The Washington herald., 1909-01-10
AT THE HOTELS.

n i LII llO LID
''The loss Of a soldier. OF rather his
desertion. means a real monetary loss
20 the government, OF the soldiers cloth
ing. amounting. in the instance OF a fun
kit, to about So said Col. T. r Hughes.
a retired army officer. at the E5bltt.
yesterday.
His arms are not lost" continued the
old. gray-haired son Of Mars. and the
man may leave his uniform behind him.
but It is OF little use 20 the War Depart
ment After the soldier has been de-
cIared a deserter, his effects are put up
at auction at the post, and sold to such
men as care 10 buy. The revenue IS
posted to the credit Of the deserter and
the balance held against him. 10 be
taken out OF his account II he Is ever
caught and returned 10 regular duty.
Lately the government has been send
ing deserters 10 fail for short sentences
and then restoring them TO duty What
the new order OF things means remains
to be seen. There IS about $4,000 offered
now as rewards, go in each instance. for
deserters from the regular army Up
20 very short time ago the United
States marshals we're supplied with only
4 printed description OF the missing man.
Now they get his picture.
Until some four OF five years ago
there was in each army post a canteen.
At this place everything an ordinary man
eats and drinks was kept for sale This
included candles. cakes, buttons, thread.
NJ al
profits went 10 the post supporting the
canteen, 10 be used to provide Iuxuries
for the post Each company OF troop
got its proportionate share. and with this
money bought luxuries for the mess.
vegetables. canned fruit. tableware. OF
anything else the company might deciGs
to use the money for
Enlisted men served short terms a.
clerks in these cantssns, and worked IN
der the supervision OF q 'non-com-' Over
this -nOn-com' was a commissioned Of
hcer. He was really n charge Of the
place. Soldiers dc their drinking there
The first sign Of excess compelled the
orderly, OF clerk. 10 send the man out
II he did not attend 20 this there was
the 'non-com' on hand 70 do Il. and =
the 'nom-com' failed, then he was sure
TO be hauled Up BY the lieutenant The
lieutenant did not stay az the csntee1.
but visited II regularly. The result q
this was that no soldier ever got drunk AZ
q canteen- The adjustment Of the can
teen has changed all this and now there
Is drunkenness and desertion in the
army"
Henry G. Forster, OF New York. who
has made the labor question q special
study, and whose opinions are often
quoted, is at the New Willard Speaking
about immigration as affecting wages IN
the United States. Mr.. Forster said yes
terday; Two statements about the e.
feet Of immigration on wages in this
country are current One declares that
immigration mas lowered the general level
OF wages. The other declares that wages
have been raised. because the immigrants
by their labor have so much increased
the fund from which wages are drawn.
Neither statement Is true The fund
from which wages are paid has indeed
( been increased. but the Increase has not
gone TO the wage-ea-ners. During the
I last thirty years most incomes IN ne
/ United States have risen greatly. but n
all those occupations IN which iulmi-
grants engage. wages have remained
stationary, or have risen much less than
would otherwise have been the case. This
Is true notably OF unskilled empIovments
pick and shovel work. coal mining and
other mining. Quarryfng. the clothing.
iron and steel, tobacco. cotton and silk
industries. and OF domestic service.
The consequence has been. not merely
that the capital class has gained, but
that all Of Us have benefited a. the direct
I - -
roads have been built easier and mora
cheaply- We buy our coal. clothing. and
shoes more chesply, pay less 20 OUT serv-
ants. pay less IN taxes for stone. Iron
and steel. and other materials, as well as
/ for labor used on public construction.
I But or gain IS Offset by the presence in
+ our country o. an enormous class OF
I wage-eaTners, partly native, partly for
eicn. living necessarily on q low. W
American STANDARD OF Ife.''
/ Count Montgelas, an officer Of the Ger
man army VINO has been mentioned as
possible minister Of war OF the German
/ Empire. and Who IS ar the New Willard
+ discussing the japanese army. said last
night that during the war between China
and japan japanese mothers and wives
wrote 10 their husbands and sons who
were taking part in the campaign either
10 return home as viCtors OF nol come
home at al.
/ There IS nothing Ike It anywhere IN
the world; no such patriotism and self
I sacrifice for the welfare OF the country
/ can be found on the pages Of modern his
/ tory" he said. Tell me. can a nation
which has such mothers be Conquered I
/ say, no Mothers make OF unmake a IA
ton, and the mothers make Japan in
vincible.''
Universal freproohng does rot sound
/ the death kneu Of the carpenter" said
/ Charles y. Beaver OF Reading. Pa. az
the National last night. M Beaver IS
a practical carpenter, and the business
being a little dull" he took a sight
seeing trip to this city. I'VE see no rea-
son for the carpenter to be dismayed a.
/ the present change and tendencv in
/ building construction continued the
I Pennsylvania The increasing use o.
concrete and Of terra Gotta and OF steel
/ presents new problems TO the carpenter.
/ but II does not eliminate him: far from
/ It True, there viii be less work for the
/ wood butcher. but more for the skilled
I wood-worker
The fine interior woodwork OF a vel
/ constructed residence Of cement and steel
/ viii Unquestionably be more valuable
/ TO the carpenter than the whole Of q
/ cheaply built frame house His wo-k
will be Of finer grade. requiring greater
/ skill. and paying him bigger money than
ever before. As for the wood butcher
none Of US will regret 20 see him 80. nor
/ viii we miss him when he's gone But
We must all turn in and dig-to keep 0j.t
/ Of that class Satisfaction with present
/ knowledge and skill viii not do. Con-
| ditions are CHANGING: yet we feel sure