rather dig hole through the Skin
of the Mexican who has lived in thi!
country any length of time, he viii
find a fellow who dearly loves his ma
tive hills and cacti, but who. to all in
tents and purposes is a loyal Amer.
can, The ordinary peon is ignorant
and easily imposed upon, but he likes
the peace and plenty that rule here as
against the sordid life and hard Worl
with only bare existence in his owr
land. He does not want to go bacl
to Mexico to fight, nor does he want
to do anything here that would ever
suggest the word traitor or spy. He
wants to be left alone. He wants tC
do as the Americans do. Raise his
family and enjoy the fruits of his toll
He may not always be good according
to our standards, but he always wants
to be as good as he can, and live uT
to our laws as far as his intelligence
will permit him. And we doubt moi
if some of them were given chance
they would enlist and go with the
"Gringoes" to help put down 1.-THE
usurpers and land srobbers on his ma,
tive soil and help restore that peaGe
and order that would make Mexico
one; of the richest and most beautiful
countries that the sun shines on.
For these reasons, if war does
come, the Mexican people this side OF
the Rio Grande should be treated with
consideration. They should not be
made the victims of oveF-zealous
Americans who might try to prove
their patriotism by imposing on the
ignorant immigrant The 5individ.
uals deserve our protection as they
have no government to appeal to. In
other words they should be treated
as human beings, and punished only
as their crimes deserve punishment
And 1t should always be borne in
mind that Lying on American ::Hil is
no crime. s"t.'.'