Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1916-05-31


She was very shabby, and her eyes |
were swollen with weeping as she |
watched the dust settling behind the !
disappearing truck train moving to-
ward Mexico. She was soldiers wife
and he was going away for none knew
how long or TO what danger.
She was accustomed TO saying good
bve but in addition 10 the pain was
the wondering what she could do for a
living with her man absent. For. be II
remembered that our great and rich
government makes no provision for
the wives and children of its men IN
khaki during times like these when TO
| intents and purposes the men are in
| war service even il the country is not
| at real war
Fifteen TO eighteen dollars month
| the men receive, the larger sum is on
| re-enlistment. Then there is ration
| fund OF about half as much again.
| about seven dollars. This is not so
| bad if there are no children and the
| wife can share the same quarters with
i the husband but now with the men in
| the field OF the punitive expedition.
| there are many wives put TO it to keep
| a roof over their heads and if there are
children. the situation is tragic indeed.
| My fearful informant told me that
all her people were far TO the East
and she had no money TO go TO them.
| She did not like to tell them her hus-
band did not have money enough TO
| support her. for they made such
fuss about my marriage to soldier,
but | was young and ! thought him a
hero. | do vet" she added. with
swift blush. Il don't want anybody
10 know how hard it is TO live on his
pay. We hear lots of the hardships of
the factory girls getting so little wage.
they have to do wrong TO keep from
starving. and have heard some badly
paid chorus girls have the same awful
| fight. but | know something ] think
more awful still.
"A woman came to see me when
J was at Douglas and she cried so
! could not find what was wrong. | did
! not know her very well. Then she
J told me the two little children were
! hungry and her husband in Mexico
| and she had no money and nobody
would give her work. and there was nc
where TO leave the children If she
should have got a job There was
but one way she could get fool for the
babies She took that away. She low
ed her husband, and she was almost
crazy at her act He ready to die for
| IiftIe cbTIfdr-;an his wife disgraced be
Why do men desert: why are Their,
suicides in the army and preventabl;
gun-shot wounds? These questions
come To us daily. Is not care about
the girl left behind me" the root OF
the trouble? l have never seen a sol
der since ! came TO live near them
ana write of their courage and their
clean living at this time of emergency
that did not seem to be proud of his
| work and filled with enthusiasm to do
what was needed for his service. but
when they talk of wives. babies and
mothers deep detection steals over the
faces that were so bright when telling
of the brush with "spicks.' and though
there is no vocal complaint, they are
not happy thinking of empty larder
and rent that must be paid.
| France and England are paying ex-
ira money for the upkeep of the home
of the soldier who is fighting. and for
each child there is an allowance also.
Are we of the United States going to
be less just to our soldiers? This war
is 3 splendid thing in teaching what is
needed to bring our fighting forces up
to standard. but il is costing fearful
price in some possibly preventable di-
| rections. Would it not be better TO
| save on expressage. one would say.
use freight trains instead and apply
| some of this cash to a fund for the
| wives of the American soldiers?
There is great saving of time in ex-
| pressing articles that are needed, but
| thousands of dollars have probably
| been spent with express companies for
| the carriage of aeroplanes and then
because the quality of the machine is
not up TO standard and the Curtiss
company does not send a force along
| to assemble the parts, as any purchaser
but Uncle Sam would require. so much
time is wasted that rhe time gained by
the express carriage is lost. Perfect
machines brought here and delivered
in good condition to the Government
by factory Officials would save large
amount of cash. 1t is the people who
will eventually pay for this war game.
and the people would be happier and
more satisfied TO let "the powers that
be" continue to be powers. if more re-
-1.- 81, 81 s. II.
soldiers who. after all. are the while
thing when il comes to having an
army. The gun is very necessary. but |
how little avail a gun without a man |
behind it?- How much stronger is |
that man if his wife and babies are |
not starving AT homer