The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-11-21
CAUSES FOR DESERTION.

Every year the official report
show an extraordinary number o
desertions from the army, and tn
Secretary of War is constantly de
vising schemes and making sugges'
tions for the prevention of these
frequent runaways. Surprise il
sometimes expressed over the many
desertions that occur, the wonder
being that men should want tt
leave service in which they are sc
well provided for and in which
there is so little to do and no danger
incurred. Secretary Lincoln and
those under him do not look in the
right direction for the causes of the
trouble about which they complain
In the first place, wrong course is
pursued in seeking recruits.
The true character Of the
service is not explained to
those applying for enlistment. The
bright side is put out, and men are
invited to bite at a tempting bait
which proves to be like the fly at
which the trout strikes-a fraud
and cheat. The truth is. there is
no really bright side in the life Of a
private soldier. The pay is insign-
ifcant, being about one.fourth what
the common laborer receives. The
soldier does not enjoy the luxury of
ease and quiet that many imagine is
his lot; on the contrary, if there is
work to be done, he must do it as
the day laborer, not as the hero
of war. When he enlists perhaps
he imagines that for five years
he will have little or nothing to do
except to eat wholesome food, wear
comfortable clothing and sign the
payroll quarterly. If he happens
to be an ordinarily bright fellow, it
takes about q week for the romance
of the thing to leave his mind and
show him that he is simply menial,
doing menial's work, for pay that
is much less than the free menial,
receives. After making these dis
coveries it is only natural that he
should improve the first opportunity
to obtain his liberty and put himself
in the position of a man again.
Another thing, too many of the
men vino are received into the
army, belong to that class who
should be rejected. AS noted in THE
HERALD a few days ago, Secretary
Lincoln said that'if soldiers who
enlisted when drunk should be re-
leased when sober, the discharges
would be very nearly equal the en-
listments. The Secretary doubtless
overstated the case somewhat, yet
there is a good deal too much truth
in what he said. It is wrong to
enroll man when he is under the
influence OF liquor, savoring very
much of the old press-gang method
Of recruiting for the sea. It is TAX
ing an unworthy advantage of
mans misfortune. There should be
no wonder If the fellows of
spirit, when they find how
they have been duped while
intoxicated, do resent the trick by
when the chance presents
itself. Government has cheated
him, aud he would be above the
average man If he kept his word
with the army.
There is remedy for the evil Of
desertion, if government chooses to
apply it. The cure is, first, to not
enlist men by deceit. Let them un-
Gerstand the nature and character Of
the service that will be required Of
them: second, pay soldiers for being
soldiers, and not for being menials.
If there is labor to be performed
hire laborers to do it. Ii this course
is followed. the United States
will find no difficulty in get
ting enough soldiers, and no
trouble in retaining them. A
different class of meh would enlist
men who, understanding why
they enlisted and what were their
duties, would be true to the obliga-
ton they had taken, and faithful to
the nation. So long as the present
plan is continued there will be de-
sertions; the wonder is that enough
men stay in the ranks to keep up
the army organization.
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