, 1889-09-07
SKIPPING SOLDIERS.
SkIPPING SULUithS.
The Question of Desertion from
the Army Considered.
Influences Brought to Bear by
First Sergeants.
Some Remedies Proposed For a
Positive Evil.
Considering Army Desertions.

Ehhhh1 hAohSs
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 Procters earnest cOnsidera-
ton from the beginning, as well as that
of the adiutant general staff. Various
changes in camp and barrack life life, with
a view TO increasing the soldiers comfort
and interest in his command have been
instituted, notably the consolidated mess
and canteen system. These worked well
wherever tried and the result has been
hat the percentage OF assertions has been
decreased since 1883.
OF desertions % per cent. occur among
the men ser Ing their first and second
years OF enlistment. In May last Major
Thomas Sehwan, assistant adiutant gen
eral, under the instruction of Secretary
Proctor, made a tour of inspection of the
recruiting depois at DEVILS Island, New
York, Columbus, Ohio, and Jefferson
barracks, Missouri. The major is himself
II soldier who came up from the ranks and
his report TO the adiutant general contains
numerous suggestions. including the draft
of Il bill prepared by him last winter, after
close study of the situation, calculated in
his opinion to lessen the evils of desertion.
Major Schwan says:
Whatever causes of discomfort NAV
at one time have existed such as lack OF
provision or care for the physical comfort
and needs of the enlisted soldier or
unreasonable demands upon or uafaIr
treatment of hun have been removed so
lar as 1t 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 truth
fully alleged..as affordinG even a semblance
of Justification for desertion.
Among other things Maj. Schwan's
bill provides safeguards against the read
mission to service of "repeatcrs or pro-
fessional deserters. Another provision of
the bill is that one-third of the soldiers
pay for the first year shall be retained
until the discharge and forfeited If he
does not serve out his tern. 1t also pro
vides for the adoption of the British Gus
tom of permitting enlisted men to pur-
chase their discharges. Acting Adit.
Gen. McKever and other officers ui the
staff have at Secretary Proctors request
submitted memoranda on the subject OF
de- ertions.
Acting Adiutant General Mckaver
says in his opinion the chief causes of
deseriions are the disappoIntments at the
realities of military life, the employment
of soldiers on laborers work without extra
pay. the inequality OF punishment as IN
flicted by the court martial, bad company,
%tyrannical conduct sometimes toward en-
listed men by the officers and more cs-
p~ecially by the first sergeants and above all
TOO often unnecessary restraints imposed
on the soldier. He also believes the larg
est number of assertions are American
born.
The following remedial measures are
suggested: Limit the term to three years.
re enlistment TO five years; grant discharge
according to length of service; discharge
men found to be iuc~orrigibly bad and
without character and thus bar their ro-
entry into the service; secure a graded
code of punishments for the guidance of
courts martial; secure a better class of
non-commissioned officers, and especially
first sergeants, BY increasing their pay;
make punishment of deserters more Ger
tain than at present by increasing the
reward