Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-11-17

The legislation of the present congress
important, and embraces provisions for
lineal promotion and professional ex-
am nations therefor, acts for the pre-
vention of desertion, for the Limitation
of punishu ents under the articles of war
and the Improvement of courts martial ,
and app opriations for additional ma
chInery for the manufacture of lar ge
guns and for the beginning of system
of coast defense.
DESERTIOSs.
The number of assertions from the
army for the twelve months ending Sep
TENDER 80, were . ,0S6, as against = ,75l
for the same period last year, q decrease
OF "a per cent. This result Is due 20
sucn mprovements in the service as
could be accomplished under existing
legislation. The act of congress entitled
'hn act to prevent assertions, and for
other purposes, approved June IS =,
1880, was passed too late to have had
much effect up to this date. Because of
the time required to work out its details +,
the general orders to carry it into oper-
alton were not issued till July &c, and
could hardly become fully effective at
once. The figures, however, for August
and September were sos, as compared
with 459 for the same months last year
and 5l5 the year before, O decrease of
33 and 40 per cent.
That act EN- bodies the more conserva-
tive end practical suggestions which have
been made for lessenirG this evil. II
provid ed for the reten zion, until the end
of his enlistment, of 81 per month from
q soldiers pay for the first year. This is
q pledge for his honorable service, but as
it and int rest are to be paid the man if
he serves honestly and faithfully until
the date of his discharge, it is really also
a provident feature for the soldier him.
self. Enlistments are continued to be
N ade for five years, but after one year q
service soldier is permitted, in time of
peace, to purchase his discharge for q
prescribed sum, varying with the time
he has served, and based upon Il re-im
hursement of the government for the
actual expense OF recruiting and trans
porting q new man to take his place.
At the end of three years of faithful
service he Is entitled TO free discharge
if he desires it. 1t also increases the
vegetable ration, and finally authorizes
B.
The act proceeds upon the theory that by
making it possible to quit the service in
an honorable way, there will be fewer
attempts TO do so dishonorably; by Offer
ing a possible and reasonable escape
from q life that has become n source of
discontent, the discomfort itself may
thereby be diminished.
Although de sertious are already
rp1D
tinue in any considerable numbers they
must have bad effect upon the morale
of the army, and entail large and
needless expense. The practical solution
of this somewhat vexed question assumes
three phases: First, how to make the
service more desirable; second. how to
remoye the artificial restraints which, by
binding man infieXibly to a long SER
vice which has become distastsful to him ),
naturally drive him to desperate means;
third how to make the punishment for
the crime of desertion so certain, that il
more worthy motives fail men may be
warned by its fear. AS 20 the second
and third there is now legislation enough,
at least With our present. experience.
With respect to the first there is, think
need of more.
My experience so far confirms an OBJ
servation which l made one year ago,
that 1.-the pith of the whole question is
to make the service worth seeking, and
then enough good men will seek it and
be glad to stay in it, So far as this is
q question of thoughtful and cousiderate
treatment of the men it has thus far and
will continue to engage my earnest at
tention, and in 1t have had the hearty
and intelligent cooperation of the
officers of the army. But there is a
fundamental difficulty. The pay of
second lieutenant Is S1l6.67 ger month,
tina of first sergeant only So, and I'M
fortunately this difference in pay largely
regulates the actual distance between
their relative positions. That distance is
too great. The individual elements of
the army are separated by too large q
gap for the best Interests of either. The
pay of q non-commissioned officer is but
little more than private, and the
chance to rise above that position very
slight. There Is little inducement for
bright and energetic man, in country
of 80 great possibilities as ours, to either
seek or desire to remain in the military
service. II would be step in the right
direction to increase somewhat the pay
of the nom commissioned officers, that
every HaC VIZ culeiS tu6 SSENlCo may
find in it the possibility OF a modest
future.
PROMOTIONS FROM THE RANKS.
I would recommend q change in the
law relative to the selection OF enlisted
men for appointment to the grade of
second lieutenant.
In order to insure exact justice to all,
and give full effect to the benefcent pur-
pose of congress, the initiatory step
should be with the men themselves. ANY
enlisted man Of two years service, who
is a citizen of the United States, should,
under certain fixed rules, be permitted
to compete for a commission. By this
means the operation OF the law would be
made absolutely impersonsl, and every
man entering the army would be i'm
pressed with the fact that he had an
exact and even chance for q commission.
This information extensively dissemi-
mated would, it is hoped, further recon-
mend the army to desirable men.
With your approval bill embodying