The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-07-19
Funfshment for DrunISenness fn
the British ARMY.

the BrhuaSh Army
:, Drunkenness is national vice of Great
britain, and its evil effects are especially
notable in the British army. But reform
mas been attempted. The Pal IHdB Gazette
Says
AN experiment is now under trial which
deserves to be regarded with more than com
mon interest. The 18th Article of War for
1863 lays down that-'H any soldier shall be
dunk, whether on duty or not on duty, his
commanding officer may, with or without any
other lawful punishment, award him to pay a
fine not exceeding 10s, such fine to be levied
by stoppages from the offenders daily pay
Indeed the whole Of the Articles of War re-
lating to drunkenness have been entirely re-
modelled this year Hitherto a soldier was
tried by court-martial for drunkenness and
sentenced, if found guilty, to imprison-
ment and stoppage of pay, but
the courts-martial from this cause be-
came so frequent, and the loss of soldiers
services by imprisonment so great, that
the regulation came practically to deadlock.
Trying the soldier by court-martial for what
very few of that class regard as a crime had
the effect of exciting or adding to his discon-
tent with his lot, and did not help him to get
over his failing, but the reverse. A second
and a third trial made him callous, while
during his repeated long, and increasing
terms of Imprisonment he was non-effectiye
for duty and the practical result was that in
the aggregate the available numbers of the
army were considerably reduced in con-
stantly increasing proportion. Thus nobody
gained, neither the soldier nor the public: the
militia prisons were populous and the ranks
were thinned, while drunkenness was on the
Increase
''This year sees q new order of things
Soldiers will no longer be tried by court-mar-
tial for 'acts of drunkenness as in
corrigible drunkards preparatory to discharge
for that cause-but they will be fined by their
commanding officers in accordance with the
following scale of fines, which was published
to the army in general order on the first of
May. For the first and second acts the sol
der will be admonished or confined to bar
racks.
''The fines are progressive in amount on
the repetition of acts of drunkenness, and on
the other hand are subject to reduction in
proportion to the length of time eapsing
between the offenses; thereby holding out
strong inducements to the soldier to abstain.
The fines are to be enforced by an actual
daily stoppage' of either threepence or four
pence, according to circumstances, from the
soldiers pay. The soldier in every case of
fine has the right of appeal to a court-martial.
Another good rule is that in all cases soldiers,
after getting drunk are to be kept in barracks
for twenty-four hours; 'defaulters, however,
are to be permitted to enter the canteen
during certain fixed hours of the day. say
from 6 to p. M 1t will be interesting to
watch the result of this experiment, and we
may probably look for statistics on the sub
ject when next years mutiny bill is before
Parliament.
''There is another point connected with
this subject which seems to admit of consi-
deration, if not of radical improvements. The
seventy-sixth Article of War runs as follows:
IF any officer shall be drunk on any duty
under arms he shall, on conviction thereof
before general court-martial, be sentenced
to be cashiered.' But the soldier is punish
able for drunkenness whether on duty or not
on duty" and this, no doubt leads to good
deal of what he regards as hardship and petty
oppression in his idle hours. An old soldier
who has learnt to conceal it will go to bed
happy every night in the week. but others
have hard lines. We get glimpse of this in
clever and lively novel of military life in the
West Indies, which appeared about two years
ago, John Thorpe's Marriage.
Atkins, said the Sergeant, you're
drunk.
"No, am not, Sergeant Jones, answered
Atkins, with great indignation.
'Ten-Sh,t0" called the Sergeant. Right
about fdceE
The man faced about.
Legs all right remarked the non-com-
missioned officer. Left about three-quarter
fdce!
\ ''Atkins executed that difficult manoeuvre
perfectly.
Heads all right! said the Sergeant, medi-
tatively. Now then, Atkins, if you're sober,
what do you mean by telling such lies here?
''Had Atkins been at all wrong, either in
his head or his legs, he would most probably
have been tried by court-martial.
4 SPEOIAl MnTINES.