The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1916-07-21
UNCLE SAM Is now RtSy TRANS
FORMING GUARDsssEN INTO
HARD FIGHTERa
TACKLES BIC TASK
The Material Is Fine hut the Job Of
Training and Drilling No Small
Oue--Men Want ca (set In
Action.
By William G. shepherd.

l
Uncle Sam has dug up his ancient
storm coat---the militia out of the
attic OF peace.
| on the hot ironing board Of the
Texas sands he is spreading Il out for
examination and under the hot iron
of discipline he is trying to make II
war-proof.
| 1t is musty. wrinkled. creased
with seams, ripped here and there.
but the material is simply fine. True
enough the material does not like the
operations. IL had rather be in the
storm doing its work
| The militiamen have asked every
reporter or other supposed wise man
they see. Aren't we going to have
war with Mexico?"
The storm coat will be overnau,ad
whether the coat likes ii or not.
The texture is as variegated as
Joseph's coat OF many colors. That
| variegated army which assembled at
Saloniki few months ago. consist
ing of French. English, Serbian,
Hindu. Australian. Cochin-Chinan
and Montenegrin. looked like q mass
of blood brothers compared to the
middle west militia.
Here in San Antonio the military
coat is extremely OF the Joseph pat
ttern. Take Polish company X, OF
milwaukee, First Wisconsin, for ir-,
stance IT was organized fifty years
,ago by Theodore Corlsinski and is
known as Kosciusko's company. For
lty per cent of its 1870 members were
born in Poland. | sat in the tent
of Chaplain Henry Piasechi and tried
to imagine | was back with the Brit
!ish, French or Australians talking to
the officers of one of those armies.
The chaplain said none but Poles
were permitted to join this company
and that the custom was kept up in
difference to the hundreds of previous
members now dead-
$50 many Poles try to join now"
said the chaplain, that we are
full and turn them over to other
companies in the regiment. They are
scattered throughout the Wisconsin
troops, We found Polish church
here and the church folks are get
lting together autos, buggies, wag-
ons and all other kinds of rigs 10
take us to church next Sunday"
But could not imagine this any
where except in the American army.
Such thing could not happen any
where in the world or anywhere else
except here in America. The Wiz
lconsonians value their place in the
American government. The Wiscon-
sin militia has been declared the
model for the country. This Polish
company for three years in success
sion took the first Wisconsin prize
for field work. They are splendid
soldiers, thoroughly Americans bat
ladding variegation to Uncle Sans
storm coat, because yof the colored
regiment the Eighth, which adds
variety and even snappiness. II is
hard enough for the Chicago color
led troops to ride in the jim-crow
street cars of San Antonio. 1t was
while investigating the various tex
lures of Uncle Sans storm coat that
l met Colonel Denison. chief OF the
negro regiment, who said:
II think il is the only dead sure
American regiment in the whole lot.
Other regiments have got all kinds OF
| folks in them, but We are all the
same. We soldiers are Americans
and obey the laws of San Antonio
by riding in separate compartments
in the cars. but the other day army
Y. NJ. c. A. men put up frame
building in the edge of the grounds
for white members only The color
ed men were not allowed to enter
the building. | told the authorities
that / could not youch for the safety
of the building III any of my men
got at il | could not keep them from
tearing down the building, and If l
lcouId / would not. The Y. NJ. c. A.
people understood me and one of
them said. L respect you and your
action.
1T looks very much like now. :"