The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-12-15
NAVAL PUNIsHMENTS.

NAVAL PUNISHMENTS.
How The l.os or . snerican Jack Tsrs has
Imprsvesi within she lAa~t Thirty Years.
The los of the jolly Jack Tar ON board
United States vessels ut the present time
Is q particularly happy one i'm comparison
60 the treatment which he used To receive
q quarter and u half century ago, says the
Washington Post. The change in naval
discipline has been very great, and i'm
doing AWAY with many at the old-time
abuses the personnel of the service has
been considerably improved. The cato
nine-taiis is no longer the emblem at au-
thority aboard u man-of-war, as il form
erly was. hut i'm is place has come a
disposition Ia make the pun
ishment fit the crime, especially for only
slight infractions of naval regulations.
The change does not mean that the dis
cipline of the navy is not ~ strict as IL
was formerly, for IL there has been any
change 10 has been toward u tightening or
the reins of authority.
In former years n commander was little
less than u petty tyrant, and IL he was so
disposed could make his ship N veritab1e
floating edition of the internal regions.
For the slightest infraction OF discipline
he was authorized to infiict punishments
which to-day are justly regarded as bar
barous. Men were flogRed under the old
regime with n severity that sometimes re-
suited fatally and triced up Try the thumbs
for the slightest offcnses. Branding was
also q means of punishment and men
were marked i'm much the same manner
as cattle. ~Spread-eaRlinR, or tying u man
mp with his arms and legs extended, was
also n common punishment and one of
sIe mos p y. =. = A:.nou@. ~ was
never NNs~hsNsN by the orticies OF war MS
q legitimate punishment, there in little
reason Ia doubt but that i'm extreme cases
the barbarous practice Of kecl-haulinR q
man was %rcsorted tn. IL nearly always
$1,000 &c. -.-l .---
Isl ci""' zone
ine pun,sH'nen.s werS unusually IN
Hic.eup ~ ne Aecutse oihcer Oh the snips
and he wa given authority by the articles
of war which were approved i'm 1873. They
stated among other things that ''ali faults,
cording 10 the custom at sea-" 1.-THE cus-
tom az sea" allowed considerable latitude
and gave full vent To AN officer to intiict
vent 80 long as he stopped short OF TAKING
life.
infiict such bsArbarous punishment for
slight Tense remained i'm force until
July t1sss, when hey were superseded by
govern the conduct of Uncle Sans sailor
boys. both afioat and ashore. These
abolished corporal punishment, and the
first declaration is: Elm no case shall pun
ishment by tto3ginR, branding, marking
or tattooing he inflicted" They also
punishment for various
and the authority Of the commander of the
5 snip 70 /. '"t ans;i H.nss than s, a ;iish' punish,
system Of court-martials has been devised
and in cases where the oifense is more
than trivial the man is given am emporium
ity to defend him self before any Ipunish-
ment can h, inflicted.
Jack ~ no longer triceL mp to- n grating
and given n few lashps for Offending ths.
rules of the navy. but il given a few DAYS
of solitary confinement To ruminate ,,pou
the enormity of his crime. The old arti.
and liquor was then, ~ il is now. lnrurlv