The daily morning oasis., 1919-01-26
The Still Alarm"
CHAS. MURRAY in a. Mack Sonnet Comedy
His Wife'S Friend


world but the clothing he wears and his own two hands,
let the talk is made grave that provision for the
turning soldiers who without means will be made by
sending them upon the land empty handed. This talk
about giving them employment upon public is just
about as futile Moreover not all the soldiers who have
been taken from their trades and avocatons to be made
into soldiers are fitted for the work of powhg scrapng
and dggng-or correctly speaking, they fitted
for something better Most Of them had something bet
tier before the war That of the rones of the stu
alton: Men who had good permanent jobs with which
they satisfied and doing well, were taken
away in many against their inclination, if not
against their will and now they have returned covered
with glory penness, with their former jobs filled
10y Others and they told that they will be given work
latter while as day laborers with pick and shovel or
pow and scraper on public work somewhere Even it
Ia returned soldier is given back his former job there is
displaced the who held it while he gone; and
the problem of the unemployed still exists but in the
lperson of another than returned soldier.
The gross miSmanagement of the whole business OF
Treating the American soldier Except the actual OF
the when in the camp and in the feld) has been SIM
ply appalling Even at the beginning in the camps of IN
lstruction the men inadequatey clad and housed
when they reached camp they ordered to return
home or otherwise dispose Of their civilian clothing and
were clad in blue denim overas, until uniforms and other
clothing could be provided In many cases 1t was several
weeks and right in the fall of the year, when heavy
clothing was needed To keep the had to turn
into their hunks together the day time; and those who
were out, on duty drilling positively suffered.
/ Then, when the machinery of equipment had become
adjusted the machinery for compensation was never Tx
led straight and it is not fixed yet There made
great to do about doubling the pay of the soldier and the
monthly stipend of the private soldier raised from
SIS per month to $50 But the were all required to
make allotment Of onehaf Of the money to their depend
ents Most of them had dependents of relationship
or another-mother sister or wife. From the day OF
their enlistment that allotment held out. But in
thousands of the money held out of the pay OF the
men has not been paid to the dependents Where
prvate soldier served year the government held out OF
his pay the Of $780, under the pretense that 1t would
be forwarded those designated dependent upon him.
And this writer knows of number of such Where
a man non-com the pay higher, the allotment
Greater and the money owing him Oh his dependents is
still in the hands Of the government. Ii man was a
first sergeant he was paid $48 per month Onehaf of it
to an allotment made 1928 if he served year that the
government holds under the preence Of assuring it to
his family This is fanced case. The writer can
enumerate several within his acquaintance and it is
Stated by those men that they know of thousands.
Then after the allotment taken out the were
worked in various ways part with their money Every
Liberty Loan drive worked in the camps, where
lents and companies ptted against each other to
make rivalry and swell the showing made for the organ
lzaton In their enthusiasm the men responded-some
of them literally that when there had been held out the
allotment and all the monthly payments for which they
held the soldier himself had but two or three dol
lars per month for his personal The writer can
instance who paid $48 per month"; as first SER
geant and out of that amount he handed each month
by the paymaser the princey Of eight dollars. He
enumerates many who had only dollar or two
dollars per month out of the $780, Is it any wonder the
men are returning home broke? And now after year
or of arduous service, either at home cover
there" they turned loose without employment their
former jobs gone and the government owing them from
5000 to $500 each of money held out from Their pay for
alleged benefit Of dependents And they told that
they go to work farming bare land with picks
and shovels public works somewhere or another.
Was there ever such travesty?