The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-11-16
General SchofeId's Report.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15.-The annual re-
port of General Schofeld is made public.
He pays special attention to the deserter
question. After speaking of the causes
leading to desertion, such as the rowing
disposition of many men who enlist and the
irksomeness Of routine military dnties, he
says: "a sufficient remedy may perhaps
be found in the case of all worthy men
who find that aftera few months trial they
have mistaken their calling by more lib
eral exercise of the power to discharge
soldiers upon their own application than
has ever heretofore prevailed. Great care
in recruiting, to prevent the enlistment of
men of bad character and habits, may be
found practicable. Measures, having these
ends in view, have already been instituted;
also greater care in the treatment of re-
cruitS by officers and nou- commissioned
officers. The records of desertion from the
different organizations leave no room for
doubt of the fact that the character
of the commanding officers has much
to do with the extent of this evil. In all
such cases the captain should be promptly
removed from the command which he seri-
ously negiects. After all that is possible
has been done to remove reasonable eX-
cuses for desertiOn, it still remains true
that the means now provided for the arrest
ard punishment of deserters are wholly
inadequate. Only one III five is ever cap
tured This is not sufficient to deter men
from committing crime. The remedy is to
authorize civil officers to arrest deserters
ond increase the reward SO as to compen
safe them for their service.
Schotield recommends that the present
| five regiments of artillery be organized
into seven regiments, that organization
| to remain the same, except that there be
| but one first lieutenant to battery. Ho
fh-r
| of the army be increased TO 30,0C0, which
would supply the force necessary for the
proposed reorganization of the artillery
and infantry, as well as giving more mar
gin for recruits under instruction.
! He recommends three battalion organiza.
! tionS for infantry regiments, and suggests
| that hereafter promotions from the grade
of second lieutenant to that OF colonel in
the cases of all officers who are not above
the lowest grade should be made according
to seniority of commission in the arm OF
tina service to which officers belong and not
as now in part by regiments. He further
suggests that hereafter officers be commits
| stoned in that arm Of the service to which
they belong and not in particular regiments
| so that they may be assigned to regiments
and transferred from one to another as the
interests of the service may require. He
recommends that the pay of non-commis-
stoned offices in the infantry and cavalry
be the same as now established for like
grades in the engineers.
Referring to the work of the board of
ordnance and fortifcation, he says the
plans OF the engineer department will pro-
ide all the land defenSes necessary fer the
security o. the great maritime points of the
country. In a very few cases these land
defenses will need to be supplemented
by floating batteries of powerful haruor
defense vessels because the necessary
foundations for the guns do not exist on
solid ground. Submarine mines and NOV
able torpedoes will also play an important
though secondary part in the general plans
for defense. Provision should be made for
the0neces5ary garrisons at the principal
seaports. A table is given showing the ne
C s5ities for this work. The war gaTrisons
of our sea coast defenses would be about
eighty-fve thousand artilleryman and 1906
guns OF modern construction.