The New York herald., 1922-08-29
WADSW0RTH FIXES
4 BONUS ASPOLIT|CAL
Shows Congress Increased
Privates' Base Pay 100
Per Cent. in 1917.
GENEROUS IN PURPOSE
New York Senator Also De-
scribes Additional Allow
ances and Comforts.
BONUS BASIS NOT LAID
Plsn of Adjusted Compensa-
ton Attacked as Unjust
and Illogical.
BONUS BASIS NOT LAID

bSscsas Dss,ssoA % TIM NV Yo.x HrnArD.
NX xss. r@sh ggre:y.
Tho spesoh Of Senator wadsworth
o. New York in opposing the McCum-
ber bonus bill this afternoon was as
follows;
"As to the pending bnl itself. there
have been a good many general state
ments made concerning the veterans
of the war. both soldiers and sailors.
and some Of them may givo rise to
an inaccurate conception of just what
the Government has done in tho mat
ter Of pay ana allowance up t. this
time. Merely in tho interest OF . rea-
sonably accurate story. and not for
the purpose Of argument desire to
recite very briefly those measures
taken by tho Congress affecting the
soldiers and sailors who wers called
to the colors during the last war.
When wo went into the war the base
bay Of the private was SIS per month. In
May or Juno. 1s1T-I forget which It
was: think It WAS sMay-approximAtsly
two months after we entered tho war, the
Congress legislatsd on tho question Of
pay. and the base pay Of the private was
raised to $50 per menth. The impression
seems to prevail that $50 Q month was
the pay Of the soldiers. As matter Of
fact, that was but the base pay Of the
private soldier. and tho privates COM
price approximately 30 per cent. Of tho
enlisted strength Of tho army.
Pay Of Other Grades.
Prior TO tho war tho base pay OF the
first class was e18 per month. That was
raised to ss8 per month. The privates
first class comprise approximately 26 per
cent of the army. Prior to the war the
corporal of tho lfne so-called, received
s21 per month. and that was raised
shortly after we entered the war to $40
per month"; The corporals in the aggre-
gate comprise about 9.6 per cent of en-
listed strength OF the army. Prior to the
war the duty sergeant received $40 per
month. That was raised to $3S per
month. Tho duty sergeants and men of
similar grade among the enlisted strength
comprise about s.5 per cent.
THE battalion sergeant major prior to
our entrance into the war received $40 a
month and during the war that pay was
lHCIed9eu 10 3fo. lnc IeBuncnI8l ser
geant major received $45 a month prior
TO the war and that non-commissioned
officers pay was raised to $51 q month
after our entrance into the war. The
sergeant first class medical CORPS re-
ceived $50 a month before the war and
was raised to $56 month. The hospital
sergeant received $65 a month prior to
our entrance into the war, and was
raised to $71 a month. The quartermas-
ant xxy6N H..
highest paid grade and is typical of the
highest grades as is then existing, re-
ceived SIS a month prior to our entrance
into the war. and was raised to $S1.
'It will be seen. therefore. that the
soldiers In the lowest grades, the pri-
Yates and privates nrst class and the
corporais received by far the greater IN
crease. measured by percentage Of their
former pay. It will be seen also that the
mere statement that $40 = month was
the pay Of the soldier, was grossly in
accurate, for more than so per cent of
them rot q great deal more than $40, and
every soldier who went abroad got q 20
per cent increase IN his base pay. So
that no soldier served in France for as
little as $50 month. or anything like It
Average Cash Pay.
Exclusive. OF course. OF food and
hospital care and clothing. / assume
the average cash pay would run close
60 $40 and exclusive also of extra al
lowances. such as are given for mark
nianship, 81 month; sharpshooter, SO
a month; expert rifieman. SIS month,
and corresponding experts in other
branches of the service which are not
armed with the rife but which REQUIRE
proficiency with some other weapon
But / am not citing these figures In
he ~ or H,,t
II I may, to contribute something 20 a
little more accurate conception OF lust
what happened because the impression
has been so often given out that MOTH
ing has been done, whereas. As a mat
ter Of fact, the base pay Of the hum
bcst private of the army was raised
100 per cent. at the very beginning.
AS contrasted with Great Britain the
so-called pay of the soldiers OF the
United States was more than three
times as much, even though both SOL
ders were serving in foreign coun-
try under exactly the same conditions
SO far as that country was concerned
Il do not imagine for a moment that
any Senator or any citizen believes that
$40 month for the private or $33 a
month for the private first class or $40
month for the corporal was voted
for any other purpose than to give
x 10 The soldier generous allowance OF
pocket money. Certainly II was never
considered possible to compensate him.
No such thought ever entered the mind
OF the Senate at the time nor has any
military legislation affecting pay in
time Of war been built on the basis of
compensation.
II remember very we'll the debate
which occurred i'm the Senate at the
time we doubled the base pay OF pri-
Yates and made corresponding. al
though somewhat less, increases in the
upward grades OF the enlisted force.
Canada had established the principle
Of dollar day for her private SOL
diers and Australia had done some
ting of the same sort.
For Equally Good Treatment.
THE American Congress believed that
cur men should receive and have for
tieir enjoyment just as much pocket
rooney as the soldiers OF any other
Ind II am not greatly mistaken.
taat is why the increase was made and
no one complained against H. 1t was
a generous allowance of pocket money