The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1898-11-02

thousands and thousands and tens
of thousands who would have gone
for nothing and fought the Span.
lard or any other enemy of this
government. These men we're vol
unteers and not hirelings. They
did not expect to make living out
of it. The policy of this govern
ment is rather to encourage men in
all the civil trades and professions
and make the army the least Sc
ductive of all avenues to wealth
and affluence. We depend upon
the patriotism of the volunteer who
has fought our battles and who has
never turned a deaf ear to the call
of his country in time of need.
AS to the army field ration. A
ration consists of several different
kinds and quantities of articles and
the whole makes the ration and is
the amount of subsistence allowed
one man for one day. 1t consists
of the following
Flour Is ounces. or bread Is
ounces, or corn meal 20 ounces;
beans 2 20 ounces, or rice 2 20
ounces; potatoes II As or IL l-5;
onions 3 Is; canned tomatoes 4 4.5
ounces; coffee 1 So ounces; sugar 2
20 ounces; salt 1925 ounce; pep.
per 1-25 ounce; fresh beef 20 ounces
or bacon, if beef cannot be had, 12
ounces.
The several articles and equiva.
lents, such as beef and bacon, corn
meal, flour and bread can be divid-
ed and all the articles issued in
prOpOrtiOnate quantities when de-
sirable; thus, if beef and bacon
both are issued, it would be 10
ounces of beef and 6 ounces of ba-
con, or in any other proportion
that might be required.
These are the articles the gov
ernment allows and which the com.
missary department furnishes.
The beef that was furnished came
from Kansas City In refrigerator
cars, and was the finest the market
afforded. The other articles were
of the very best quality that could
be purchased in the market. If
men suffered for food for any consid-
cradle time it was the fault, not of
the government or the cOmmissary
general of subsistence, but gener-
ally, and most probably, of some
subordinate officer. If men were
without clothing and shoes, you
could not blame the quartermaster
general, but generally and most
probably some subordinate officer.
Rations are furnished to a regi-
ment Oh requisitiOn which shows
what is needed for a given period
of time, and upon these requisi-
tions the supply depots issue the
rations. If they do not get in be-
fore the last period has expired, or
it they are wrong or improperly
prepared, it is the fault of the reg
mental commissary, and if the
first sergeants of the companies fail
to turn in their ration returns Orthey
are wrong or improperly prepared,
then somebody else is to blame.
The store house is generally full of
goods if the subordinate officers
would only start the machinery in
motion to get them. The chiefs OF
the supply depots would have to
have the attributes OF deity to
know when John Smith tasted and
that John Jones needed pair OF
socks, but if the machinery was
started in motion, the craving for
steak that had been denied John
Smith would reach the commissary
depot and his wants attend
ell to, and John JOues would be
able to change his socks. The ra.
ton is ample and more than a man
could possibly eat in single day
unless he was a freak. The trOu-
ble, if trouble there is, generally
lies with the ineXperience CT the
company cook and sometimes with
the dishonesty of some party who
has control of the GRUB" These
things have happened and will
keep on happening both in the reg
ular and volunteer army as long as
mems morals are weaker than their
love for money. Uncle Sam did
the best he could and placed in the
reach of every soldier a wholesome
and sufficient bill of fare, and the
articles were better and the variety
greater than would be found upon
the tables of thousands OF families
in good and comfortable circum'
stances.
Fl. CASSIDY, JR.