The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1906-07-26
Negroes Better Paid Than soieisrs.

From the Reviews or Reviews.
The pay or the private soldier is SO per
month. or as cents per day. ny addins
the average allowance Of Is cents per day
for clothing and Is cents for the ration. we
have tho total OF T6ts cents per day. which
Is less than any class Of labor quoted.
Even n general laborcr. without any spc.
clal skill of any kind. commands an av-
cragc wage OF SlI per day. and tho or
binary farm laborcr. 20 cents for poor
months. and si.1 during harvest time. TIL
lowest wage paid TO any class OF labor IN
the United states. so far as ! am able 10
md from the statistics OF tho department;
OF labor. Is tina; paid TO tho plantation ne
gro laborcrs % the cane fields Of l.ouisl-
ana. For the years OF lSS9 TO 1901. the av-
eragc wages paid TO them 1T Calumet. La.
were as follows:
Cuitivating season-men. without board.
- cents per dny
Grinding scason-men. without board.
fi25 per day.
General average. 800 per day.
The lRborcrs are furnished with houses.
gardens. and given other privileges. being
allowed Saturday afternoon or two or
three times per month. From this ~ VII
be seen that the lowest and most ignorant
clans OF negro labor In the country IL bet
ter paid than tho private soldier In tho
army. Tho negro requires little clothing.
whereas tho soldier must always be de-
Gently dressed. The negro gets his Satur-
dag and Sunday holidays. where as tho
soldier II for duty nj all times. by night
as well as by day. In addition. tho soldier
Is NJ all times subject TO orders which may
cause him to give up his life In their exc
cution. This should be worth something
TO him.. ms Insurance" companies recognize
this rlsk by charging lin extra premiuina.
Il - true that the government provides
for the retirement OF the soldier. after
thirty years service. with thrcc-fourthi
OF hts pay on The active list. n privilege
which the ordinary laborcr does not en-
Joy. but the percentage OF men who avail
themselves OF this benefit Is 30 small. un-
der present conditions. and the reward 50
distant and %rciEotc. that IL does not figure
largely In the actual computation or the
soldiers pay. Even hospital accommoda-
tons and medicines. which arc Furnished
TO the soldier free. are now being provided
by many OF the large Industrial corpora.
tons without charge for their employees
Medical attention Is provided by many foT
the sick. schools maintained for the young.
comfortable quarters constructed for lly'
Ing purposes. hours OF labor reduced, and
other Inducements offered which mako the
lot Of the laborcr far more easy and at.
,ractlve than ever before. hut the pay OF
the soldier remains practically tho samd
aS 10 was thirty years ago. This prosper.
GUS period In our country's history aa yet
mAkcs no corresponding bcttcrmsnt foi
the pay OF the soldier. and he In the opiy
one vino has not shared In the genera
prosperity. The pay OF the private. cor
poral. and sergeant; OF the line - tho sans
az that fixed by congress. July 1. ISL
What wonder that non.commiEsloned off
GERS or priyatcs who are discharged witf
excellent character DO no: rc-cnllst. whcs
they can lind other employment at hlghri
wages, fewer restrictions, aud more a.
~tructlyc Inducements?