Show The Training Camp and What It Means Fortunate indeed are arc the men who enlisted for the Fort Douglas military training camp In the first place they they have the finest army post in America To the back bacle backof of the barracks are the magnificent Wasatch mountains while hile stretching in between them and the Oquirrh range there lie the city and the rich valley stretching for miles to o the southward The visitors to the camp go into over the beauty of the picture Th Then n for this camp the men have ilave in Lieutenant Colonel Johnson Hagood an officer ot of tho Uio highest standIng standIng standing stand stand- ing courteous and efficient who is assisted by a staff of or picked officers The Tile regulars down to the private soldier have received the citizens in the most cordial spirit and every everyone one of or them seems more snore than anxious to make the rookies feel at ease There is a democratic democratic demo demo- cratic spirit about the camp that is refreshing anti and gives one a hint of what army life must be under such sucha a system as Switzerland has baa where every man feels that it is his duty and a welcome duty at that to prepare himself him self to fight for his flag if it is ever necessary t to fight There is no fine distinction drawn between the tile soldier and any other good citizen but there the army is looked up up-to up to as it should be where all of the men fighting side sideby sideby sideby by side are like brothers prepared to lie die if Ir necessary for fora a cause they thoy love There is some ot at this spirit at Fort Douglas and it makes ones one's patriotic heart beat all the tho faster to realize that with all the knocking there are still some red bl blooded oded m men n who believe they can serve their country and still be kind gentle and sympathetic and just as good citizens as those cranks who condemn the army because they do not understand it and who feel that thc they must surrender all their rights and their liberties if th the army grows Whether the citizen learn much of military science in one short month does not m matter so much for it itis is certain they will get something greater from their experience experience at Fort Douglas The They will catch the spirit of service to ones one's country they will be b made to realize in that month of intensive drilling that it is a big task to tot t Iran ran an army r and to m make ke it really efficient They will understand then how really idiotic are such statements as that made by the well meaning William Villiam Jennings Bryan when I he ite e said th that t there was no need for alarm in inthis inthis inthis this country where we could recruit an army of a million mil miJ lon lion overnight We dare say that men capable of thinking think ing men men of experience who wh have had the handling 0 of oI other men will men will come to realize before the Fort Douglas encampment is over that months were months years were necessary necessary nee essary to bring brin the fighting hUng machine downto that fine systematic condition where it dan can all really strike terror to a aloe foe loe and furnish the protection that it is supposed to furnish furnish furnish fur fur- nish to the defenseless and the weak We are proud of the showing Salt Lake has bas made against great odds in this encampment It is natural of course ourse that Salt Lake should send proportionately more men than any other community but hut we believe that as Salt Lake has done better hetter even than necessary she deserves some praise The men on the committee fought against discouraging odds for the public was slow in awakening to the rea real meaning of the camp Denver the largest city in the intermountain country larger than any five other cities in the territory represented by this camp practically ignored this appi appeal al of the United States Slats government to send citizens to train themselves themselves' to give service to their thel country if such service is ever eyer eyer ne needed ded Denver had l no o timo time to think of patriotic duty she was yas too busy thinking of the benefits that might accrue to Salt Lake City should the Fort Douglas Douglas' encampment encampment encampment en en- be a a. great success Now it is a tremendous success and army officials are elated to think such sucha a i large Jarge enrollment could be secured in a territory comparatively comparatively so sparsely settled It It is inde indeed d a good show show- jn 2 despite the fact that Denver Butte and some other cities showed themselves to be le un-American un in their at toward this great and anti important citizens' citizens move ment Now men who ho did enlist tire are beginning to realize how llou wise they were Hero they are receiving the best beat treatment treat ment luent that any camp so far fill has received The United States government is meeting all expenses It is not necessary for a man to buy his uniform unless he wishes to buy it The very best of food is furnished him free He lo only makes a deposit of 5 5 to protect the government government govern govern- ment merit against any destruction of property and the 5 5 is returned if he does no damage to the property to him The men are housed in comfortable barracks with easy tots Cots and excellent bedding There are shower baths and a swimming pool and arid a splendid place to drill drill to to say nothing of the tile fine flue rifle range where the men enjoy practice with good The citizen gets all ail the tile best of this while he lie gives hi his time timeto to his country He lie also gives his health the best chance it ever had with systematic exercise with the rigid rule of early to bed and early to rise enforced with nourishing nourishing nourish nourish- ing leg food without any with plenty of oC marching march ing and other exercise and lots o of fresh air he lIe is hound bound to add years to his hi life with this splendid training We Va feel proud to wear the uniform of the United States army That uniform stands for a lot It stands for the freedom of speech we enjoy it stands for our representation with taxation it stands for humanity it stands for or a policy of guarding the weak and intimidating ing the vicious That uniform gave to the Cubans a freedom freedom free free- dom doln that they had long dreamed for but had hardly hoped that uniform threw off orr the yoke of oppression in the Philippines and it if It were not for the experience that uniform represents we would not today In this country have the tile right to criticise our government we would have havea a n. government ruled over by a tyrant king instead of by bya a humanitarian president We Ve would not have the choice of naming the men who are to temporarily govern we wo would have nothing to say about the laws that we areo are 10 o obey ober we would woud have no voice in the fixing of our taxes we would have no flO 0 trial by jury It took fighting to get all these blessings and it took systematic fighting at that The men with the arm army uniforms on brought an end to tho the rule that might t made right and today are laying down clown their lives so that those who come after them would not have to submit to the fanatical belief that kings rule by divine will So the man who looks upon the uniform as representing a power anxious to crush him should stop and use for one moment the brain God has given him if he has not been overlooked ed and he will i that uniform ought to mean to him a friend and anda a protector If f it were not for that uniform and the things it represents he would have liars nothing to lose he would have nothing worth fighting for today As a word of caution we would like to remind the en soldiers that when a man in a a. civilian suit does something for which he can be criticised he is bringing down censure only for himself As an individual he has hasa a right to subject himself to adverse criticism if he wishes to But when he puts on the uniform of the United States army and does anything that brings shame upon it he is blackening a great body of men and he certainly has no right tight to do this The army as a whole we are Sorry to say is judged by narrow minded people for the faults of a few who wear uniforms and therefore a man commits a double crime when he does a disgraceful thing while dressed as a t I. soldier He wrongs not only himself but thousands of his lila fellows We sincerely hope no mem mem- her ber of the citizens' citizens camp will make male any mistakes that will make the reg regular lar wearers of the uniform feel ashamed We hope they will all realize and feel deeply the pride that should go with the wearing of a uniform and take tale every advantage of the great opportunity they have at t Fort Douglas to learn many valuable lessons that may some day enable them to repay their great Country for the blessings s it has given them I |