The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-03-19
START DRIVE FOR
AN ARMORY HERE
Cavalry Troop to Start
Agitation to Bring Arm
DRY Building Here.
WANT PUBLIC SUPPORT

bring to Kenosha a real armory to
house the local cavalry troop has been
launched by Troop e, 105th Cavalry,
'Kenosha's own" with the beginning
of agitation which aims to set before
the citizens of the city the Importance
and the dire necessity involved IN Sc
curing immediate action on the prob
lem which faces the present cavalry
organization in providing quarters.
John D. Alexander, captain and COM
manding officer of the troop, is taking
the lead in sponsoring the drive and
is enlisting the aid Of every organ
ization in the community in pledging
its moral support. The immediate OBJ
ject, it is pointed out, is not the rails
Ing of funds-although that will be
necessary--but the stirring up OF
enough public interest educated to
know the facts involving the mainten-
ance of troop of cavalry in Kenosha.
With this education firmly implanted
in the minds of the people, Capt, Alex
ander believes, the next step will be
comparatively easier.
is A Hometown Affair.
eve want to tell the people Of Ke-
nosha why we need an armory first,
emphasized Capt. Alexander. "We
went to remind them of the days back
in 1917 when the town was seethlng
with patriotism and enthusiasm-the
nothing too good atti-
tnde. Back in 1917 Kenosha didn't
have national guard unit. When the
call came to fill up the first WIscon-
sin cavalry. Kenosha was allotted a
cavalry troop. A group Of men were
enlisted and they drilled wherever
they could, in the old coliseum, in
Guild hall, on the streets. ! remem-
Der viyidly one big rally that was held
on Market Square. Col. Mccoy was
there, the mayor was there, the towns
leading citizens were there to wish US
god speed. We were going to war.
These men regretted that Kenosha
didn't have national guard unit when
| the war broke out. They assured US
of many things for the time We would
come back. We were to go and get the
Kaiser and all that sort of thing and
when we would come back they assur-
ed us that we would have an armory
in Kenosha to house US.
ana 1ney Oame back
"And then two years later we came
back. Thousands of Kenoshans greet
ed us at the station. We were muster
ed out, we put away the o. DIS and got
into our civies. But we didn't find any
farmory. Kenosha was then allotted a
company of infantry and after a hard
drive it was found that it couldn't go.
There weren't enough men who would
join, Then someone preached cavalry.
| They gave Kenosha Troop F, First
Wisconsin cavalry. Some of us thought
that it would be nice to retain the
identity of the old war troop and we
| pulled the strings on the powers that
be and got our letter changed to Troop
E. We got many of the old crowd to-
gether and now after five years we
have carried on. Troop q is now known
as the best cavalry troop in the state.
Just the other day / got letter from
the Adjutant General of the United
States Army at Washington commend
ing Troop E for having the best at
| tendance record of any organization
in the Sixth Corps Area. At Camp
Douglas last year the troop was made
| the Standard Troop of the regiment.
We took second in company drill-los-
ing out only because the troop that
took first had taken the pains to oil
the horses hoofs while we hadn't. We
| took third in the first meet, / dare say
that there isn't a troop anywhere in
the sixth corp area that can claim as
good record as we have made.
| a.
"Today Troop E has its temporary
quarters on eleven acres of property
OF. the south side of the city-but no
armory. We have only the blue sky
as our roof. There isn't q place for
the troopers to wash themselves after
drill unless they go to the water
trough for the horses. There are 65
men out there who come out and stay
with US in every sort of weather with
the biggest handicaps any troop can
stand. But that isn't going to dis
courage US. Well function just as
long as we get place to stable our
horses. On April LIST the present
lease expires, and then we don't know
what we'll do for quarters"
With this background Captain Alex
ander makes the suggestion that Keno
sha ought to take deeper interest in
the problems Of the troop. He points
out what financial benefits it brings to
the city.
"The state pays for the maintenance
Of the troop $4,000 per year" he declar-
ed. "The federal government pays into
Kenosha $12,e35 ever year. This latter
sum is divided into $4,000 for forage,
81 500 per year for permanent stable
help, $4,000 annually for drill payroll,
and $685. per year for the services of
veterinary surgeon. All of this
money is spent in the city of Kenosha.
Kenosha merchants get the benefit of
it.
| National Defense Act Requirement.
"The argument is often advanced
that the troop Of cavalry here is too
expensive to maintain and that it
| ought to be done away with. The Ma
/ tionaI Defense Act requires that SO
many units be in existence and if Ke-
nosha doesn't have it some other city
will because the law and national de-
tense demands it. The taxes will be
| Just the same whether Kenosha gets
| the troop or not. The troop has equip
/ ment at Camp Williams valued at $780,
/ 600.
"The state Of Wisconsin appropri-
ates S1,253,Oo0 for the same purpose"
! Capt Alexander continued to show
how other cities had met and solved
the problem of an armory and have
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