Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 January 1896 — MUTINY IN THE ARMY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

MUTINY IN THE ARMY

SALVATIONISTS REBEL AGAINST THEIR ENGLISH GENERAL. Tbe Boldier« in America Do Not Want -to Have Wellington Booth Go Away —Whatjtho Popular Leader and Hl* Wife Have Bone. • .• - ...... — : —! : Lesson of ’76 Again. The,peremptory order from Gen. Booth, commander-Jn-ehief of the Salvation Army! relieving Ballington Booth of Abe command-in America has called forth a protest from the 30,000 soldiers who fairly worship the commander and his Wife. Tt»e army was stunned by the B»W8. It asked for gn explanation, a reason why its leader should be taken away. He answered sadly that he knew noth.irig more than what the brief order contained. Not a word of information accompanied it. There was no new* of

ivhere he was to go or who would be ljis successor. “I am a soldier. I must obey,” said the commander. “I ask you, all to make my burden as light as possible.” The array refuses to listen to his entreaties or to accept the order. Meetings are being arranged in every part of the country. Protests and petitions of all kinds will be forwarded to the international headquarters in Loudon. The seeds of mutiny have been set, and if a conciliatory answer is not received froth Gkn. Booth the members of the army in Amor Tea may form an independent wiug, with Balfington Booth as sole leader. Nine years ago Ballington Booth, son of Gen. William Booth, the founder and

sbsolute commander of the Salvation ,rmy, was sent to this country to take charge of the scattered forces, who were making little progress here. He was an Englishman horn and bred. He brought with him his wife, the daughter of a Church of England clergyman. They entered at once upon tlio work and have accomplished wonderful things. Mrs. Booth is as much of a commander as her husband, and in every undertaking she has had an equal share. . , They found here about COO officers and 0,000 soldiers, poorly organised and standing very low in public estimation. To-day there are 2,100 officers and 3,500 local officers, the latter being men and women who work at their various callings in the daytime and devote their evenings and Sundays to army work. There are GSO corps and 30,000 soldiers. 0/ institutions the army has 1C ■ slum posts, G rescue homes, 22 training garrisons for cadets, 4 food pots, numerous houses of relief in various cities, and'C outrider circuits in the mining camps of the West. In addition to this there is the War Cry, with a weekly circulation of 90,000. In the larger cities the anhy has gradually been acquiring property, the headquarters building in New York City being the largest and finest. One result of which the Booths are proudest is the fisc of the army in ptib-

lig estimation. At first churches and people generally gave no approval or support. Having got their hosts thoroughly organized and accomplished telling results. Commander and Mrs. Booth commenced, work among the higher social classes. An auxiliary corps was started and it now numbers among its mouthers leading ministers. Governors, Senators and many men of wealth. . The army had distinctly risen in the social scale wheii Gen. William Booth' came to this country last year. The progress of the. American army In popular esteem seemed especially -to displease aim, and he preached continually about the necessity of keeping down every tendency to rise above the gutter. The independence of the American army and its evident tendency to cut loose from English ride and methods caused runny sharp mlks to officers. He saw that a continuation meant ultimate separation. He said -lie army was too much Americanized. After leaving this country Aden. Booth started on a tour of the world to investigate the wings of the army in various regions. Ho sent from India tho order relieving Ballington Booth of {ho command in America. At the same time he relieved the commanders in several other countries. He is determined that the armies shall feel that they are all under his command and that every country shall be subservient to English rule. International headquarters it) London have continually Interfered in the affafr* of the American army, countermanding orders and giving*

directions that seemed unwise to the lead, era here. No appointment to high ritnk ' can be made without approval of London. AH these things have been borne in silence, never getting outside of the ranks of the officers, but the order removing the commander and his wife was more than they could endure. The soldiers talk of the revolution of 177(1, and. say it is time for the Americans so again Arise against, the English. If the orders are trot rescind-' ed the army will take ineasures to declare Itself independent of London domination.

GEN. WM. BOOTH.

MR. AND MRS. BALLINGTON EOOTH.