The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1898-09-17
557TNG OFF THE TROOPS
.oupl IcATED TASK WHICH PAY.
III ,. UU HAVE TO PERFORM.

Ii Hs Oh - r." His Arrival With GripSack
Life ,Iorev-How the Soldiers Get
q hsH Full ., nav-The Volunteer Paymaster.
osa Of the pleasantest features of
OpT life f is the coming of the paymas-
rn 9TH his gripsack full OF money
Ith0m ter WIN Tho declaration of war with
sFoa SiDt0 tbe war department has added
' itrspty paymasters and twice as many
ehM ' ests uInder the Emergency act pro-
i. 'i !ana for an increase. The work re-
NV 'lan93 ia almost wholly that OF ex-
qulI' ouooouptants. Especially is this
ahs p Isns Of the department OF the east, IN
: -''' NEW York city, where, IN addition TO
ss.ning the accounts of the volunteers
= his vicinity, the payma3ters are
4. ID n .n,J 10 take care of the accounts of
e o oOn EIors and retired officers and SOL
; SS,s There is no mercy shown to a
Won q qrssn paymaster Whether ne under
~ yVs gs yea. f the work or not, he has to do
- s.al amount as is given to q pay
'lps .t b who has been in the service
1ii p' satv years. In fact, theressis a
''u'a growing suspicion that the volunteer
Ssymaster gets the worst OF 1t al al.
wife agnd
Iaala 'VT The retired list which new paymas-
-. ore required to wrestle with in
ove !, W. s' navmaster's office in this city
lats ' 'omnrises the accounts of 400 officers
'IM md men who have been retired from
n. The service, but who are drawing
,sS s I , ,br pay. These payments
aa'l W. made once each month under an
so''p ;nt,icate system of bookkeeping. 1t
aAs !. 50 complicated that no business
lsl man Of today would think of applying
Sl'a tito his own business.
The retired officers and men are
onviA maid on the first day Of each month.
ia Those residing in New York receive
! iIk their pay in currency at the paymas-
b,'s Office. while those residing out
,1dn side the city are paid by check. The
is New York pay department is under
mans, tbo control of Lieut.. Col. Wilson, who
toa ranks next to Paymaster General
81 Stanton. Under him at the present
I aas time are two regular army paymasters
s,l'a, and three emergency or volunteer
~ mymasters, all ranking as majors.
As in the army proper, there is moth
ing done in the pay department with
eet y out orders, and the soldier who be-
= 81 comes impatient at not receiving his
'or9 pay at the anticipated time should not
oHsl blame the paymaster. 1t may be that
he has not received his orders.
'mesl The First New York Volunteers
Ter l we're paid off recently by Major Fow-
W Ter at Fort Hamilton, and the method
It Inq Of procedure will serve to illustrate
all payments in the field, On the
y Ia rolls furnished by the company COM
d. handlers an estimate due each man,
cireu less fines, was made by the paymaster,
m * and the latter, with his clerk, went to
The camp with sufficient currency to
wsIEl pay off. At Fort Hamilton the place
ma selected for paying the troops was the
{ sss hall Ofthc 4ocatiod5e OF Good Tenn
isaV, pars Each company was lined up,
! one at a time, in front of the paymas,
!. er's desk, and as his name was called
/ +. cut each man stepped forward and re-
!, ceived his money.
First comes the captain. who re-
s-s ceiveS $3.50; then the first lieutenant.
who takes $125. The second lieuten
lisl sls ant walks off with $116.67, and ther
. 1911 follow the non-co commissioned officers
WIa beginning with the first sergeant
iA whose compensation is $50 O month
~ After the none commissioned officers
come the privates, who receive$l5. q
+ Das amOnth instead of $13 month, O.
WSoe formerly. In fact, in all the salarie
q ma OF commissioned officers and pli
tious. Yates there has been uniform in
ster crease Of 2Oper cent.
When an entire regiment is paid of
d 6. It's done from what is known as tn
{. roll of the field, staff and band, con
.sa tanning the names of the brigade o
: ,,.n regimental field officers. Those off
rbs GERS are paid by the paymaster in tn
same manner that other payments al
made but the amounts are muc
Y " larger, the brigadier- general receivin
~. A0S.S3 month; colonel, $291.6i
y lleutenant-colonel, $3.50, and major
g ~. SoO53. Regimental quartermaste
ou and regimentalz adjutants receiv
oOAA $780, while the regimental chaplain
'mid pay is $l25 month.
dhHt Commissioned officers may dra'
10y their salaries from any paymaster an
sand Ills not infrequent that accounts al
., duplicated. In such cases there
into trouble in store for the officer Pa,
t1aa masters, although they handle lare
sums of money, are only under $40
UOO bonds They are responsible fl
me accuracy of their accounts, an
VA me oVerpayment of money to soldie
! - sa loss to the paymaster. The pc
p, aolIlty OF error is constant worry
a lle volunteer paymasters, who a
W. Unfamiliar with the work, and who a
w largely dependent upOn their clerk