The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-10-24

ed from a member of Company X. on
strike duty at Indiana Harbor:
l have Just returned with my squad
from an early morning turn at guard
duty. Three ginger cakes and a green
apple, gotten from a little bakery in
the outskirts have constituted my
breakfast sufficiently to induce me 70
toreso the delight of walking 2 more
miles to mess quarters for the appe-
thing odors which accompany a WASH
boiler full Of stale scrambled eggs,
platter Of strong ham, and a tub full
OF Lyonnaise potatoes, dished up by
so many dusky, greasy knights Of
the Skillet" in impartial quantities in
true military precision.
You at home may wonder how, with
eggs at zoe dozen anyone could or
would deliberately and Of his own free
will and accord walk away rather than
toward this aforesaid wash boiler full
OF scrambled extravaganza, but the
same question might as reasonably be
raised as to why any one Of US would
not joyfully walk into den of skunks
in order to procure an expensive fur
coat for his wife FREE of charge.
This every morning advance upon
the eggs they serve us / have come to
believe is a test of courage, feat OF
superiors to gauge the efficiency Of the
troops, and is an indication of what
can be expected for any service what
ever.
Monster Gun Factory.
With three other companies we are
comfortably quartered in what used to
be a government office building. Work
men are busy dismantling an immense
steel and brick building constructed
by the government and equipped for
the making Of six-inch guns. We are
told this was one of the finest plants
of it's kind in the country. Within the
high board fence the premises we oc-
cupy, are stored s8,000000 worth OF
steel bars, about the size Of railway
ties-each one weighing about ton.
happen to be seated upon huge 10
inch shell and about me on every hand
are piled thousands of similar ones
all in an unfinished state, and one can
not but wonder what an enormous
amount of destruction and horror was
prevented with their non-completlon.
AS they lie, piled high row upon row
they appear as huge monument to
the resourcefulnesS of our country IN
time OF need.
Most Of our boys are seeing sights
they never saw before. The huge roll
ing mills with the dazzling light OF
their many furnaces and the thunder
Gus roar of their huge machinery are
of much interest, particularly at night
when tons Of glowing metal and
myriads Of showering sparks from the
heavcy steam hammers make con-
slant pyrotecnical display, SURPRISING
any 4th of July celebration.
have often thought what luck 1t
would be were Richmond to procure
just one such plant as many that are
here, but since my coming here and
seeing first hand, the element OF cltl-
Zenship which must necessarily &C
company the successful operation OF
such industries, our town can con-
graduate herself upon her more mod
est and refined accomplishments IN
the way of industries. l am told 81
per cent. of the population are
mans, Poles, etc. 400 can neither
speak nor understand our language.
They practically control municipal af-
fairs and hold the balance Of power.
Well Received by Some.
We have been we'll received by such
residents as appreciate the enforce
y Jnent Of law and order but the ma
jority of those we see upon the streets
apparently regard US as antagonists.
They do not seem to understand we
are here to render absolutely Impair
tial service, to them as we'll as to their
employers. This ignorance as to just
what the duties of the militia are, is
not confined by any means either 10
the foreign and ignorant classes of
cur state and country, many persons
in our own home town having an en-
tirely wrong conception of what we are
maintained for.
The regulations, Article %, under
which we exist, very emphatically
states: The attitude of troops must
be strictly impartial, especially in la
Dor disturbances. They should abso-
lutely prevent all disorder, no matter
from what source but should take ex-
IRENE care to show no favors to any
side Of the controversy"
Boiling the matter down, our Or
ganization is maintained to protect
life and property, whether from
strikers, rioters, lynching parties or
mob violence of any sort.
Inevitable Sacrifices.
ANY one who thinks we are enjoy
ing a lark" ought TO put in just one
or two days doing guard duty at
night or kitchen police through the
day, all the time under strict military
of service. Every man of us has re-
Sp0nsibilities in his home and business
that he can i'll afford to leave and
which he has had to give up at more
or less personal loss.
The magnificent sum of $3.50 per
day hardly buys bread and milk for
} the Riddles at home. Still every man
is looking at the matter philosophical
ly, in making the best of bad pre-
dicament, and is making the sacrifice
Cheerfully
There is no organization in exist
ence that so successfully levels its in
dividual membership as this, and this
is conspicuOusly in evidence in our
own Company X. Regardless of the
existing differences in every mans
condition socially and financially,
every mothers son of us is on an equal
scale. Not one feels himself better
than another and there has developed