The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-26
signed for home defense. Int
Intelligent

signed for home defense. Intelligent citizens who drill once a week in an armory and whose fortune it is to act the real soldier once year, covering a period of. generally ten, or some odd days are certainly hardly fit at short notice for the requirements of modern warfare. Such conditions are dOubly discouraging, owing to the fact that the services of a class of men who would prove highly useful in the pres ent emergency, are absolutely lost, to the nation. The class mentioned come under the head of ex-soldierS or ex-service men. Men who have serv- ed in Cuba, the Philippines, China and within the limits of the U. s. There are several hundred thousand of them scattered throughout the country and yet these men who are strong enough in numbers to form a real reserve to be reckoned with by any foe, are suffered to be lost, in the masses. In Europe or Japan such neglect would mean sheer stupidity and ignorance These ex-serVice men, now citizens who have made good and in many instances have devoted the flower of their man hood to the public service have been cut loose like so much drift wood and allowed to take pot luck, in our in dustriaI strife. At present our en- listed soldiers must serve 30 years, to be entitled to a. place on the re-
 
 period, embraces the best years of a, mans life. It is needless to state that only a comparatively small num- Der are retired. The great majority of them disappear into civil life, af ter completing an enlistment, or two. Among the many causes that prompt them to act thus, are the natural de- sire to marry and found a, little home, of their own, to work and increase their income above the small army wage hitherto received and above all else the desire, to be free to come and go without question or restraint. It is the cry of the individual man. Be- fore leaving, he may have fl fgured, to 6 mathematical certainty that condi- tions are against his earning the hand some income, his errant imagination at times, pictures. That the long years spent serving his country could just as well have been spent in learning a profession or following some renu- nerative business. Yet with the knowledge of these things he in most cases, accepts his honorable discharge and the nominal sum of money due him and faces the world. Unless he speedily succeeds in finding employ rnent his only choice is re-en1isting. 'Tis only natural that he should seek a Government position, but it doesn't t take long to ascertain that there are Tho special provisions made to cover his case. He is doomed to stand his chance with civilian applicants, who have never served the government in any capacity. His army discharge is a document of indifferent value in the eyes of the public. Therefore to achieve any measure of success he must start at the bottom of the ladder and compete with those who were pre- pairing when he was rendering a pa, triot's duty to his flag. But down deep in his heart there lies the Knowledge that he is a victim of injus- tice. He knew those who sat in the Congressional. Halls in Washington possessed faults and made mistakes, but he never thought them se1fshIy un- grateful. That his years of service, his hardsh1ps and sufferings had only been contracted and paid for in the manner of any ordinary job and that