The morning call., 1894-09-16

OtneT SUlpS Dy QeQQlSO persecution anu
illegal punishment of men, it speaks
rather well for the sailor that his record
is no worse, and, besides. ruffians Occa-
slonally get into the navy, just as they
NAV be found in other walks Of life.
The want of code for the uniform pun
lshmeDt uf 0tfenses has retarded rather
than tended to improve the morale of the
Unlisted men. Succeeding Secretaries of
the Navy and every chief OF bureau, tenn
porarily acting for the Secretary, have
shown their disapprOval of unnecessarily
severe sentences, and have reduced the
punishment in not less than three-quarters
II the total number. A close scrutiny of
the cOurt-ma:tial records develops The fact
that the Younger officers, and such as have
mad the least experience at sea, and such
also as are OF little real use to the
navy, exhibit less judgment and more vim
ulctlveness In sentencing an enlisted man
than older and good officers. Bow this
has worked to the Injustice of the men
may be understood from the following ex-
amples where the offense was uncoupled
with any other:
For desertioD. received years; ., 3
years; rs. 2 years; 1GO got 1 year; %.
months, and only months.
Disrespecttul language caused TO re-
celve years; 2. i year; got months,
and received months.
Theft entitled l to years; 1 to 8 years;
3 g0t2 years; u received l year, and 3 got
months.
For sleeping on post the punishment,
ranged IA for year; IL for 6 months, and
L as little as Is DAYS.
Leaving post sent to prison for Is
months; for year; 4 for months, and
l for l month.
Drunk on post or duty gave . l year 6
months; Z, l year; Is received 8 months;
got months, and l only month.
Disobedienee of orders ranged from
fOr tn for . : fnr .
9 got year, and l escaped with l month.
Inc wide disparity OF punishment for
Inc same otfense mas had bad effect on
the men. In one case landsman's SEN
tence Of ten years for scandalOus conduct
was reduced t. two years by the Secretary;
the two sentences of four yeats for deser-
tlon were reduced by the Secretary to one
and two years, bat the enlisted man re-
mem berS only the court for its heavy SEN
tence, and the money he has earned but is
withheld from him and which he furfeitS.
1t WAS the practice under Whitney and
EnGicott To exchange blackllsts of such
men as had served their time for deSertlOu
and other offenses in the army and navy,
and these blacklists were flied at the navy
yards and posts 10 exclude the released
prisoner from obtaining employment IN
der the government. This SavOred some
what Of persecution, for the incarcerali n
ought TO have been sufficient punishment.
1t is only Of recent years that the naval
courts appear to have realized that tile
department will not approve of very
severe sentences. The courts now only
occasionally give a man two years Tor
desertion. which the Secretary promptly
reduces 10 ore year, aud where the court
gives one year the department generally
lets it 90 at that.
There Is some excuse for the marine 10
run away, tut apparently less for the
sailor. The late Sam Randall expressed
il his belief that man only joined the
marine corps in preference to suicide. The
beggarly paw of S13 month is not calcu-
lated to retain any man for three years in
the maine corps, and, as one Of them re-
marked when demonstrated with for his
dissolute habits, "Why, you don't
expect all the virtues and accom-
plishments ot man concentrated in a
marine for SIS a MONTH" He was not
far wrong. The service requires pr ex-
rects too much and pays too little. Hence
the marine when he has relieved
the paugs of hunger looks for
chance TO get away from Il service
that offers no inducements To remain.
There are, of course, some excel ent men in
the corps who continue from choice ur
from habit. and are content with the
pittance allowed; bat such are men tlat
have been switched off from careers where
they would nave done Infinitely better.
Those few men save the reputation OF the
corps, WHICH OtHeEWiso WOuIu De lar
below par.
AS to the seaman and apprentice in the
navy, his immediate wants are better
oked after than In the marine corps.
The pay is good for unskilled labor aud
fair for skilled mechanics. but the navy is
no home and offers few pro spects for better
ment. Every ship differs from another In
its regulations and there is no assured per-
manency in holding positions as petty Off
GERS. The highest prize an enlisted man
may draw is that of a warrant officer
the chances of which are about one in
700 blanks. AS warrant officer he re-
ceives the ''hgh paw" as Secretary Her
bert nuts it, of $500. but to get that he
must have served at least twenty years in
the navy.
The root of all the discomfort among en-
listed men is that the navy offers no in
ducements for the retention OF such men as
iU wants. The sailor is debarred from the
quarter deck through an artificial and un-
tried standard of education. but which in
reality is nothing but an assured superb
Gritty of people educated at Government
expense over those that were less fortu-
nate and may be as competent as the An
napolis graduate. Remove this aristocratic
eXclusiveness and men will enlist in the
navy TO stay in it.