The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1885-03-21
ARMY HONOR A MYTH.
Army Officers Placed In False Position
The Life They Live. -" FVf

army Omcefb Flhceu IN raise EOsItlOu-
The Life They Live. r." EVf
Washington Cor Chicago rrbune.l q \
So.called army honor is myth. That
is to say, there is no higher sense of
honor among the army officers as class
than there is among people of equal
education and position in other occupa-
tions of life. | doubt if there is as
much The truth Of it is, the army
oil GERS are placed in false position
through the attentions paid tliem
by society. An army othver comes
to Washington and he is invited every
where and is called upon to associate
with people who have plenty of money.
As a natural result he soon becomes
involved financially. "A msln who feels
the sharp pressure of debt cannot al
ways a ord the luxury of indulgng in
the most rigid ideas of what is strictly
honorable. None of them have any
better pay than the department and
bureau chiefs Yet these o,hcers live
at the best hotels as general thing,
have carriages, dress well, and are seen
everywhere. The department clerks,
who have equal salaries, live in the
back rooms of cheap boardIngshouseS,
wear shabby clothes, and never go in
society.
A second lieutenant has s 400, first
lieut. nant 81 600 that is, if he is
mounted. An uEmounted first lieuten-
ant gets 81, 500. A captain not mounted
is paid 81, 500; a captain mounted has
s., 900. 1t will be seen that up to the
grade of captain OIL GERS rank with the
department clerks SO far as salary goes.
! When you get above captain you strike
the salaries paid to the chiefs OF bureaus
A ma. or is paid ~, 400, a lieutenant
colonel 50, 900, a colonel ) 0U 1t il
only when you reach TIE rank Of briga
dier general that the pay Of senator
or member is reacneb q A brigadiel
general is paid -, 100, a ma or genera
4 $1,000, and the lieutenant genera
Sii 900 per annun.
There is no one who can live comfort
ably in VI ashington and keep house ant
maintain any sort OF social footing upoI
less than ", 100 year, and in such
case as that the most rigid econom,
would have 10 Le practiccd 1t woult
not be possible to do any entertainin5 !
Ten thousand dollars Il year would no
do much more than give one a modes
position in the list OF those who enter
tain. The rates at all of the hotels il
Washington are high, yet it will b
found that officers whose pay is no
large enough to pay any regular boar
bills. at the hotels always live in sue
places, and it has never been discovere
! that they deny themselves any of til
comforts or luxurits OF life.
1t has always iecn Il mystery how
lieutenant with a salary of $l@5 amonth
or captain with Sl.0 Month, cal
{ live in Washington rs they do eve
8 when they are single, hut when man
of them support families into the bar
gain and have no rich relatives back Q
! them the marvel still increases Nearl
all of the army men belong toa nambe
OF clubs. There is not an officer in tow
that does not ielong to The Ar ~ an
I Navy German club This gives a nun
Der Of entertainments during the season
The assessl ent must take at least on
months pay during sort social SCI
J son A number Of tue officers belon
g to the Metropolitan club. The init +;
tion fee is 50 and the anpual dues n
$50 more Cards are played for stak,
at this clud, and those who resuIarl
e visit the club woul hard y expect
I avoid spending ~ or ~ each day ;
:, least in the way OF rcfrc5hmlnts {
> moderate amusement . .-. .g.,. g.