It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack
and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had
been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward
military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions. Mr.
Barriscale was still favorably disposed toward the National Guard.
As president of the Barriscale Manufacturing Company he was a large
employer of both skilled and unskilled labor. There had been times when
differences of opinion between him and his employees had reached the
verge of a strike, with possible violence and disorder looming up in
the distance. Such times might occur in the future. No one could tell.
If they should occur, and if there should be any serious outbreak, an
outbreak beyond the power of the local police or the state constabulary
to quell, then the safety of a half million dollars’ worth of property
might depend on the prompt and efficient action of the soldiers of the
National Guard.
It had been demonstrated, time and again, that the military are always
masters of the mob. This fact may have accounted to some extent for
Mr. Barriscale’s interest in the state militia. And his favorable
attitude toward Company E was doubtless largely due to the further fact
that his only son was now a promising member of that organization. Be
that as it may, when he entered Captain Murray’s office on an ideal
June morning in 1914 it was with a most favorable predisposition toward
the company of which the captain was the commander. It was also with a
due sense of the importance of his errand. But Mr. Barriscale’s errands
were always important. As the head of the greatest industry in the city
of Fairweather, he was, of necessity, one of the city’s leading men,
and he was not averse to being recognized as such.
It was his habit, in matters of business, to waste no time in
preliminary or needless conversation. He was by nature as blunt and
direct as Captain Murray was politic and suave. He might therefore have
been expected to go at once to the purpose of his visit; but, for some
unknown reason, he apparently desired, on this occasion, to approach it
by degrees.
“I am, as you doubtless know,” he said, “a firm believer in the
National Guard. I consider it one of the most important arms of our
state government.”
The captain replied courteously: “I have understood that to be your
attitude, Mr. Barriscale; and of course I fully agree with you.”
“And possibly,” continued the visitor, “you will recall the fact that
I was one of the contributors, I may say the largest contributor,
toward the fund raised by the citizens for the purchase of the ground
on which the State erected your armory, and president of the local
Armory Board.”
“Yes; I remember that circumstance and your service with gratitude.”
“And since my son has been a member of Company E, of course my interest
in your organization has greatly increased.”
“Quite naturally, and very properly.”
The captain was now wondering what all this was leading up to, but his
curiosity was not to be immediately satisfied. So far as prolixity was
concerned, Mr. Barriscale was breaking the habit of a lifetime. He
continued:
“I wish to say that I was particularly impressed with the fine
appearance, the soldierly precision, and the correct military bearing
of your men in the parade on last Memorial Day.”
“Thank you! I appreciate the compliment. I believe the men deserve it.”
“Yes. And I consider it our duty, sir, as civilians, to encourage our
young soldiers to excel in military performance; in fact, sir, to make
your company the crack company in the National Guard of our State.”
“Thank you! That would be a most laudable ambition on the part of my
men.”
“Therefore I have decided to establish a prize of one hundred dollars
to be awarded each year to that enlisted man of your company who
shall be most proficient in military drill, and most faithful in the
performance of all of his military duties.”
“Yes?” Now that the secret was out Captain Murray was not only taken by
surprise, as Mr. Barriscale intended he should be, but he was not quite
sure whether the surprise was an agreeable one. “Yes,” he repeated.
“A most generous proposition on your part. I shall be very glad to
consider its practicability.”
“Oh, I have considered all that,” was the reassuring reply. “The plan
is entirely feasible. I propose to place a fund of twenty-five hundred
dollars in trust, the annual interest on which will pay the expense
of administration and provide the stipulated amount for the prize. As
to the manner of making the award I am not particular. I am entirely
willing that the company commander shall designate the man.”
“I would not think of taking such a responsibility on myself,” replied
the captain promptly. “A commanding officer should avoid everything
which might possibly be construed as an act of favoritism.”
“Yes, I had thought you might hesitate to make an award, and in that
event I had decided to recommend that it be made by a committee of
commissioned officers chosen from the Guard outside of your company.
That method should be entirely satisfactory to the competitors.”
“No doubt it would be. But, of course, the first question to be decided
is that of accepting your most generous offer.”
Mr. Barriscale looked a trifle startled. “You do not mean to intimate,”
he said, “that there is any doubt in your mind about the advisability
of accepting my gift?”
The captain replied diplomatically:
“Regardless of how eager I might be, personally, to take advantage
of your offer, I consider the matter too important to be left to my
unaided judgment. In the first place, your proposition should be
presented to my military superiors for their approval, and, that
obtained, my men should have a voice in the matter of its acceptance.”
Mr. Barriscale was surprised but not disconcerted.
“Your men?” he said inquiringly. “I can understand why your superior
officers should be consulted, but I presumed that it was for your men
to obey orders and abide by rules.”
“Well, you see it’s this way, Mr. Barriscale. In a way military
government is excessively autocratic, and in another way it is,
or should be, highly democratic. It’s the only way to preserve
discipline, and at the same time to keep the men happy, contented and
self-respecting. Now, in a case like this, which lies somewhat outside
of military rules, precedents and discipline, I think it is extremely
important that the men should have their say about it from the start.
It makes a better feeling all the way around. Captain McCormack adopted
that policy years ago, and I have tried to continue it. I think you see
the point.”
“Yes, I see. I suppose popular opinion must be catered to, even in
military matters. Well, have it as you like. There is no doubt but that
your men will eagerly embrace such an opportunity as I offer them, not
only for the sake of the prize itself, but also for the sake of the
incentive to excel that it will give to all of them.”
“Yes.” Captain Murray did not seem to be unduly enthusiastic, and Mr.
Barriscale continued:
“I will have my lawyer put the offer in correct written form, setting
forth the purpose and conditions of the foundation, so that you will
have a concrete proposition to present to your superiors in office. I
will burden the gift with but one unalterable condition, and that is
that the prize shall be known as ‘The Barriscale Prize for Military
Excellence.’”
“A very proper and appropriate name for it, I am sure. I will take
the matter up immediately upon receiving your written offer. In the
meantime permit me to express to you my deep personal gratitude for
your interest in my men.”
There were a few minutes more of courteous conversation, and then Mr.
Barriscale hurried to the street, entered his car, and was driven to
his office at the mills, leaving Captain Murray uncertain, perplexed,
and apprehensive of trouble in the matter of the millionaire’s proposed
gift.
Nor was Mr. Barriscale entirely satisfied with the result of his
interview. As he thought the matter over later, in his office, it
occurred to him that his proposal should have been accepted at once
by the company commander. To refer the offer to the enlisted men
for their approval might imply that there was a question about the
acceptability of his gift, and this was not a pleasing thought to him.
It was inconceivable that a public donation from Benjamin Barriscale
should be looked at askance by the donees. But the situation annoyed
him to such an extent that he was on the point of calling up Captain
Murray by telephone and withdrawing his offer, and doubtless he would
have done so had he not been at that moment interrupted by a business
call of importance. Later in the day, however, when his mind returned
to the topic, his resolution had stiffened, and he decided to see the
matter through, regardless of the manner of reception of his offer.
He had made the proposition, he would stand by his guns. It was not
long, therefore, before he sent to Captain Murray the written plan
for his proposed prize donation. The captain sent it up to regimental
headquarters and asked for instructions. In due time he was advised
that there was nothing in the regulations to prevent the acceptance of
the gift, and that so long as it proceeded from an individual, and not
from a firm or corporation employing workmen, there would appear to be
nothing in military ethics adverse to the idea of acceptance. In short,
it was a matter for the discretion of the company commander, or for the
decision of his enlisted men if he chose to refer the question to them.
Captain Murray was in a quandary. He feared to throw the question of
acceptance open to his men lest the proposed prize should become an
apple of discord. He hesitated to decide the matter himself, lest he
should be considered too autocratic. Moreover, while he felt that the
company could not afford to reject a gift offered by a man of Mr.
Barriscale’s prominence and peculiarity, he well knew that the spirit
in which the offer had been made was not an entirely disinterested
one, and that if the gift were accepted the public would draw its own
conclusions. Many times he heartily wished that the fertile brain of
the millionaire manufacturer had never conceived the idea.
Not so Mr. Barriscale. Having recovered from the slight shock which
Captain Murray’s hesitancy had given him, the more he thought about
his proposition the more pleased he was with his altruistic plan. He
mentioned the matter to his friends and sought their approval, which
he readily obtained; and before the company commander had heard from
headquarters, the subject of the proposed gift had become a town topic.
In the next issue of Donatello’s weekly journal, _The Disinherited_,
there appeared a brief but biting editorial headed: “Is it an Attempt
to Bribe the Military?”
It ran as follows:
“It is reported, credibly, that a citizen millionaire of
Fairweather has made the offer to the company of state soldiery
in this city that he pay $100 for each of the years to one
member of the company who shall be found to be most excellent
in the military drill. So open-faced a scheme is not necessary
to further the capitalistic advantage. The soldiery of the
State know already whom they serve. Should it be that the
workers of the city make a similar offer, it would be hailed
immediately as bribery. We are informed that the members of the
company will vote whether they will accept this millionaire’s
offer. It will be interesting to watch, to see how many of the
uniformed servants of capitalism will by this vote proclaim
their allegiance to those their masters.”
Donatello’s folio sheet was limited in circulation, but within
twenty-four hours after his editorial appeared in print it was being
discussed in Fairweather by all kinds of men in all grades of society,
and was being commended as a proper characterization of a proposed
donation, or else hotly denounced as an insult to an amiable gentleman,
and an unwarranted and vicious attack upon the integrity of Company E
of the National Guard. Nor was the membership of the company itself
entirely free from the bitterness of the controversy.
Captain Murray looked forward with grave apprehension to the company
meeting which had been called to take up the matter. He felt that it
was now more necessary than ever that the men themselves should decide
the question, but he knew that whichever way the vote went the result
would be an unfortunate one.
It was Monday when the opinion came from regimental headquarters;
it was Wednesday night after drill when the members of the company,
pursuant to notice, met as a business organization. Captain Murray was
in the chair. After two or three matters of secondary importance had
been disposed of he read to the men Mr. Barriscale’s written offer. At
the conclusion of the reading he said quietly:
“Owing to the unfortunate controversy which has arisen over this
proposal I have been tempted to take the matter into my own hands
and make a decision, as I have a right to do. But it is my desire
to preserve in the company a spirit of democracy so far as it may be
consistent with military usages and discipline. I am therefore leaving
the matter entirely to you. I have communicated with headquarters, and
I find that there is no military objection to the acceptance of this
gift. If you receive it it should be strictly under the conditions of
the offer. I am ready to entertain a motion.”
Captain Murray had no sooner finished speaking than Private Stone was
on his feet.
“I move,” said he, “that Mr. Barriscale’s gift to Company E be accepted
in accordance with the terms and conditions under which it is offered.”
The motion was promptly seconded.
“Are there any remarks?” asked the chairman. He looked over his
audience apprehensively, and appeared to be greatly relieved to find
that no one seemed to care to discuss the issue.
“If there are no remarks,” he continued, “I will put the question.”
But before he could actually call for the vote, Ben Barriscale rose to
his feet. He was recognized by the chair and said:
“I want to take this opportunity to repeat publicly what I have
frequently declared privately, that inasmuch as this prize is to be
given by my father I will not compete for it. I want to say also, in
answer to many open charges and mean insinuations, that there are
absolutely no strings attached to the gift. It is given in a spirit
of unselfish generosity. I am sure that those who have opposed its
acceptance have not the best interests of the Company at heart. They
have been moved by jealousy and class hatred. We should not let these
unjust suspicions and animosities influence us. We should grasp an
opportunity that may never come to us again. I hope the vote will be
unanimous for the acceptance of this gift. I call for the question.”
The speaker had no sooner taken his seat than Private McCormack arose.
The chairman recognized him and sighed. He felt that the storm he had
anticipated was about to break.
“In view of the remarks just made,” said McCormack, “I feel that it is
my duty to speak. I am opposed to the acceptance of this gift. But I
am not moved by jealousy or class hatred. I am not disputing the good
intentions of the giver. His motive may be an entirely disinterested
one. I do not know. But whether he intends it or not, or whether we
intend it or not, if we accept this gift we will be under an obligation
to him. If we were not we would have no sense of gratitude. The
National Guard has been sufficiently criticized as it is, for taking
the side of capital against labor in all clashes between them. No
doubt we have been accused unjustly, but the fact remains that we are
discredited in the eyes of thousands of good citizens. Don’t let us add
to our unpopularity by accepting from a capitalist this gift with its
implication of value received or to be received. I hope the proposition
will be voted down.”
Before the applause that greeted McCormack’s speech had begun to die
down, Private Barriscale was again on his feet. His face was red with
anger, and his eyes were flashing resentment. His wrath was kindled now
not only against McCormack, but also against all those who, by their
applause, had signified their approval of his words.
“I am surprised,” he said, “that remarks such as you have just heard
should be greeted with applause by any member of this company. The
man who seeks to discredit his comrades in arms, who charges them
with being pawns of capital, prejudiced against the poor, willing to
accept bribes; such a man should be hissed, not applauded. He has
labeled himself. He has shown you where he belongs. But what can you
expect of a man whose bosom friend is the infamous Donatello, and whose
associates are among the leading radicals of this city? I tell you, Mr.
Chairman----”
But he got no further. The hisses of disapproval which greeted
his first sentences had now grown into a roar of protest. Halpert
McCormack, in spite of his economic vagaries, was respected by and
popular with his fellow guardsmen, and they would not listen to this
bitter denunciation of him. The room was in an uproar. A half dozen
men were loudly demanding recognition by the chair, a score of others
were protesting volubly against Barriscale’s ranting, while half as
many more were declaring that he was entirely justified in all that he
had said.
Then Captain Murray took the matter into his own hands. Those who
chanced to be looking at him saw his jaws close together with a snap,
and saw fire flash from his eyes. His gavel came down on the block with
a mighty crash, once, twice, and thrice.
“Order!” he shouted. “Every man in his seat at once!”
When, a few seconds later, the tumult was quelled, he continued:
“In view of what has just taken place here, and for the sake of harmony
in the ranks, I will myself decide what disposition shall be made of
Mr. Barriscale’s offer. As there is nothing else before the meeting I
will entertain a motion for adjournment.”
Corporal Manning made the motion, it was duly seconded, and the meeting
was adjourned. But the controversy was not thereby ended, nor was
Captain Murray’s task made easier. He debated the matter in his own
mind for twenty-four hours, and on the second day following the company
meeting he went to the office of Mr. Barriscale at the mills, and was
at once admitted into the big man’s presence. But before he could make
known his errand the mill-owner, apparently anticipating it, began:
“I have been expecting you, Captain. I think I know your errand.
Perhaps you will now agree with me that the proper way would have been
for you yourself to have accepted my gift on the start. It is very easy
for one or two malcontents to make serious trouble when a matter like
this is left to a popular vote.”
“I may have made a mistake, Mr. Barriscale,” replied the captain, “but
I feel that it would have been just as serious a mistake for me to have
decided the matter on the start. I feel that it will be an extremely
serious and delicate task for any one to decide the matter in the
present temper of the men of my company; and I have come to ask you to
relieve me from this embarrassing situation.”
“How can I relieve you, Captain?”
“By withdrawing your offer, or permitting it to be held in abeyance
until the storm blows over.”
Mr. Barriscale did not at once reply. Whether he was considering a
course of action, or whether he had already made up his mind, could not
be readily discovered. He knew of the incident at the company meeting.
His son had told him of it in great detail. He knew also of the
opposition that existed, both inside and outside the company, to the
acceptance of the gift. He himself felt that, under the circumstances,
it might be wise not to force the issue. To force it might easily
result in his further humiliation. To permit the matter to be held up,
as a favor to the company commander, could but redound to his credit.
His course of action was therefore plain.
“Captain Murray,” he said at last, and he spoke with great
impressiveness; “it is far from me to add to the problems which must
constantly perplex you, and I do not see how, in justice to you, I can
do otherwise than accede to your request. The matter may be held in
abeyance for an indefinite period.”
The captain gave a sigh of relief, and held out his hand in gratitude.
“But,” added Mr. Barriscale, clinging to his visitor’s hand, “I must
be permitted to express my surprise and dismay, that there should be
in your company young men so ignorant, so prejudiced, so saturated
with anti-government fallacies, as to oppose a gift like this from
me because I chance to have some wealth and to be at the head of a
prosperous corporation.”
The captain answered lightly:
“Oh, I don’t think we should take these young radicals seriously, Mr.
Barriscale. They make liberalism an outlet for intellectual exuberance.
They’ll all get over it in time. Besides, we have only a few of them in
the company anyway. Not enough to do us any harm.”
“That may be true, Captain; but you should not have one. Such men are a
menace to society, and distinctly dangerous in a military organization.
If we cannot depend on our organized militia in times of emergency,
then indeed we will be at the mercy of the mob. As one having the best
interests of the Guard at heart, permit me to urge that you rid your
company of such disturbing elements. Weed out every man of radical
tendencies without delay. I shall be more than happy to assist you in
such a task.”
Captain Murray thanked the mill-owner for his consideration and his
interest and withdrew. But the relief he had felt in having the issue
relating to the prize indefinitely postponed was now turned into a
feeling of anxiety concerning some of his best men. He knew that Mr.
Barriscale’s offer of assistance was no more nor less than a veiled
threat; and while Halpert McCormack’s name had not been mentioned in
the interview, there was no doubt that that young soldier would be made
to suffer for his temerity at the company meeting, so far as it lay in
the power of the millionaire manufacturer and his son to bring such
suffering about.