Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1898-07-01
"CIap-Trap On Soldiers Pay"


uulns of the Topeka Capital OF June 25th
"The state platform of the Populist party
this year demands, among other things, that 1t
has no idea of getting or giving, increased pay
for soldiers at the front The tact Is that the pay
of soldiers has been advanced and is now as hlgh
as the soldiers desire. They have not gone to
the front to make money, but to night their
country's battles from motives of patriotism.
Two hundred thousand men can not be paid Tor
sacrificing their time and business and ventur-
inp their lives in war. No price can be set on
such services They are not measurable in the
scale of dollars and cents If 1t were possible
to compute what the services of the boys who
have gone to the front at the call of the country
are worth it would be impossible for any gov
ernment to raise the sum to pay them And 1t
would be unfortunate if any such attempt
should be made to weigh and measure patriot
ism on the money standard. One thing gov
ernment can do, and that is to pay its soldiers
in the best money it get and not IN money
whose real value is but tthe OF its lace value.
The Populsts in the house and senate voted
this month to pay the soldiers in greenbacks to
be issued to the extent OF hundreds OF millions,
as in the civil war; when the credit OF the nation
fell so low that the money paid to the soldiers
was at one time worth but IS cents on the
dollar
"After this exhibition of their purposes it is
amusing to see tie Kansas Populists playing
the demagogue with plank in behalf OF ad-
vancing the pay of the soldiers III the held. NO
Populist will introduce bill in congress tor
this purpose No soldier will endorse his action
if he does. The boys are not thinking OF their
pay, and yet they are receiving enough pay 10
enable them to send money home. The Kan
sas Pop plank "demanding" that their wages
be raised msrrpresents the sentiment OF prob
ably every man at Chickamauga, at camp Alger,
at the Preside and on the transports moving on
Cuba and Manila, and was introduced by a
demagoeue for purely demagogical purpose,
which is as transparent as 1t IS dlscrcdltable TO
the convention that adopted it."
On the same page of the Capital appears an
article headed, ''Staff Departments in the
Army" which makes the editorial appear tool
isly inconsistent. This article gives the sala-
ries of army officers as follows; Brigadier-
general, $500 per annum; colonel 81, 500;
lieutenant-coonel, $4, 600; major, $500; cap
tain, $2 800; first lieutenant S2,24o; second
lieutenant S2 100. In addition to their regu-
lar pay all officers who do not occupy govern
ment houses have an allowance for rent This
is committed, or otherwise paid, in cash, at the
rate of twelve dollars per room" per month.
The regulations allow brgader-general five
rooms, colonel five, lieutenant-coonel four,
a major four, captain three and lieutenant
two Our readers can figure up the extra sum
each officer receives.
The Topeka Capital is an mperialist. Its
owner, Banker Muvane, is Goldfish aristocrat.
He wants form of government which bestows
titles upon its prominent citizens He'd
like TO be known as Lord Mulvane. He coulc
then look down with scorn upon the common
dog of soldier who receives but beggarll
pittance and sleeps in a tent, or on the ground
with only the sky for cover
We agree with the Capitals argument tha
the soldier boys have gone to war from purel,
patriotic motives, and not to make money l