The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-08-31

Deen IN Jne army IOf years are sun
receiving only $21.00 per month. Not
only that, but he must pay many Of
his own expenses, especially laundry
and uniforms. The average soldier
buys his own uniforms. In Hawaii,
they were forced to do so. In some
companies, the soldiers are requested
to contribute to a fund so they can
have better food than is supplied by
the government. The soldier is forced
to meet other expenses of a purely
military nature.
Reading Banned.
Most intelligent workers think of
the army as a place where men are
taught the science of wholesale muir
der. Yes, it is, but they get their
military drill in the morning, as a
rule, and in the afternoon they put
on their fatigue clothing and are re-
quired to do manual labor with non
commissioned officers for oyerseers.
Really, every soldier in the army is a
prisoner He must be kept as busy as
possible SO that he will not have
time to read and think. When the
manuel labor in the afternoon is
over, the soldiers day is not yet
ended He must keep his military
equipment polished like a mirror, and
is constantly preparing for inspec-
tions.
Frederick the Great once said that
if his soldiers began to think not one
of them would remain in the ranks.
The American army officers realize
that is true today. Serious reading
on the part of the soldier is dis
couraged. Walter Trumbull was or
dered by his company commander to
destroy a copy of the National
Geographic Magazine. 1t is especially
undesirable for the soldier to learn
about other countries. If he read
about oppression in other nations he
might compare it with his own en-
slavement and realize that the work
ers of all countries have a common
cause-that they have nothing to lose
but their chains and world to gain.
Army Class Distinctions Rigid.
Nowhere else is class distinction so
obvious as in the army. A soldier
is not permitted to speak to an Off
Ger without permission, except in
case of abscs tie necessity when on
duty. If soldier wishes to speak to
Colonel, in command of his regl-
ment, he must explain his business to
his First Sergeant and get permission
to speak to the Company Commander
Then, he goes to his Captain, and
salutes, standing stiffly AT attention,
and begins: "Sir, l nave eyarfstss#8n
from the First Sergeant to speak to
the Captain" He must always ad-
dress an officer in the third person.
The word ''you" applied to an officer
is an objectionable offense. The
Captain may deny the request, in
which case there is nothing more to
be done or said. But if permission
is given, the soldier goes to the
Adjutant and repeats the request to
have the opportunity of actually ad-
dressing the sacred person of the
= i
VI could write indefinitely, telling
how the soldier IS treated like an in
ferior being. Along with this treat
ment, his mind is constantly being
filled with the idea of nationalism, es-
pecially in Hawaii where most of the
workers belong to other races. Every
thing possible is done to make him
regard the natives with hostility and
to prevent any personal association
on basis of equality. In Panama,
soldiers are forbidden to marry ma
tives. While he, himself, is being
abused by his officers and taught to
regard himself as far inferior to
them, he is encouraged to find COM
pensation in thinking of himself as
superior to the native population so
that he can be used as tool for
their enslavement.
Guard Houses Hell-HOles.
/ have been discussing the relatively
bright side of army life. But there
are darker aspects. Alcatraz ISLANDS
ID ilAS4C Diletll a plttCS VI puIltouIlGItt.
1t is sinister menace which con-
stanty hangs over the head of every
soldier, especially those who care to
think for themselves or object to be-
ing cannon FODDER for the use of Wall
Street.
But Alcatraz and other disciplinary
barracks are not the only places for
the incarceration of soldiers in yioia-
ton of all principles of justice and
constitutional rights. Every regi-
ment has prison known as the guard
house, where soldiers are held with
out bail in Imprisonment at hard Ia
Dor, sometimes for months, before
trial. In these guard houses, soldiers
often are treated worse than muir
derers who are imprisoned for life.
In the Philippine Islands, soldiers in
the guard house were forced to sleep
on the cold cement floor with only one
blanket In Hawaii, at present,
soldiers in guard houses are not per-
mittcd any reading matter except
religious literature. They are given