Morning journal and courier., 1888-07-24
NO. I73

third year he gets fourteen dollars, the fourth year fifteen dollars, and when his term ex- pires he Is receiving sixteen dollars. Now if he re-enlists within thirty days his wages will be increased two dollars a month. mak- ing privates pay, after he has been in the army five years, eighteen dollars month. or two hundred and sixteen dollars. That amount, however, is clear profit. Every thing in the line of clothes and rstions that is necessary the government furnishes.
 ''Now," added the old soldier, "vhere is the man who works for two dollars a day who is better off than private in Uncle Sam's police foree!"
 r The question seemed difficult and the re. porter gave it up.
 That's not all though, :" resumed the mili- tary man, who evidently was proud of his vocation. Eff 8 man after enlistment and assignment to post is found out te be skill full at any trade so much the better; he can
 make it pay. If he is a shoemaker he can find plenty of employment and compensa- tion. If he is barber he can always find subjects for his razor. If he is a tailor he can reap harvest. Tailors are usually In demand and consequently in luck. In the last post in the West at which was sta- tioned, the regimental tailor-an enlisted pri- vats had practically nothing else to do but work at his trade, except perhaps occasion ally do guard duty. What do you think he saved during his five years servicei'' The newspaper man couldn't guess. Between forty-five hundred and five thou sand dollars" was the reply. "Of course this man was careful in his habits; he didn't drink and he didn't play poker. But his case may be cited to show what man can accumulate while serving his country in the modest capacity of an army private"
 "What are the highest wages paid by the government to an enlisted so1dier?" was asked
 "The hospital steward is the highest paid man in the regiment. He gets forty.five dollars month-fve hundred and forty dol lars year and all his expenses paid. A cor poral gets two dollars more than 8 private, or fifteen dollars month for the first two years and one dollar more each subsequent year, with twenty dollars for his second en- listnent. A sergeant gets two dollars more than corporal, and Tn five years receives one thousand and twenty dollars"
 "Have you found that most of the men in the army are foreignersf' inquired the Her. aid man.
 ''That is often stated" was the answer, ''but it is not the truth. My experience, which has been quite extensive, has shown me that native Americans form the majority of our men. There are of course many Irishmen and Germans who enlist, but they are in the minority"
 'sWho make the best soldiersl''
 " w 6ll, prODaDly the G6rmaQS maK6 Gl0 best soldiers on post duty. They are usual 1y well up in the manual. On campaign say out West against the Indians-where we have to make long marches over sandy or rocky country, with our accoutrements on our backs, fifty pounds of ammunition in our belts, the sun pouring down it's heat from above, with no water except the few pints in our canteens-in marches where we have to go thirty and thirty-fv miles day under such disagreeable circumstances-the German is apt to flag. He can't stand it as well as the tough. hardy, native American. The American makes the best all around sol- dier. He's hard to beat"
 fAre there many desertions?'
 "The proportion of assertions is quite small in this country. The service is volun- tary and the discipline is not unnecessarily severe. Besides 1t is hard for a man to de- sert without being recaptured. Very fre- queutly soldiers surrender themselves. Ais ter few months of freedom they discover that after all soldering compares favorably with manual labor as private citizen" Glow about soldiers marrying?" ttThe government doesn't want married men. An enlisted man must get permission from the commandant of his company before he can become benedict. At military posts I there are generally one or two men in com psuy, sometimes more, who are married If ! their wives do the laundry work of the com- pany they are paid for it. Otherwise mar ried soldier gets no more rations than if he were single man."