The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-09-28
SOME MILITARY LuxuRIEs.
Roston Transcript.)

win seven rooms ana pain, WHICH ne
IS carrying with him for a movable
headquarters in China, is the very lat
est wrinkle in military luxury It is
described as a light, f1reprOOf and wa
lerproof dwelling, constructed on the
knock down principle so as to be
readily taken to pieces and put up
again when wanted for occupancy
Lhe material of il is asbestos, and light
wagons win be used for its transporta-
ton In the field. Erected hastily like
a mouse OF cards, and supplied in
jiffy with its furniture likewise car
ried along with the column, it Will
PROVIDE the chief with
al the comforts of home at every halt
ing place on the march.
There is popular notion to the ef-
rect that luxury is inappropriate to
the warrior. Much criticism, as will
be remembered, was elected by the
porcelain bathtub which accompanied
General Miles on his trip to Florida
at the outbreak of the war with Spain.
1t is true that the tub in question was
merely an appurtenance of a parIOr
car, Dut, II was asked why should
soldier baJhe in a porcelain receptacle?
Why, indeed. should he battle at all?
War IS an aScetic profession, or ought
to be such. The knights of old never
bathed- Their metal costume was rot
adapted for ablutionary purposes, and
they had other and more important
business on hand. Is there mentioned
IN all literature a single instance of
a knight taking a bath?
whenever congress happens to learn
OF any luxurious indulgence by an Of
ncer or the army-such. for example,
as the keeping of a cow-there is a
movement to cut down pay and allow
ances- Nevertheless, rank in the SER
vice today carries with it opportunities
Tor luXury-especialiy if the rank be
bigh-which were undreamed of in the
early days of this ambitious republic.
1t is on record thar General Washing
ton. when commander-in-chief of the
forces, was obliged to subsist for a
: 600 while chiefly on sweet potatoes,
and that, on certain occasion, he
was driven TO borrow a leg of mutton
N order TO provide for the decent en-
tertainment of an honOred guest.
Lieutenant General Miles, who is
now subject only to President McKin-
ley, the commander-in-chief of our
army. draws $11,000 a year in pay, in
edition to various perquisites. He
Keeps four horses at the cost of the
government, and, in addition, he has
an allowance Tor quarters of five
rooms and one Kitchen. The govern
ment provides him alSc with five stoves
ana one range, and with forty-fOur
cords OF wood per annUnl. Barring the
fuel allowance. he has d right to draw.
and does draw, al. of these things IN
the shape of cash, which IS so much
addition to his salary.
A brigadier general or major gen.
horses at Uncle SanIS expense; a
colonel, lieutenant cOlOnei, major or
captain to two only. It is required by
the army regulations that the animals
! snail be in actual use for government
purposes, but that as taken for granted
to be the case With the commanding
general Ditto, as regards Adjutant
General Corbin'S three horses. For
each horse twelve pounds of oats and
fourteen pounds of hay are allowed.
Officers of less rank have corresponding
allowances for forage.
Not long ago an indignant member
of congress rose and entered formal
protest against what he deemed an
abuse of privilege in this regard.
Il ind, on investigation, Mr.. Speak
err" he fairly shrieked, that abuses
are creeping into<thiS system
I have discovered that officers of
the army are selling the forage allow
ed to them, and one such case am
the war Department. case in which
the oats and hay were transferred,
doubtless for a consideration, to a per-
son named O. M Corral
4 hush of horror fell upon the
house, but presently a western mem
Der, who had been in the army him
self, rose upon very long pair of legs
and said:
Il presume, Mr. Speaker, that the
memorandum referred 10 a transfer of
forage, in the ordinary course of bust
ness, to the quartermaster'S corral
That settled the scandal, for once.
It is a fact that a rich man who hap
pens to hold high rank in the army of
this or any other country may be as
much of a sybarite as he wishes. The
| limit is only set by his pecuniary
means, with the single restriction that
the 'cOnvenienceS" he carries along
with him must not interfere with the
! movements of the column. A portable
steamboat, or a balloon, is perfectly
allowable, so long as it does not violate
this regulation.
Officers are always at liberty to bring
as many servants with them as they
choose. A young lieutenant has the
privilege of a lord in this respect; he
may have valet and a dozen fellows
in addition to wait upon him. OF
| course he must pay them out OF his
wants are barred, being excluded by
regulations from the camp.
The subsistence bureau of the army
wishes to make as many luXuries
available for officers and soldiers as
may be practicable, and, with this in
view, it has recently added 'dessicated
eggs TO its sales stores" This prod
uct is simply evapOrated eggs, and it
may be used not only for cake, but for
an omilet or a scramble Clam extract
in cans. is another new departure, and
The same may be said of canned crabs,
canned Holsters, canned oysters, can
ned mushrooms and cOrned beef
hash. Pea meal and bean meal, con-
densed cream, matted milk, ginger ale,
apollinaris water and tooth powders
and tooth paStes are among the recent
additions to the list of privation mod
tf1ers accessible to our fighting men
abroad.
Tobacco and tea are deemed by the
war department necessary for soldiers.
In recently published document the
bureau of subsistence said:
Gnder the influence of tea coffee or
tobacco man seems to be brought to a
higher efficiency than without them.
They keep up cheerfulness and enable
men to endure fatigue and privations,
while deprivation of them may cause
depression, inconsistencies, feeblenesS,
and, indeed, may lead to defeat in bat
tie. Depressed troops do not fight well.
a wise military leader will see to it
that his men are not deprived of to-
bacco, or he will regret his careless
ness"
Cigars. tobacco and brierwOOd pipes
are furnished by the subsistence de-
partment, which. at the same time.
makes the restriction that not more
than ten kinds of cigars, none cost
ing over cents each by the hundred,
shall be offered for sale bV the war de-