The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-07-20
LABOR AND THE MILITARY.

In an attempt made to excuse the Of
ficers of the National Guard for re-
ceiving and acting upon complaints re-
garding the pay allowed members OF
their companies by the Executive De-
partment of the Government, 1t is
stated that the officers are but extend
ing friendly assistance to those under
them. and have not by their methods
overstepped the bounds of military pro
priety. To the interest which individual
members of the military take in each
others financial condition we can offer
no objection. Let the bond of social
friendship among the members OF the
several companies be as close as they
wish TO make it. The closer the better.
There is a point, however, when the
officers, as military men, can allow
their friendship to go altogether too
far. and this is just the direction in
which the officers of the National Guard
are tending.
When the officers meetings were hrst
inaugurated it was anticipated that the
object of the weekly gatherings was to
discuss matters of discipline, other
thousand and one questions that come
ND in the handling of a military force,
and the general Improvement OF the
service. This was looked upon as
very good move, as indeed it was. At
the present time, to all appearances,
the officers seem to have come to the
conclusion that the service is perfect,
and they can now turn their attention
to other affairs. At the meetings at
the military headquarters they have
taken upon themselves the response
biIity of discussing the pay of priyates
who are working for the Government
as Iaborers or in an official capacity in
the departments. As we have previous.
Iy stated, these meetings now become
the meetings of board of appeal.
The officers by their action have Ia
ken upon themselves new duty that
can only result in doing the service an
injury. They have placed the privates
omen to the accusation that their mill
tary service to the Government is given
because of the Government work ex-
pected. They have given the enemies
of the Government the best handle for
an oligarchy argument that could pos
sibly be offered. They have met at the
military headquarters to discuss ques-
tions concerning the employment and
pay of labor The whole theory of the
idea is rotten to the core, so far as
military service is concerned, and if the
thing is continued we believe that prac-
teal facts will eventually prove the
soundness of the theory. Nursing a
labor appeal board within a military
association is contrary to military
ethics and military practice.
We appreciate the excellent work
that has been done and is being done
by the hard working members of the
military companies. All things being
equal, the man who has done or is now
doing gratuitOus military service for
his country should be given recog-
nlClOn IN the Government departments;
but if any citizen who has rendered
such service feels that he is being for
gotten, his appeal should go to the
chief of the department in which he
seeks employment. We know of no in T
stances where such cases have been .
treated lightly. One of the blessings
of the DreseDt Government is that there
is no aristocracy. Every citizen, from