The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-08-03
REVOLT SPIRIT.
BEGINS TO CROW
IN The ARTILLERY
Bad Treatment Makes
Them Think
(By End ear National Guardsman

(By End ear National Guardsman)
If any worker still has doubts in
his mind about the closeness of a
new world war, let him just watch
the National Guard in action. This
is my second year and second time
at camp as National Guardsman.
l belong to the 212th Coast Artillery
CAnti-Aircraft). I've just come
back from camp at Fort Ontario, Os-
wego, N. Y. and, want to tell the
readers of the Daily Worker some
of the things l saw.
For Future Strike Duty"
Up at Fort Ontario we were given
two weeks of intensive training. Our
training consisted of work on the
anti-aircraft (75 mm.) guns. Other
batteries worked on the machine
guns, transporting ammunition, lay
ing down telephone lines, etc. Be-
sides the regular work of an ar
tillery regiment we had infantry drill
more or less regularly. Now, it
might be asked, why should an ar
tillery regiment worry about in
fantry drill and the use of a rifle ?
Our officers told us why-because we
may be called out some day ION
strike duty or riot duty"
All the rest of the work was done
in a war preparation fashion. Dis
cipline was harsh, as usual. The
Articles of War" were pounded
again and again into us SO that we
might never forget we were under
the rule of the U. S. army. The
military work was carried on in such
a way that every worker there could
realize that this was open prepara-
ton for war.
Harsh Treatment for Men.
The officers, generally speaking,
did whatever they wanted. The men
treated with contempt. Any sign of
revolt from the men was received
with harsh sentences. know of two
cases of two fellows in Headquarters
Battery. These fellows were on
guard duty for a "a hour stretch
they worked IA hours apiece. A day
or two later they were sent out on
detail guard again-for another "a
hour stretch. They quite justly re-
fused to go and were Immediately
showed into the guardhouse.
Graft and Favoritsm Reign.
The whole damned National Guard
is Z shot thru with graft and
fayoritism. Every top sergeant
!, tries to get his little bit and that
stunt is of course repeated higher
up. The equipment is often rotten,
but the buck privates always get the
rotten equipment. Those who do
little "handshaking" (bootlicking)
get some better stuff. 1t is current
gossip among the men in the regi-
ment that some of the guns in use
are very old and should have been
retired long ago. These guns have
shot more rounds than they are sup
posed to and today are a constant
menace to the men, They may ex-
plode at any shot right at the
breech.
Men Getting Wise.
But many of the young workers
in the National Guard are beginning
to realize its nature. The treatment
given US by the officers makes us
see very well that the officers come
from different world from us. We
are mostly workers. The officers
are rich business men or men in
comfortable jobs. They have money,
education, social position, etc. They
move in different world from US.
They, in short, are bosses. Thus it
is easy to see that the struggle of
the enlisted men in the army against
their harsh officers is just counter
part of the old fight of "Class
Against Class"
COAST ARTILLERYMAN