The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1918-05-23
Many Indians Report for Duty and
Anxious for Service-Getting Ready
For Oversee e-COnscientiOus
Directors Must Change.
NEW RULING AS TO INSURANCE
Registration of Men Now Twenty
One-Soldiers Assigned to Non.
Combatant Branch-It Costs Money
to Operate Camp Dodge.

the Standing Rock Agency in North
Dakota. They are mostly members Of
the Sioux tribes but there is a
sprinkling of the remnant of the old
Sac and Fox tribes. Harry Bender,
who came in an earlier enlistment, is
a Chippewa, and he is a brother Of
the famous base ball pitcher who made
a great record with the Phillies Of
Philadelphia but who is now with the
government ship building reserves at
Hog Island. These men are fine
specimens of their race. They are
quick and alert and the officers say
that they are taking hold Of the var
ious drills with enthusiasm. They are
greatly interested in the horses at the
remount. Some of the men have been
assigned to this unit. They came
dressed as white men dress, having
left their blankets and moccasins be-
hind. They also left at the agency
their Indian names and each is enroll
ed under a cognomen for not any
more incongruous than the names
some of the whites bear. Upon receipt
of the news of the death Of John
Grass, at Fort Yates, N. D., Tuesday,
who for number Of years has been
the big chief of all the Sioux Indians,
the members of the tribe here held a
solemn conclave and ,indulged in a
funeral orgy in keeping with the GUS
tom of the tribe. Three Indians from
the Tama reservation have enlisted.
The first one to join the colors was
Henry Poweskiek, son of James Po-
weshiek, one of the most prominent
Mesquakies at Tama, and the two men
to come later are Bill Jones and Ro-
bert Young Bear. Robert Young Bear
is of the Mesquakie royal family, be-
iny grandson of Chief Push-E-Ton-
Neke-Qua.
Getting Ready for Oversee Service.
For the third time since it's forma-
ton last September, the 88th Nation
al Army division here is settling
down to prepare for overseas service.
On two previous occasions officers and
enlisted men have set to work on the
sixteen weeks training schedule,
which is intended to train the recruits
to a degree Of efficiency suitable for
the final training to be given in
France. The first time was last Oc-
tober, when the second increment Of
the first draft reported and the Sec
ond time was last January, when the
final orders from the War Department
directing the transfer of large num-
bers of men to other divisions knock
ed the plans in the head and it was
taken for granted the Eighty-eighth
division for some time at least, would
be considered replacement organiza-
tion, from which recruits would be
drawn to fill other units. With the
arrival of ten thousand selectives
from Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and
North Dakota, the last of April, the
announcement of call for more than
$4,000 the latter part of the month
from Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri
and the recent statement by the Sec
retary of war that unlimited numbers
would be called out during the next
few months, staff officers are inclined
to believe that there will be few trans
fers from the 88th division from now
on. The men are given vigorous
training. All privileges for leaving
camp except on Sunday have been
Withdrawn.
Conscientious Directors Must Change
Attitude.
From all indications a number of
men who are claiming that religious
scruples prevent them from entering
combantant service, which also means
that they refuse to wear the uniform
of soldier, is not to be a sure re-
lease from military service. Investi-
cation has revealed the fact that a
lot of these men were not over bur-
dened with piety when living at home.
An army officer visited a Mennonite
settlement in Minnesota and upon in
vestigation he found that some of the
men claiming exemptions from SER
vice were never known to have relig-
ious scruples of any kind. Another
bunch of objectors are those who OBJ
ject to medical treatment. 1t has
been stated that these men are Chris
tian Scientists but this is not true.
The members of that faith submit to
every mimiltary requirement without
a murmur. Nobody ever accused that
man Olsen who got Is years in prison
because he refused to be vaccinated,
Of objecting because Of religious faith.
His case was purely contrariness. Un-
der an amendment to array regula-
tions approved by Secretary Baker,
necessary dental work is added to the
remedial treatment to which Al sol