Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1888-12-21
THE RAW RECRUIT.
General Howard Tells Some InterestiI
Things About Him.

THE RAW RECRUIT.
General Howard Tells Some interesting
Things About Him.
Eyes, noticed that dispatch stating
that sixty-five recruits had been or
dered from Washington to be assigned
to the First Infantry Department OF
California responded General 0. 0.
Howard to reporter. There is more
than one reason for their being or
dered here continued General How
ard. Zone Is that experiment has
proved that men who remain in the
neighborhood OF their homes where
they enlist soon become restive and
what you might call homesick. They
find themselves barred from the priv
iliges, and more than likely the OK
cesses, in which they had INDUCED
previously without any restraint what
ever, the discipline Of the barracks
being very different from the liberties
OF ones own home. This fact is en-
phasized when the home lies within
sight or Is easy OF access. II is a case
illustrating the thought, Thou art SO
near and yet so far Consequently
recruits are ordered to places remote
from their homes. The recruits we
get here come mostly from the East.
OF course, we have recruiting sta
tion OF our own at the preside, but we
do not put forth extra efforts to obtain
men. The flag is never hoisted for
that purpose, and when a man applies
he is expected 10 produce pretty good
record. don't know why, but for
some reason or other II has become
generally accepted belief that recruits
from California are the most undesira~
BILE. II is said the men are not good
or reliable, falling far behind Eastern
men in these respects. They are
strongly inclined to desert and fire.
quently put their inclinations into
practice. We can hardly be said to
have any frontier nowadays, but when
we had, temptations to desert were
multiplied. The frontier citizen APP
peared to regard the soldier In the light
simply OF an enploye, who,
when he tired OF his situ-
alton, might leave his employer
just as any other, dry-goods clerk,
for instance, might desert his counter
They forget that the contracts binding
the soldier to the army and the clerk
to his employer essentially differ. The
recruit binds himself by a solemn oath
to serve the full term Of his enlist
ment, and to break his faith in this
respect Is, according to the law OF the
land, a crime to which the penalty OF
Imprisonment Ii attached. This con-
flnement corresponds TO that Of the
energies therefrom, after serving his
term, he can never again be enlisted.
While such punishment may seem So
we're. 1t is necessary. Without fixing
the term OF enlistment In such manner
the army would be but name, and il
could not be relied upon in times OF
emergency. Citizens entertaining
such loose views as those referred tC
have Increased the difficulties in ths
way Of arresting deserters. They sup
piled them with civilians clothing
and, In other ways, assisted In con
cealing the runaways and preventing
their capturc. The reward offered Il
usually $50. Officers make some OF
forts ut recapturing the men, but, con
sidering tho generally worthless char
acter of the individual. no extraordi
nary effort is made in that direction
Ii is usually found that the deserte
bolts while under the influence of liq
uor. The term of enlistment wa
three years. but 1t has been increased l.
five years"
Is not enlistment about the las
resort of m,n preferred only befor
suicide ?" inquired the reporter.
~ don't know about that II has
perhaps. been SO, but now recruiting
officers are required to be very careful
In the selection of men. They are for
hidden TO take men who have over dc
serted. and are expected To becom
we'll informed about the individual
prior to accepting him. "-Sda Francis
co Examiner.