The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1916-06-22
81 men JOIN
VOLUNTEERS AT
MASS MEETING
Mayor Kage Urges Enlist.
ment In SpeechAtC0urt
House Park.
SKINNER SPEAK WAS
FIRST TO SIGN LIST
Balm Will Open Recruiting Of
flee In COm'I Club Rooms
Today.

IN response TO call TO arms TO
form company of volunteer soldiers
who will be trained and mustered into
the Federal service to go to Mexico
in the event of war, thirty-four men
last night stepped forward at mass
meeting in the Courthouse park and
joined the colors.
Capt. Wilson C. Balm will open re-
cruiting headquarters for the volun-
teer company in the Commercial Club
rooms this morning and each of the
men who joined the organization last
night expect to bring additional men
to the colors as recruits.
The mass meeting was attended by
a crowd of about 600 young men, some
of them married and attended by their
wives, many of them single and at
tended by their sweethearts. They
stood in groups about the bandstand
and listened to the addresses urging
them to offer their services for war
most of them looking serious.
Eventually, as the series of speeches
closed, the knots of people broke up;
many departed to "think it over" and
several Strengthened their shoulders as
they presented themselves for war.
The organization of the volunteer
company was inaugurated yesterday
by A. M. Tinsley, Captain Balm and
John NJ Keys. The last two men have
had considerable experience in the
regular army in the Philippines.
The recruiting will continue each
day until enough men-sixty-fve-
have been obtained to form a COM
pany. The leaders in the formation
of the company desire to get IS or 80
men for the initial organization, and
if the recruiting proceeds fast enough,
two volunteer companies will be or
ganized.
The men who enlist in the volunteer
company go for three years of the
war, if one develops in Mexico. Under
the terms of their enlistment they will
be mustered out of service imme-
diately at the close of the fighting and
may return to their homes.
The movement to organize two COM
panies in the Cape and contiguous ter
ritory will become part of general
movement to form battalion centered
here, or a regiment, the old Sixth Mis-
souri,, which if formed, probably will
be led into action by Colonel Arthur
L. Oliver.
immediately before the mass meet
ing last night, Schuchert'sb and pa--
AIDED through the downtown streets
playing, and stopped at the corner of
Main and Broadway, where several
national airs were played before the
march to the Courthouse park was
continued.
By the time the band was lined up
at the park, a large crowd had gath
cred and the mass meeting was open
ed by A. NJ. Tinsley, who introduced
Mayor Kage as the first speaker.
81 do not feel that it is right for me
to come here to urge you boys to joir
the army and go down there to gel
shot at while / sit back and laugh,
the Mayor said. "But it is time tt
prepare, and this is move for prep
aration.
eve have come to the point where
we have to fight and | think thai
everyone of you young fellows whC
are not tied to your homes in any way
ought to join this volunteer company
You never will regret it in your lives
81 was Is years old when | JOINED
the first time. 1t was hard for me t.
get in. had to run away from hom'
in order to get into the company, be
cause my folks would not stand for il
But not once in my life have l re
GREETED what l did.