The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-09-07
ARMY DESERTIONS.
Reports on Their Causes and
Their Prevention.
A FIGHT ToDEzTH WITH TRAMfs.
One Brakeman Killed ana Another Seriously
Hurt-Senator Calls Letter to
Chairman Chipley.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6-The subject of
desertion from the army will be treated at
| length in the Forthcoming report of the
secretary of war. 1t is one that has had
Secretary Proctor's earnest consideration
from the beginning, as well as that of the
adiutant generals staff. Various changes
in camp and barracks life, with aview to
Increasing the soldiers comfort and inter
est in his command, have been instituted,
notably the consolidated mess and canteen
systems. These have worked well wherever
tried, and the result has been that the per-
centage of desertions has been decreased
since 1882.
OF desert;ons, % per cent. occur among
men serving their first and second year of
enlistment. In May last Major Theodore
Schwan, assistant adiutant general, under
instructions from Secretary Proctor made
tour of inspection of the recruiting de-
pots at David's island n. Y,
Columbus, Ohio, and Jefferson barracks,
Missouri. The major is himself a soldier
who came up from the ranks and his report
to the adiutant general contains numerous
suggestions, including the draft of a bill
prepared by him last winter after close
opinion, to lessen the evil of desertion.
Major Schwan says:
Whatever causes of discomfort may at
one time have existed, such as lack of pro-
visions, or care for the PHYSICAL comfort
and needs of the enlisted soldier, or IN
reasonable demands upon and unfair or
harsh treatmentof him have been removed
so far as it is in the power Of the military
authorities to do so; and cases are rare.
where the failure of the government to
make good its obligations can be truthfully
alleged as affOrding oven the semblance of
justification for desertion."
Among other things, Major Schwan'S bill
provides against readmlssiOn to the service
of ''repeaters, or professional deserters.
Another provision of the bill is that one
third of the soldiers pay for the first year
shall be retained until discharged and for
feited if he does not serve out his term. 1t
also provides for the adoption of the
British custom of permitting enlisted men
to purchase their discharge.
Acting Adjutant General McKeever and
other officers of the staff have, at Secretary
Proctor's request, submitted memoranda
on the subject of desertion. Acting Adju-
tant General McKeever says, in his opin-
ion, the chief causes of desertiOn are dis
appointment at the realities of military life;
the employment of soldiers on laborer's
work withoute Xtra pay; inequality of the
punishments as inflicted by court-martial;
bad compauyadministrat tyrannicalcor-
duct sometimes towards enlisted men by
officers, and more especially first sergeants;
and above all too often the unnecessary
restraints imposed on the soldier. He also
believes the largest number of deserters
are American born. The following re
medal measures are suggested:
Limit the term of service in the first en-
listment to three years; re-enlistment to
five years; grant discharges according to
length of service; discharge men found to
be incorrigibly bad without character and !
thus bar their re-entering into the service; |
secure graded code of punishments for |
the guidance of court martial; secure |
better class of non-commissioned officers, |
and especially first sergeants, by increasing |
their pay first and make the punishment of |
deseruers more certain than at present by |
increasing the reward.