Page:The history and achievements of the Fort Sheridan officers' training camps.djvu/33

 ��quarters are not available, every such commissioned officer shall be paid commutation thereof and communtation of heat and light, at the rate authorized by law in cases where public quarters are not available; but nothing in the Act shall be so construed as to reduce the allowances now authorized by law for any person in the Army. "

We sent a special letter to all of the leading newspapers throughout the country, giving them the actual facts, the financial status of the officers with families, their responsibility, as well as an appeal for fair treatment. This letter was sent to more than 500 newspapers and immediately began to bring replies throughout every section. The following extract from the "Buffalo Express" is a fair sample of the type of response received:

"This being an officer in the United States Army is not all cakes and ale. Quite aside from the responsibilities which fall upon those in command, there are burdens which many of the young men who have gone into the service through the training camps are finding pretty heavy. They have discovered that it costs a good deal to be an officer, and a good many of the young men w^ho are now lieutenants and cap- tains in the National Army went into the game without much thought as to what this might mean. Many of them are married and therefore have dependents and doubtless most of them have no appreciable re- sources outside of their pay.

"A second lieutenant in the Army receives $141 a month, first lieutenant $166 and captain $200, with 10 per cent increase for foreign service. An officer, unlike a private, must maintain and equip himself. It has been figured that altogether these young officers are put to an expense of $450 for complete equipment for foreign service; or, figuring equipment and replacement, about $50 a month for the first year. Mess costs are considerable and in many of the camps officers have been com- pelled to provide their own quarters. They should take the Government insurance and they are supposed to buy a few Liberty Bonds. And about that time they begin to wonder where they are at, especially if married.

"These are among the reasons urged in support of legislation now before Congress looking for mitigation of existing conditions. Some commutation for family quarters and a partial equipment for foreign service are asked. That surely is not an unreasonable demand. Espe- cially is it a just demand that the Government should furnish officers the service equipment required by regulations.

"An agitation which is being organized in support of measures to this end is deserving of universal and hearty support. The necessary laws should be enacted by Congress at once and made retroactive to the beginning of the war."

Shortly afterwards, special hearing was given the bill in the Senate and, partly as a result of the publicity we v/ere able to obtain for it, but largely because of its obvious justice, it was sent to the House. We then sent a letter to every State Council of Defense in the country, as well as to the newspapers that had been helpful, and on Wednesday, April I 0th, the bill was brought before the House for final hearing and, in spite of some opposition, it was passed by a fair majority. In view of the later unwillingness of Congress to provide any relief on the matter of cost of equipment, passage of this bill

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