Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-09-03
ILLINOIS TROOPS
FIND 7 BIG HELP
Association Erects Six Buildings and
Plans Three More at Camp
Logan at Houston
CONDITIONS ARE VERY coon
City Organizations Cooperate TO Keep
Community Morally Clean for
Boys from This State.
By HUGH CORK.

Army Y. NJ. G. A.. Illinois National
Guard Camp, Houston. Texas. Sept 3.
i have been here with our camp
secretary. J. a. Hitler. Of the west
side Y. NJ. G. A. Chicago. over two
weeks, Camp Logan. where the Illi-
nOis National guard boys are to he
trained. is about FIVE miles from the
center Of Houston. The camp con
structi0u is almost complete and the
camp viii accommodate $4,000 men.
which leads as 10 believe that other
troops than the Illinois guard are 10
be sent here
We have completed over six Y. M.
G. A. buildings and the knights Of
Columbus are planning 10 erect three
buildings for its work
We have less than fifteen hundred
men here as yet but week ago last
Sunday morning when the most OF
them came in and before our equip
ment arrived, we took q broom. a
pail and an armful of stationery To
the nearest building and as soon as
one corner was swept the men began
10 write letters home and in ten
minutes I counted thirty men at the
writing tables When We returned to
the city at night we brought in 300
letters, most of which were addressed
10 Mrs" and Miss" We opened
second building yesterday with the
same experience.
In all my travels have not found
city where / would rather nav
my boy trained for army work than
in Houston The authorities, the
churches, the clubs. in fact every or
ganjzatton has done its best to throw
safeguards about our boys. Parents
can rest assured their sons viii find
the minimum of temptation with the
maximum OF good Inspirations in this
city. Bad women and bad men are
not in evidence, while good people are
Fiein8 with one another in doing
something for the illinois boys
On arriving here | overheard some
one say they had heard the Illinois
guard are a rough lot I wish that
person could have seen the Catholic
boys trudgjng five miles into the city
for mass and have seen a big bunCh
Of Protestant boys as I saw them
yesterday. partaking Of the com
munion in one of the churches.
have already found among our few
troops now here a divinity student,
two student volunteers expecting 10
be missionaries in China and numbers
Of fellows who carry their testaments
IS Wei as their muskets.
The ranking officer until General
Bell came on Saturday was Captain
c. A. TuggIe, of DanyiIIe. who helped
US entertain the state Sunday school
convention in this city three years
ago He gives US every cooperation.
Liquor In.
Everyone now knows about the
Houston Race Riot" I was in the
city when it happened and was on
the streets nearly all night. 1t was
frightful but none Of HaustOn's nor
Illinois negroes were mixed up in il.
It was the 24th infantry tcol0red}
who were here on guard and really
only two companies out of the five
of them. Liquor was at the bottom OF
the riot When they found liquor
they lost respect for authority. Our
Illinois troops did fine service in put
ting down the riot As the oath in
fa0try is now gone. everything is
now quiet and Houston has done fine
" in passing the crisis I find very
little bitterness of race spirit
Mates Funeral Impressive.
Captain Mates funeral was very
impressive His boys loved him dear
~. The citizens lined the streets as
the company followed their leaders
body to the station.
We are getting the names of a good
many boys who are here Our r. Nj
c. A. force numbers 30 men and we
shall be glad TO look up any man
whose name we can get from home.
VIII the home folks always feel free
to address us at Army Y NJ. c. A,
Camp Logan. Houston, Texas. letting
us know IN what way we can help
their boys. We are at your as well
as their service.