The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-05-12
Thrifty Private Soldiers.


the work of slandering the private SOL
diers OF the army of occupation in the
Philippines. Democrats and Popullsts
OF the Pettigrew brand have charged up
against them outrages Of many descrip-
lions. the least Of which is the sacrile-
gious looting and Dissertation Of churches
in the villages which they have occu-
Pied while the people who have been
so active in denouncing the army can
teen system have promulgated a good
deal of literature to show that drunken
ness and debauchery are rife among the
troops. Taking the two stories together
II would appear that the average Amer
lean soldier is a man without sense Of
decency and morality, who puts In his
time, when not engaged in robbing and
expressing the unfortunate natives, in
degrading and expensive dissipation
This is not an overdrawn statement of
Of the people of the two classes referred
to-
The truth is, however, that the private
soldier in the American army IL as de-
cent and self-respecting an Individual as
is found In any Of the Ordinary walks
of life. He certainly never injured his
constitution by ciss:oatioa before enter
ing the army, or he would not have
passed the physical x,mination neces-
sary for entry into tn. service. for Uncle
Sam has set high standard of physical
qualifications for the men who make up
the rank and file Of the army. and the
physical and moral weakling is not to
be found In the ranks. The probabilities
are strong that the average American
private soldier lives a life as clean and
decent as the average young man of
his age In any other pursuit. and this
despite the fact that extraordinary
temptations are thrown in his way, from
which the home keeping boy is largely
protected. No family influences sur
round him. and he has little or no So
ciety save that of his comrades in the
ranks
An illustration OF the character OF the
private soldiers In the army is shown
b. q personal letter from Mai. stern
berg OF the pay department., recently
published. in which he says that the
soldiers OF his district. that of Pansy
and Negroes islands. during the six
months ending December II. deposited
with him s2o2,940 ont of their pay for
that period. The pay OF a private SOL
der In the army Is small. bly, the
average young civilian of perfectly cor
rect habits spends as much every
month. outside of his actually necessary
expenses as the average soldier receives.
There are college boys by the thousand.
Of the same ages az many OF the boys
serving in the army. who would consider
an allowance OF so cents a day for
spending money as beggarly. Yet out of
similar allowance the private soldier
has to meet many expenses which are
not provided for by the government, and
as rule uses a portion of his pay TO
supplement his ration with the small
delicacIes and comforts which the gov
eminent considers unnecessary. but
which young men accustomed To the
comfort of the American home ind Il
h%rd 70 do without
That In addition 10 these expenses the
soldiers In Panay and Negros a relative
| ly small force. should have saved out OF
their pay such a large sum as they have
deposited with Maj sterneerg shows
that a large percentage of them must
have been men OF thrifty habits. The
| individual savings must. OF necessity
have been small The percentage OF the
spendthrifts must have been smaller
than among young men az the same
class in civu llfe. where saving u wages
| ought 20 be more common. because more
necessary. than In the army. where Ger.
tainty Of steady pay and subsistence
| pervAils.
| Neither is the experience % Mai
] sternberg an Isolated one. The thrifty
| habits OF the soldiers have beer fire.
| Quentiy referred 20 ever since the COM
mencemept OF the war with spain. 1t
| was particularly a matter of comment
| while the troops Were stationed in this
| country and were thus more Immediate
~ under the public eye. and their habits
more closely watched. 1t was found to
b the rule that at each pay day the
| volume of money order business a. the
postoffice nearest to the post at which
L troops were stationed was swe!led enor-