The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-06-17
GREAT WAR SCHEMES
THE SCHEMERS ALL GET AFTER
THE GOVERNMENT
Plans for Winning Fame or Money
Make Life a Burden to
the officials

Washington.-Some surprising schemes
for winning money or fame have been de-
veloped by the war with Spain. Their pro-
motors lombard the departments with let
| tiers and besege officials for personal in
| terviews.
Several concerns that run electric stereop-
ticon shows have applied for permission 10
put Photographic plants on American ships
of war. from Porto Rico to the Philippines.
They offer to take chances on having their
operators killed in engagements, and to
waive any claim against the government in
case any of them should get MANNED or kill
ed. The naval authorities, in their con-
sistent and praiseworthy effort to be cour-
teous and civil to all hands, have endeavored
| to repulse these concerns by informing them
that there isn't room on any of the ships for
their plants. But this way of putting it Is
not satisfactory to the concerns which re
ply that their operators are men Injured to
hardship, can live anywhere aboard ship,
and can conduct operations from barges or
launches towed by the warship, for the mat
ter of that.
Another company of the same sort has
been making the army officials wretched
since the mobilization of state troops began
TO accompany the armies that are to In
wade Cuba and the Philippines. This COM
pany also nobly valves the right to claim
indemnity from the government in case any
of its operators should get the worst Of it
while members of the expeditions, and it
states, besides, that it stands ready to Sc
cure as operators men who are immunes
from yellow fever, beri beri. elephantIasis,
mr. anv other of tho lille fhof tho rv,,;st E,
ascribe to the island countries which Uncle
Sam is about to gather unto himself. More
over, the company will generously pay the
government for the transportation of the
operators and their luggage and apparatus.
This company has been informed that its
men can't go as members of the army ex-
ment prefers to withhold. There's a lot
Of style In the manner with which the de-
partment of war handles these matters.
A middle-aged spinster from somewhere
out In the state of Iowa has come to Wash
ington for the purpose of presenting to the
secretary Of war her idea Of what modern
vivandieres ought to be like. She says that
she will be able to organize an outfit Of from
one to two thousands mice girls, of Chris
tan rearing" to be uniformed all in black,
after the army expeditions (per flrst-class
steamers, cabin. of course), to furnish soft
drinks for the soldiers at the expense of the
government. A proposition of an entirely
different sort is being made two or three
times day by saloon man from Chicago.
He wants of the war department nothing
short of the privilege of furnishing drinks
Got sofD to the whole army, now organ
f0 he IT.
involves the enlistment of several thousand
professional bartenders, and he unselfishly
offers to go halves with the government on
all profits. This promoter from the In
fiated City has not vet succeeded in getting
the ear Of the secretary of war, but he
rushes furiously up and down the halls of
the war department several times day,
full of his scheme and quite often of some
thing else. colarlng humble clerks whom
he meets in the Railways and mailing them
up against walls and forcing them to listen
to his unfolding of his tremendous plan.
His strongest argument in favor Of the
adoption of his scheme is his quotation of
the alleged remark of great general Of the
civil war to the effect that "a man who
can't drink can't fight" and If the Chicago
saloon man were to get dollar for every
government clerks In the corridors of the de-
partment of war he wouldn't need any con-
tract from the government, however huge
the opportunities for gain.
The manager of a help-yourself dairy
lunch firm that has establishments all over
the United tSates has been turned down
with his scheme to set up lunch counters
by the hundred adjoining the camps of the
invading soldiers The dairy lunch man
offered the government lump sum for the
privilege he desired, the payment in full of
which was to be deferred until the firm had
chance to see how the scheme panned out.
The tintype men have been after the war
officials by the score, each and all of them
seeking the exclusive privilege of accom-
panying the invading expeditions and of
mugsing the soldiers in the field on indie
structible tin at rates to be left to the dis
erection of generous government with an
eye TO half the profits.
A San Francisco man who last year organ
lied minstrel troupe to take to the Klon-
dixie modestly asks the government 10
carry his aggregation of burnt-cork artists
down to Manila on one of the troopshlps.
In return for this free transportation the
minstrel troupe will undertake to keep the
soldiers entertained.-New York Sun.