The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-12-28
PRECEDENTs MAY APPLY
History Shows a War Kills Local Com
pany for Time, and Then An
other is Formed by keo-
kuk Young Men.

abolished and went out OF existence
when the companies took the federal
oath to enter the national army. the
state will organize its national guard
and continue that institution which
belongs to the state exclusively"
say a number of governors.
Some of them say a national guard
is a necessity Of the state, ami in
Illinois and some ether states the
past seems to prove this, for in Those
states the guard is ordered out nearls
every year to suppress disorder winch
has gone beyond The power Of the
sheriff
If the Iowa national guard was ever
required to keep the peace i'll iowa.
nobody here could recoIIect It today.
Different n Old Days.
NKeokuk has had its own company
since the civil war" said a Keokuk
is the original roster of the company
formed then with the actual sigma
lures of the members on it.
THE Keokuk company has been
one of many kinds in the past. TWEEN
ty-f1ve years ago, it was composed
of the most popular society young
men, and it's annual ball in Gibbons
opera house was the chief society
event of the year. 1t drilled more or
less, but it never claimed to be able
to whip it's weight in wild cats.
When the Spanish war came on. !
it went into that on the orders of
the governor. Also, 1t had to be re-
cruited up to war strength from |!
barely peace strength. This recruit /
ing added to its ranks men unknown I
in the most exclusive society, some i
Of whom were SO good they were i
made non-coms to the amazement Of |
the oldtimers who objected that they !
could not dance at all.
Good Men In Spanish War.
There were also added then, some
Of the best men in Keokuk, now
prominent citizens, who were tn en- I
as leading young men. !,
ike VIII Blood, for one instance Of !
many. Also, there came in group i
If strangers who never lived in Keo-
kuk and Joined the Keokuk company
is the surest and quickest way Of
getting into the war.
This composite company went to Il
var via the fair grounds in Des
hoines and finally got to Camp Cuba i
4ibre, at Jacksonville, Florida. That 4
t got no farther was not it's fault 4
n the least.
1t became an excellent company, Il
IS the army was then. 1t suffered
many casualties from typhoid fever
ind malaria in the swamp It was
in, and it did real soldering. Il
ParaIyzed by War.
1T was then Company A. of the
first Iowa regiment. After the Span
sh war closed and it came back, it
imply vanished. Mustered out, the
nen had no idea of going back into
he service Of the national guard.
Xix months of real army life filled
hem up and made the activities of 1
ational guard company seem like
laying mumblepeg.
Several men tried to form another
ompany and failed utterly. Then
,uger Rollins, lieutenant at Camp
'uba Libre and born soldier, took
hand, for he was one man who
1anted to stay In a military organi-
alton He finally formed a little
ompany which in after years grew
nd became the one the Keokuk
eople of today know best
While Keokuk was out of the ma
onal guard, some other place got
ne first letter of the alphabet, and
he Keokuk company became Com
any L. of the First regiment, /. N. G. /
lave Become Heroes of World War.
Company L was a fighting, seri-
US bunch of mighty good soldier ma
erial when it modified at Camp III
lodge for the world war 1t has
cen scattered and sprinkled through 4
ne American army, and its officers
re preserving its identity as unit,
18th majority of its men from other
laces. It's largest group today is a
art OF Company l. of the famous
68th infantry, perhaps the hardest.
ghting infantry regiment in the !
lost battles of any in the entire
merican army.
But when they come home, ii is
hundred to one bet that they will II
OF join any Keokuk national guard :
ompany. They have had more sol
iering than the old Company A, of 7
le Spanish war, which disbanded
tier, and certainly they would find
rilling in Main street tame after
leir experiences at Chateau Thierry,
long the Meuse and all over the
ardest battle line.
at is not a bit too early to con-
der the formation of an entirely
ew company of the national guard
,r Keokuk to continue into peace !,
mes. 1t will have to be built from 7
lie ground up-Captain Powell ought :,
, start at Il right now =