The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-04-20
THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 1916.
Preparedness (?) Brought Home.

I1O E0E9DEA IO4AI S1Ot Low
Preparedness (?) Brought Home.
When you we shouted "Rule America"
And You've sang "God Save the
State"
and You we finished chasing Villa with
your mouth
VIII you kindly drop quarter,
And you'd better drop it's mate
For Our gentlemen in Kahki ordered
South.
This with apologies to Kipling but it
can be said that there is need for pass
ing the hat to get food enough to keep
soul and body together for the Kenosha
boys who went South to drive trucks for
Uncle Sam s army in Mexico. This
preparedness thing is being brought
right home to KenOsha by the demand
of the truck drivers for food. 1t may
be that it is exaggerating to say that
the Kenosha men down in Mexico are
Starving to death +" but this much can
be said that they are not getting fat.
1t is even admitted that big Bill Bienne-
mann who in Kenosha was the pride of
the ebay window" police force now
has lean and hungry look such as was
attributed to the famous conspirator
against the life of Caesar. If you ever
tried to subsist for a day ON fourteen
ounces of bacon and dozen hard tack
you will appreciate just what it means
to a truck driver to work for a nation
that is unprepared. Added to this
must be the statement that there are
some of them faring worse than the
truck drivers. Letters reaching Ke
nosha declare that when the truck driv
ers reached the soldiers at the front
they found them robbing the hangers
of the horses that they might get
enough parehed corn to live on.
Truly we are a great nation but just
as truly we are forgetful of the things
we owe to the men who serve us. Ke
nosha must not allow the men who went
W biC POubu W IIoh ullClI I1NCp W dIIN .
trucks to suffer the pangs of hunger
True enough a soldier on the field is
rot expected to have cake and pie or
a5t ON The breast of quail or pleasant
lu. il h3 is worthy of his hire he is
a1lhy of his upkeep. The truck
C''.er is not going to come out Of it
with medals of honor or shoulder straps
y without him the tragedy of unpre-
paredues5 would be made great deal
more emphatic. Kelosha has eighty
men down in Mexico doing man s
work every one Ct them and doing it
in q patriotic manner. These men are
worthy of the consideration of the peo-
pie at home if the government under
whose flag they serve is not able to
furnis for them the necessities of 'ife.
Here we are making bandages to bind
up wounds in French trenches and we
are sending money to relieve sufferings
in Europe The question arises, Why
don t some one start a movement to
send bread and meat and maybe cake to
Kenosha boys who are doing real
service for their government and flag
on the deserts@bf foreign country?
Possibly these fellows with the bravery
that comes from patriotism and the
resistance against improper food born
of enthusiasm may be able to stick it
out. The question is ''SHOULD THEY
BE ASKED TO SERVE A GOVERN
MENT REPRESENTING A HUN
DRIED MILLION PEOPLE WITH THE
PANGS OF HUNGER GNAWING AT
THEM?"
This is not meant to stir up any one
to mutiny but it is simply meant to
bring home to the people of Kenos1a
the utter unpreparedness of great
nation to take careof its army in
the field.
We have faith enough in men who
went from KenOsha to know that they
will take the part of soldier regard.
less of what it may be but the people
should be able to see the necessity of
having some force in charge of the ma
tion which will make it one of the real
functions Of the government to know
that the nation is prepared to send a
properly organized and properly pro
visioned army into the field.