The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-04-16
Intemperance in the Army and Navy

IL hlbcl you huNO h1ouO ~ 40 "aSs'ASa
and an even more difficult thing.
incompetence In the ARMY anu NAVE
A correspondent sends us the names Of
nine officers OF the army who, after being
dismissed from the service by sentence Of
court martial have been restored by the
favor OF Congress or by the interpretation OF
the reviewing authorities In most Of these
instances the offence was drunkenness on
duty, and In some cases the officer was dis
missed twice. Accordingly this correspond
ent makes the following suggestions:
"sr 1t would SEEM from information lately received
by me that the habit of drunkenness virtue and not
avee in the minds of our consre'smen' large mum,
". VI ,", , ~ snnlcs,,on to Congress
been restored to the army after dismissal on the most
undoubed evidence OF incorporate habits and in some
cases vile conduct in addition In one case an act OF
W anu 20" :. I'm.
of This patur, pending in Congress, and for the sake o,
the better behaved officers whose chances of promotion
essened by such favOrs to unworthy men, the mat
Ter ousn' W oe EXPOSED anu s'oppeu ,.
Thar ia now pronosas for anno,ntmsn, s con.p 10 an
Oriental post an applicant who has dissraced himself
and his eountrymen by intemperanee and other vices
among the very people TO whom II Is proposed " SEND
,sa Co.. hs snn,in,msn, nsrhsns so,oNins
preceen,s but is 1, not well to consider the purity Of
our public service in these matters' *"
Our correspondent falls far short OF ex-
pressing the extent OF the evil which he
I.x.u., ~, .ho OIL ~, Ar,,u +h, In ,,,.hou
w Wv ~, VI 1f1 49, N
iZin8 tue reappoinlihent W lhe army Vi
| THOS. +. RILEY, late Captain OF the twenty
| first Infantry came up In the Senate Cant
| purv h,d haan ,ismtsso3 h,, san..noa -,
AAAi . ~
court ihailial iof uiunAehneSs, Jul lhe case
was not nearly so gross or inexcusable as
| that of many officers who had been rescued
| from tho nsnoltv n, Dismissal for tho s,,na
-,
oiehce' OuiinS lne ueoaCc, NIL LNoALLS VI
Kansas made the following remarkable state
| ment. THAT out OF forty-two sentences OF
| Dismissal for d,untannass duripg tho admin.
| ,..i =, A.. -. tCl,., D., l..
i9Iia tion Va LILO ioeo lHiouuien1l Aieeeu'
HAYES, he reversed twenty-three.
few moments later, referring to the dis
graceful record of r. B. HAYES in this partic-
ular OF setting aside penalties imposed for
intoxication on duty, Mr. INGALLS, again as
serted, and without any attempt to contra
diet him, that Mr.. HAYES was the most
ardent advocate OF the revocation OF these
dismissals, and did as q matter, OF fact re-
verso more than half OF all those that were
pronounced" The conclusion which MIR,
INGALLS, drew from the whole subject was as
follows:
ANY oficer who 10 SO wilfully disregsrdtu of the
obligations Of the oath that he has taken who so en-
Va, =, ,s IN y. w. . W Wv y, ,has.
who Ar, placed under M, charge a. to becom, drunk
while he is duty ought to be restored to the
ssrvce do not care whatths mitigating circumstances
are. 1t 10 not an individual ohencs II IL an offence
that Involves the Lives and safety OF other men; and
thsrefors when we proceed with this promiseuous
restoration OF men to the service we do avery gross
inusnee not only 10 the service AZ large out 10 the LIE
ofsvery INDIVIDUAL VINO Is In the service
e. do not know how many cases We have passed upon
NJ TINS session. Out certainly the number Is alarming
We might a. well abolish the law upon this question a.
to allow matters TO proceed further a. they are now go
ing AL that an omeer mas 10 DO 10 10 come mere go
make out claim thA Appeals TO the sympathy OF soma
d,on Of tn, .,rte. and to tho injury OF tho,. who
obey the laws and lead sober honest and upright uve,
What makes the statistics mst nresented
more remarkable is the fact that the infa-
mons r. r HAyRs not onlv posed while In the
White House. "a a temperanoe reformer. but
had exnresslv declared that drunkenness
in the army was the one offence which be
would not endure and which he was deter.
mined To break IN
The navy WAS equally Injured by inter.
positions to save drunken officers from dis
missal or to restore them when dismissed
On the 18th Of March netition was nresent
ed to the Senate from more than three hun
dred navy officers of all grades headed b,
Rear Admiral AN,rpN beginning az follows
"rn. rn,s,.,,,., communications, o,o.-, u, ,,s rn,,.,
States Navy most re,p.ctfuv REPRESENT that IN. now
frequent restoration of officers resigned retired and dis
missed by court martial is working infinite prejudice tt
'ne nA'y 10sn w ',s N,,o ~,
earned promotion for continuous eeiepey au
good conduct.
Drunkenness is the most common cause for dismissal
Who Deeh dismissed ior ,h's 10 "a
cienty exposed to peril by battle, storm and shipwrec
under the coolest aud ~isest management"
| These petitioners go on to say that Con
gressmen would shun the railway or steam