The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1917-12-28
What UNCLE SAM
PAYS SOLDIERS
Subject That Most People Know
Very Little About.
WHOLE SYSTEM IS CHANGED
Private Gets $33 Month as Long as
He Is in the United States and 20
Per Cent Additional When He Goes
Abroa Made for wife
and Children-Dependent Parents
Provided For.

and Children-Dependen Parents
Provided For.
WashingtOn.-ASk the first ten peo-
pie you meet what Uncle Sam pays his
soldiers. 1t Will be safe TO bet they
won't know.
Half Of them. may have some haZy
idea about q dollar day" and you
will find lots of people who think
Uncle sam still pays The old scale of
S13 month, but few outside the army
know the iHS ami outs Of the wasc
scale, even for private soldiers.
The whole pay system Of the United
States army has been reV0lut-nDizcd
since the war started.
\ private in Uncle Sans armies,
regular. National Guard or National
army. receives III c;.ah, IS lor@ IL he
Is il the United States, S;'@ a InGutA,
IN addition to food, clothing ANA med
zeal attendance.
When h. is s"nt - Europe h" GETS
20 per cert extra. who's her III t-a.Uln"
or in the trenches, which brings lie
minimum cash pa IN Ia $500 i
month. oI. $50 . day.
The revolutionary ua~t OF she pay
system. however, about which most
people are ignorant. j. III scala o. :.
lcwancgS ru"'.n T. ia" government t.
the soldiers. drrngd.Gt.. Ne a~H 5hE>
, breaking away from til" Old theory .
paving soldiers q FIT "-'.-e fl" G.at.u-
t. thc u"w theory th"' inc nation j. 70
SDonsihlc for Il" welfare not only ct
he man in service. brit FIR the depend
ents whom he Lett behind linn.
Under THIS now scheme, II there's :
wee wife waiting" she receives each
month direct from Uncle Sam SD q
| month, which is virtually an addition
to the fighting mans wage. and brings
his total compensation up to S4S Il
month while he is in the United States
and TO S54 80 abroad.
II there is one child with the wife,
the allowance is SH5 month; two
children, S32.50 and so on up to the
| point where, with Il wife and six chill
dren, Uncle Sam pays $50 month in
cash TO the family.
Allowance for Parents Made.
II nav not he enough to support
them. even with what the enlisted man
can send home out Of his wages. but
! It is at least recognition of Uncle
Sans responsibility and hulwark
against dependence on charity.
Allowances are also provided for de-
pendent parents, so month for each,
( and for brothers. sisters and grandchil-
! dren, 81 4 month for each, with the
proviso that in any case the govern
ment will not pay to the dependents
of any man more than $50 month.
No mawkish prudery entered into
| the drafting of these provisions; by
| acknowledging his illegitimate child
soldier may secure for it the full gov
| crnmental allowance, the only provi-
| sion being that if it is born after De
! cc,nbCr 81. 1917. it must be born in the
| United States. So in the case Of wife
| there need be no legal marriage IL
| there is proof that they have lived to-
rr-her as man and wife for two year
prior 10 enlistment.
Uncle Sam also sees to il that n
soldiers do not throw all the burdaH
Of caring for dependents on his broa'
+ shoulders by making it compulsory t'r
I each man who has left Il VIII" or chile
behind - pay over to them through
/ he treasury at least So Il month ana
F rs much mere as will equal the allow
ruCc which Uncle Sam makes m I"
hail Il mans pay. Thus for the man
in service abroad who has left {"
/ wife AMI child behind the man vii!
have tn assign 10 them ut least S19.N@
Il month. 10 which the government VI.
add So, making total Of ST."
which they are to receive.
! The old pension system is wiped out
( by the new and far more equitable Sys-
! TEN of compensation for death and
disability.
This compensation differs from that
! provided in any other law. 1t tai"
/ the family as the unit that is serving
/ the, nation, not the individual man.
! Depends on Size Of Family.
! It bases the compensation on tie
/ size of the family from time Ia time
/ While 4 totally disabled bachelor vii;
! get only $50 month. the man with =
! wife and four children will get 81.
/ Twenty dollars is added if Il nurse IS
/ REQUIRED; SO month as long rs h
! may live, whether he is married or
not.
/ If he dies from injuries or disease
/ received in the line of duty, the widow.
! children and widowed mother receive
sums ranging from $50 to SO month,
according to size of family. No dis
tinction is made between private and
the highest officer.
In addition, every man may take
out insurance up to $4,000 ut the ac-
tual cost of furnishing such insurance
In peace times-the entire nation
through the treasury bears the war
risk. This insurance is wisely safe
guarded to protect it from creditors,
shyster lawyers and loan sharks.