The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1891-08-18
THAT ENCAMPMENr.
The Way in Which the La Grande Ca
zette'' Puts it.

The Way in Which the La Grande Ca
zette'' Puts it.
The following article is copied from
the La Grande Gazette and is published
here to show now utterly low down
some menscan get.
Some more of Colonel T. A. Hough-
toms fine work has come to light in con-
nection with the Sd regiment encamp-
ment recently held near The Dalles.
The pay allowed militiamen in encamp-
ment is two and three dollars per day
for commissioned officers and dollar
and half day for on-commissioned
officers and privates. Company K
turned out forty-eight men and last
week the pay roll came up in which pri-
Yates were allowed nine, and commits
stoned officers twelve an eighteen dol
lars for the six days encampment. The
pay roll in this condition was duly
signed, but when the time came last
Tuesday evening for receiving checks
each members pay was discounted
thirty-fve cents. This was explained
as being the amount due from each
soldiers for the use of alleged mattresses
during the encampment. As matter
of fact the mattresses were made of a
couple of wool sacks and each mattress
accommodated six soldiers, and in this
way every mattress, provided at an ex-
pense of about seventy-ive cents, has
yielded return of $21O. It is dead,
rank steal and that's all that can be
made of it, and the transaction shows
itself to be such on the face of it.
Otherwise it would not have been neces-
sary to procure the boys signatures to
the pay roll and then give them check
for thirty-fve cents less than the amounts
signed for. This amount could not be
deducted on the pay roll so as to show
for itself as straightforward transac-
tion, but must be filched from the boys
at the last moment, when it was thought
that the amount being so small that no
onewould make kick but would-as
they in fact were-be glad to get any
thing.
Still, this little, small Job on the part
of the Colonel was not unexpected, when
he paid $500 rental for stubble field
three miles from The Dalles for a camp
ground. instead of accepting the free use
of the fair grounds for that purpose.
There was no "divy" coming on the fair
ground proposition, and no chance to
sell the boys circus lemonade. 1t would
be interesting to know how much these
and similar side issues netted the Col
onel during the encampment.
The cost of the. mattress referred to
was not provided for in the stale appro-
priation. 1t occurred to the officers at
headquarters that If a7cheap straw mat
tress were provided for the men they
would gladly pay. the cost in preference
to sleeping on the hard ground. The
captain of Company K at La Grande
was consulted by letter, as were the cap
tains of all other companies. Word
came from all points that the boys would
| pay for the mattress and from Company
K with the rest. Colonel Houghton or
dered from the firm of Prinz & Nitschke
of this city the material for eighty mat
tresses, each one of which contained
seven yards of burlap seventy six inches
wide. The burlap cost sixteen cents 9
yard, the cutting and makiug cost
twenty cents each and the firm charged
profit of eight cents each, that is SC. AZ
on a sale, amounting to $112 Wher
the Gazette talks of a dead steal he dis
plays the density of his. ignorance
These mattresses had to be filed will
straw. The straw, and the hauling anc
filling cost $685. These figures vii
show where chance for a steal cam,
in. 1t was all the other way. TIL,
mattresses were furnished at loss. Al
regards the $500 rental for the allegec