The weekly Alaska citizen., 1919-03-03
ANOTHER STORY
 OF ARMY LIFE
 HAS BEEN TOLD

HAN bEElv LULU
 In the mail last evening The Citi. zen received the following communi. cation from Northern boy who was discharged from the service:
 Seattle. Wn.. Jan. 30. Editor Citizen:
 I note by the copies I am receiv- ing that you are publishing letters from the boys in uniform, who were former residents of Fairbanks and vicinity. Having been a resident of Fairbanks from 1905 until came down to eat and sleep and have my being at expense of our Uncle Sam. 1 may be excused for saying that believe l am known to others besides the chief of police and bartenders' union.
 The following facts are particul- arly interesting to me and if you think they would interest others the waste basket will be that much lighter.
 left home Aug. $. 1918. and upon arrival in Seattle immediately en- listed in American engineering corps and was sent to Pullman with the distinct promise that at the end of six weeks I would be sent to France. This promise, however. like the old one about the pie crust was evidently made to be broken as we were kept in Eastern Washington, down among a bevy of five hundred fair students some punishment. believe me drilling four hours a day and the balance of the time many of us were told off as instructors in the mechan- ical department. on engines. etc.
 The food was good, the work was hard-at time a whole lot harder than anything I ever did in Alaska and the living conditions far from monotonous.
 I met a number of other young fellows from inside" who. like my self did not seem to regret our en- forced stay at Pullman, much as we would have liked to be where we could have a crack at the boche However, the armistice was signed and we were fired out on a cold and busy world to shuffle for our selves, sans money. sens friends and with nothing but bls busy world to choose our means of living from Personally this was no hardship as had a little of the necessary to carry me thru and was lucky enough to obtain work almost immediately, but many of the fellows were not so fortunate and did not have a thing but the uniforms they stood in. No money to buy food or room, and strangers in strange land. How ere, Seattleites, as individuals and in organized bodies. are trying to do what they can. but 1t all ss.vors too much of charity and that 1t not what the boys want. They want an even chance to make their own liv- ing.
 There is bill before the Wash ington legislature at the present time to grant to every man being dis charged $10 per month for each month of his enlistment. If passed this would enable the men to either get to their former homes or hold them up till they get work. An other bill emanating from 8 similar source wants to give each man $500 flat. This will. however. hardly car ry and as a matter of fact Is not necessary as the number of men whom it would spoil would prove more harmful than otherwise.
 While this is supposed to be news, yet l cannot refrain from comment ing on tho obvious mistakes which have been made by those in au' thority and whom we had been led to believe had made preparations to take care of the men as they were discharged. Practically no effort has been made along these lines and as is usual "everyone's duty is no ones duty" with the result that the man who gave his time and labor and stood ready to make the "big sacri flee" is today the plaything of an unkind fate.
 While much hustle and noise-this is Seattle-is being made about the effort to "do for our boys" by un organized and inefficient tho wei meaning organizations, the aforesaid boys are in many cases finding i mighty hard to get work or ever |onOuph to oaf