The morning call., 1891-07-22
NAVAL DISCIPLINE.


Trouble in San Diego.
Editor Morning Call: The III effects
OF offering rewards for sailors In the navy
is sadly illustrated in the incident
which occurred in San Diego on the 14th
inst From what Information that can be
had 1t appears that the hopes of receiving
the Insignificant ten dollars reward for some
men who had stayed over their liberty time
was the prime motive for causing the energy
OF the supposed officer to appear so Jealous {:
his actions do not indicate desire to per-
form his duty simply becauseit was his duty,
but to capture men at any cost, even Mt that
of their lives, as the results show. But this
Is not the only instance Of the awe-insplr-
Ing effect of the glistening dollar held out
by naval officers for the return of men who
have no more idea of running away or de-
serting than they have of flying.
Any man-o'-war'S man will relate numer-
GUS instances of how soldiers and other
Government representatives in foreign coun-
tries have captured our sailors and held
them until their liberty time had exDired
and reward been offered, then the men
would be produced and the money handed
over to these land sharks who had made the
CAPTURE anu the amount charged to the I'M
fortunate seaman.
When Jack Is on shore be is not bent on
harming any one or quitting the service
Ot course he requires whole bushel of
fixing before he could become ANYTHING re-
sembiing an angel, but still he really has
some excuse for expecting indulgence for
letting out his pent-up desire to "whoop 'er
up" Tor few hours, and, so long as he
harms no one there should be certain Ii
cenSeS extended. But the practice of the
navy to put out reward for man in its
employ in the same manner as a slave
holder does for his human property or a
rancher would for his sheep Is repulsiye to
intelligent people and wholly un-Americau,
1t is relic Of the days when BARRIERS pulled
teeth and men carried flint-locks to church.
Simply because man takes the job Of
cleaning some bright work" or holystoninp
some plankS which are rather insecurely
fastened together, and the whole Is by cour-
tesy called ship, 1t Is no reason that the
boss Of the job should treat the man with
less consideration than jockey would his
horse.
See how many times it has happened that
seaman who has, say forty-eight hours
liberty, has been taken captive and put into
the calaboOSe before he was ashore twenty
four hours and kept until a reward is ad-
vertiSed At one time on the South Ameri-
can coast the AdmiraIs barge was going
ashore and the Admiral saw some American
sailors taken from a boat that had lust
landed and made prisoners, to be held until
the usual reward was offered. The Admiral
Immediately returned to his ship and issued
orders that no more rewards be offered.
which resulted in there being no more men
beaten or held While the vessels remained in
that port.
Lieutenant J. c. Wilson. U. S. N, in an
able article in the ''United Service of June,
1891, speaks on the subject of punishmen
in the following language:
The question OF puniShments on board ship Is
very important matter connected with the re-
organization OF the personnel of the navy. AT
present there Is a decided lack OF system. and
The aunishments are not varied enough IN kiud.
The whole Subjec should be carefully cousld-
cred and arranged, so that every man would
know about what to expect for every CLASSIFIED
onense. Certain specific offenses, such as
drunkenness oyerstayng leav-. etc, should
carry obligatory punlshments OF fiues or lmuris-
onmeut, or both the amount OF each depending
on the nature of the offense.
The system Of offering rewards for the appre-
henSion ut men absent without leave should be
abolished. II acts With great injustice To the
men and Is degrading in every way aud has been
The cause OF getting many good man into
serious trouble. Frequently m n are deliberately
arrested and locked up by the police in the anti
cipation OF receiving a reward for their appre-
heusion; and many poor sailor, aslor e Tor the
first time Ia months, has found his lib rty inter-
fered WITH himself miltreated and his command
ing officer who should protect him, paying a
reward out OF his hard earned wages TO a ras-
cally police official request 10 civil authorities
TO arrest deserters would generally be complied
with, and, although the law officers would not seek
after men with as much diligence as when ten or
twenty dollars were at stake, believe it would
be better TO lose The few extra deserters than 10
longer hold TO the obnoxious practice OF en-
couracing foreign police officers TO arrest and
drag our sailor men through the streets, often
times when The man has been guilty of no INSIDE
meanoI ana Is not deserIer. 1t Is an iudgnity
10 which our men should not be subjected, II it
be possible to avoid II. system Of fines for
0verstaying leave would believe, answer much
better than the present system OF paying re-
wards for The apprehension OF so-called " de-
serters," and aggravated cases could be punished
In addition by continent ent, extra duty, depriya-
ton OF privileges, etc.
No one can read Lieutenant Wilson's re.
marks without being fnlly convinced that
the practice as carried out is wrong. and it
is to be hoped that this old-time custom will
soon be abolished. 1t is disgrace to the
navy and should no longer be practiced. II
is the continual eepug at it from such
writers as the one herein quoted which will
bring about the desired change.
This method not only does much harm to
our men by making them the prey of vicious
people and bringing the uniform of our SER
vice into disrepute.
With the new navy let us have new regu-
latlons. Discipline is one thing, but to make
free-bOrn citizens become cringing mortuls
subject to the evil designs OF unscrupnlons
brutes, as demonstrated by the San Diego
affair. is not what is desired by the Amrri-
can people. sARTNr.
y,ll,f