The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-19
InexcusnbIe Extravagance

T read an editorial article in the Richmond Times Dispatch of last Sat urday about second lieutenant in the United States army disappearing, said a member of Birmingham's Virginia colony. The subaltern referred to is a southern man, and is described as being of excellent family, a clean cut young man The lieutenant's disap- pearance is not due to any shortage in his accounts in his company or his mess accounts, but to the accumula- tion of private debts which he found himself unable to meet from his poor stipend.' The newspaper which I have quoted quotes in turn from another pa per-the Columbia. & C., Record as fol- lows:
 t" Those who have not seen service themselves or who have not had near relatives in the army can hardly realize to the full just how hard it is for young subaltern to live within his pay and allowances. more espe- cially if he be stationed at a brigade post or other army community in which social obligations are heavy and must be met, and where clothing and equipment requirements are elaborate and burdensome. Socially, the second lieutenant is the equal of the captain or the major, and hence his necessary outlay for maintenance is hardly less than theirs, although there is great disparity in the pay of their respec- tive grades.
 ''Fhe Richmond Times Dispa tch says that the Columbia Record is right. There is says the Richmond paper, "a sort of official good fellowship in the army and navy requiring, by tra- dition and an unwritten code of con duct, that the young officer shall spend practically all he gets upon his per son socially and upon the mess table There is no chance to save for these subalterns. They are compelled to spend The result is that there is a high percentage of suicides among junior officers that constitutes a stain on the service and reproach to the government
 Both of the papers quoted are all together wrong in this matter of the social demands upon army officers and army pay, and in the language was slang, 1t is all Tommy rot In the first place, the government pays its army officers well, and makes liberal provision for cadets at the military academy at West Point. A cadet, in- stead of paying for hls education, re- ceives pay from Uncl- Sam at the rate of $50 month during the entire time | he is at the academy Immediately upon his graduation the West Point CT receives a commission in the army as second lieutenant. His pay to be- gin with is $500 a year, and the pay of all army officers Is increased 1( per cent after five years of service, 2t per cent after 10 years service, 3( per cent after 15 years service, and 40 per cent after 20 years service | The four years at West Point count 1 as part of the five years, so it is seer | that second lieutenant ~after ont years service in the army receives instead of $500 year, $19SO-prett, good pay for a young man. Now, here is about what it costs to live reason ably well at any army post: Cloth ing, military and civi;ian, $400 n year
 board, from s20 to s25 a month; in
 cidentals. $500 a year, making no
 over 5000 per annum for an unmar' red officer of moderate habits. Adj | $500 for extra society demands and tn, | officer would still be able to save few hundred dollars every year. Ever since 1 can remember man,