Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-22
State of American as Compared With
Foreign Enlisted Men.
An OFFICER NOT ALLOWED TO STRIKE
How Private Soldiers Abroad Are
Punished.
NIGHT BE RUN THROUGH

SHeriuan having aroused much popular in
terest in the question of the treatment OF
| enlisted men by their officers a reporter
OF The Star made inquiries at the War De-
partment this morning in regard to the
treatment of soldiers by their officers in our
army. as well as in foreign armies and to
ascertain especially whether the striking
| OF a soldier by officer was anywhere
| recognized as a punishment for military Of
fenses.
| Anything in the shape of striking sol.
der as customary means of punishment"
| said one specially well-informed officer. who
| acted as spokesman for a number of others.
is not recognized in the army of any civil
| lied power. 1t certainly is not recognized
| in our army. and 1t never has been In
the years Immediately succeeding the re-
bellion, when the ranks of the army com
| tanned a considerable residum of bummers
| and bounty Jumpers, and when there was
often necessity of checking mutinous con-
duct in isolated detachments in the Indian
country. where the machinery of military
| law was not always at hand. harsh meas
ureS were sometimes needed, but all this
| mas long since changed. with the altered
conditions OF service and the wonderful
| Improvement In the class of men now con-
stituting the enlisted portion of the army.
| The fact that in our army of 2a.ooo men.
surrounded with an equal number of argus
| eyed newspaper men. only two cases with
| in decade have called forth netice should
| demonstrate that anything like harsh treat
ment CT enlisted men by striking or other
wise ill-treating them is SO rare as to be
| practically unknown. In fact the Ameri-
can soldier is not only the best paid the
| best clothed. the best housed and the best
fed soldier in existence, but he Is also the
| best treated soldier in the world: and the
| relations existing between him and his Off
GERS are those of esteem on the one hand
and kindness on the other.
Pack Drill for Tommy Atkins
I'm the British army the punishments
that can be arbitrarily inflicted on a sol
| der are of a kind unknown in our service.
| Although in that army officers do not strike
their men any more than they do in our
| own. which is practically not at all. the
| British recruit often feels the weight of
| the drill-stick across his shins when his
! proficiency does not suit his drill sergeant
| and Tommy Atkins is frequently subjected
| TO pack drill piling shot. The former
punishment consists in walking a beat
carrying a krapsack loaded with bricks or
other heavy material, and the latter con-
sists OF carrying pie OF shot. ore by one.
from one side OF the barrack square TO the
other and piling them up again. Such
punishments are unknown in cur service,
and am not sure. that they have not re-
Gently been abolished in the British army.
They are very severe and are greatly dread
ed by the recipients.
In Germany and Russia.
"In the German military service the SOL
diers are not even treated as well as they
are in the British army. L do not recall
any cases of an officer striking a soldier In
the German army. but ii is fact that the
recruits in that army are often licked
into shape in manner that is not alto
gether metaphoricaL 1t is unusual
thing in the German army for a sergeant
TO kick and cuff recruit in a way that has
never been either known or dreamed of in
the American army.
In the Russian army the treatment OF
the MEL has been, I'm the MAN, still more
harsh. Some years ago, Skobelef severely
reprirnanded some of his officers for strik-
ing their men. and told them sarcasticaily
that IL they wished to indulge in that sort
of thing they should get appointments in
the staff where they might hex the ears or
clerks instead Of beating soldiers. Indeed.
the matter seems to have been so common
In the Russian army to have usually
been passed over without comment. The
Russian soldier, however is a very differ
ent man from the American soldier. and it
is possible that methods very objec-
tionable with might be less in the
army of the car.
Turks Are Trnctable.
There seems to be regular code OF
military punishments in the Turkish army.
everything of that sort being left to the
discretion of the captain. The Turkish
troops are, however, extremely tractable
and docle. well being splendid fight
ing men, and their religious devotion rem
ders military discipline very largely a mat
ter Of religious duty. 1t is stated by an in
relligent observer of the recent campaign
in Thessaly that the Turkish troops were
guiltless of pilage. that there We're no
straggiers seen, that there were no guard
houses and no drunken men. 1t was no
unusual sight at any time of day to see
soldiers singly or in groups fall on their
knees in prayer. The 'unspeakable Turk
is, in fact, such a tractable soldier that his
officers seem to have no difficulty in con-
trolling him with very gentle measures.
The captain may order soldier punished
in almost any sort of way, for almost any
kind of offense, even going SO far as to re-
sort to the bastinado; but it may be stated
to the credit Of both officers and men that
punishments are rare and mild.
France and Italy.
In the armies of France and Italy the
discipline is of a nature similar to that OF
Germany and Russia, though the disci-
plinary measures are not SO harsh. 1t may
be admitted. however that the discipline in
the French army has never been SO good
as in the German army.
Speaking generally. 1t is the wish ami
endeavor in every army to treat the men
as humanely as possible. not only as
matter of sound military policy, but be-
cause of the strong bond of sympathy eX-
listing between officers and soldiers. Wher-
ever harsh disciplinary measures have been
taken 1t will usually be found that they
have been applied to hard cases and incor-
rigfble insubordinates What the fate of
a German soldier who would refuse TO
obey the order of his superior officer would
be I cannot say. but 1t would surely Ne
much more severe than anything known In
this country. In some European armies
the soldier who would definitely refuse to
obey order would probably be run
through with a sword. Obedience is the
very corner stone of military efficiency, and
disobedience constitutes a military crime
Of very grave nature.
Influence of a Free Press.
"In comparing our army with European
armies 1t should always be remembered
that there is no other country where the
press is free and enterprising as il is
In own. The slightest occurrence out
Of the usual condition of affairs in our
army 1t at once spread before the public,
ana the case Is largely prejudiced before
an official Investigation has established
the real facts. II In a single instance in
many years an officer. either under the
stress of necessity or entirely without ex-
cuse, takes harsh measures with a soldier,
IL seems to be the tendency of the press to
regard the matter as typical. instead Of
realizing that 1t is altogether exceptional.
cannot helm thinking that n great ipiu,-y