The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-04-23
Poor Mam's Chance
 To Get a Commission

Poor Mam' s Chance
 To Get a Commission 1 A SERIOUS objection has been GA raised to the plan for training reserve officers and citizens who want to obtain army commissions in IA camps established at various army posts throughout the country.
 As the law now stands, only men between the ages of 21 and A years with independent incomes vii be able to take the intensive training offered, as they will draw no pay. This would seem to indicate that none but rich men will be available for this instruc- tion. No one who works for salary can afford to give up his position and spend several months at training camp, even though he may have hopes of eventually getting a commission which will pay him more than he is earning at present.
 Even more serious than the prob lem of recruiting a large army, will be the necessity of supplying the new troops with officers. They can only La Jrox,,,, froyo +bo racoruo 1iot on6 from the citizenship of the country, either with or without previous mil itary experience. The regular army and National Guard increased to war strength will call for most of the trained officers, including this years graduating class at West Point. It is stated that 35,O0o men are wanted at the officers training camps this summer, or 25OO to each camp. Certainly that number vii not be ob tained, if the salaried man, without any other source of income, is kept at -
 home by financial considerations. The Germans claim that the allies started the war, yet Germany was the only one of the belligerents who was prepared when the trouble began.
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 The patriotic gardener shouldn't mind raising a few blisters on his hands. Being gassed in a trench is a much more narrowing experience.
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 A circus attache says tiger will consume s5 worth of beef day, but tiger won't complain if his steak isn't served with mushrooms. A Denver man was getting rich selling tiny flasks of liquor concealed in hot tamales until he absent mindedly sold one to policeman.
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 Beer is selling for 10 cents a glass in Dallas. Tex. Still. that's cheap com pared to the prices beer brings in the prohibition states
 A pessimist is an American citizen who thinks 500,oOO Germans are mob ilized in Mexico for an invasion of the United States.
 vardaman and Bryan are both ready to fight for America, but they are trifle late in climbing on the band wagon.
 Ruth Law wants to aviate for Uncle Sam. Ruth is patriotic, She could make more money as trick flyer. Les Darcy says he will enlist if per- mitted to take part in some scheduled bouts. Les is still after the money
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 Selective conscription ought to re- duce the number of street corner mashers and pool room sharps.
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 Slackers who married in haste are already beginning to repent at leisure. And they get no sympathy.
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 An eastern admirer refers to Colonel Roosevelt as General" The colonel hasn't been promoted yet
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 io rtai Tai is retired to private life he won't take up horticulture.
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 Incidentally, what has become of the mother who didn't raise her boy to be soldier?
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 It begins to look as if the Smith will have hard time going down in history.
 CIGARETTE SHOP FOR WOMEN New York.-Convinced that womankind