Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-08-08
Ehpntng Ghat

1t is estimated that about 1,4oo men
who were either rejected on physical
examination, or who failed to enlist,
Will receive checks from the adjutant
general for their service from the time
they left the home stations for the
mobilization camp until their connec-
ton with the organized militia ended.
The men in the service are being paid
by the federal authorities. 1t is a mat
ter of regret at the Capitol that some
| provision could not be made for ear
lier payment of these men, many of
whom left good paying jobs to go to
camp at a dollar and a half a day and
who have to wait weeks and weeks for
their money The governmental system
OF paying men is q mystery to the
average man anyway and the NatfSn-
al Guard officers have been ready for
some time to go ahead. The low con-
dition of the States finances is also toI
| blame for the delay in payment of theI
men of the Third brigade for their
| service at camp. Twenty-seven thou
sand dollars is not a big sum for the
commonwealth of Pennsylvania, but
has not paid that to its soldiers 70
! their term in camp. The Third bri
gade men are many of them earnin
good salaries and they cheerfully CAV
them up for the good of the servic
and the fairness of compelling them
/
creditable to the keystone State. TIL
! adjutant generals department com
pleted the rolls on July 2S and the rel
QUESTIONS for the funds, along. with
many others. are awaiting accumula
ton of cash.
In regard to pay there is a dispatcI
in the morning papers from FL Pas
which bears out the above to q T.
is stated in dispatch to the Phild
delphia Inquirer that the entire FRS
artillery regiment, the only one in tn
Pennsylvania or Seventh division, ha
been without pay from the day it
obilized at Mt. Gretna. Its men are
down in the hot sun at FL Paso with
out having been paid even for june
at Mt. Gretna or for July on the traint
and in camp on the border. No won-N
der there is a demand for some radical
improvement on the part OF the pub
lie. The recruiting officers are COM
mencing to run up against dissatisfac-
ton with the service conditions among
men who would make excellent re-
cruits.
Speaking of soldiers 1t has been
suggested by many people that Penn
sylvanians might make some effort to
send magazines to the men on the
| border. Reading matter is pretty hard
| to get. Almost as hard to obtain as to-
bacco and If some of the tons of mag
| azines and other literature which ac-
cumulate about every town in the hot
months or which abound at summer
resorts could be baled up and sent to
the camp of the Eighth Infantry or the
First Cavalry 1t would be doing a real
! service. The average man who goes
camping knows what a boon a maga-
zine is when the camp is a week old.
Some of the troops have been on the
border almost month. 1t is month T
since our own infantry regiment pass
ed through this city on its way to FL
Paso.
Letters from the men at the border
tell of the rapidity with which the
militiamen from this State are being
gotten into fine physical shape and
to the perfection Of the organizations
within regiments which the National
government demands and which have
with very few instances been formed
by regiments when at home. The ma
chine gun panies, which were not
encouraged by State authorities, and
the supply companies which were also
classed as bric-a-brac by some people
are now being formed with all serious
ness, while aviation instead of being
ignored is getting much attention. 1t
! is to the everlasting credit of the Klen
who left offices, mills and factoriesiin
June that they have turned in to tackle
ITS new TASKS WIN IHS same
that they displayed when they an
swered the CALL No more splendid
spirit has been shown than by the
officers and men of the Pennsylvania
militia and they should be encour-
aged in every possible way and poll
ties kept out of the higher places.
/
Captain E. H. Schell, quartermaster
of the Eighth regiment now station
ed at Camp Stewart. on the Mexican
border, sends the Telegraph a post
card of the handsome new million
dollar hotel at Ell Paso-the paso Del
Norte-and adds: Il hope we will be
able to duplicate this very soon. We
are all well and getting alone fine.
With kindest regards to all" Sergeant
Charles w. Thomas sends a post card
showing a a typical adobe or rmudhouse
such as are used by the poorer classes
of MeXicans. Sun-dried brick laid in
mud mortar and dirt roof serve to
house this class whose contentment
seems complete.
One of the notable things about the
Harrisburg commands at the border
is the excellent health they have main
tanned. The whole Pennsylvania di-
vision has been showing good reports,
the climate being all right after the
men once become used to it. The
Eighth regiment has been down to
only one man in the hospital on some
days.