The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-15
NOT A MARRIED Man
IS EVER WANTED IN EITHER THE
UNITED STATES ARMY OR
THE NAVY
FIRST GET "A DIVORCE


| II ~
If You Want to Wear the Blue of
Uncle Sam and Get an opportu-
nifty to Bayonet Tagals-Married
Men Are Reported by Army OFF,
GERS to BE Good Fighters, but
Prejudice Is Strong Against Them.
Married men are only enlisted in the
regular army Of he United States by con-
sent OF the colonel commanding the regl-
ment In which they apply to serve or by
the special permission1of the war depart
ment This requirement is conspicuously
posted IN the recruiting stations, and is
~generally known to applicants for enlist
ment before they appear for examination.
Notwithstanding all, in the recruiting sta
ton on Third avenue near Ninth street,
of which Maj. Whitney Is in charge, at
least lO0 men are turned away every week
because they acknowledge that they are
married Deception is so often pract'ced
that 1t Is guarded against as carefully as
1t can be, but the precautions are neces-
sarily ineffective, and 1t often happens
that married man succeeds in enlisting.
whether or not he joins his regiment be-
fore his qualifications is discovered is
mere matter of chance, says the New
York Evening Post.
Men desiring to enlist in the army of
the United States for the term of three
/ years are required to- declare-they are
not sWorn-that Il have neither wife nor
child" If 1t is discovered that a recruit
has falsely declared himself single, he is
put under arrest technically. and the de-
partment Is informed. Action at Wash
1ngton is prompt and always the same;
1T is directed that the man be discharged
from the service without honor
BARS THEM FROM SERVICE.
This IS not "dishonorable discharge"
but 1t prevents a man from again enlist
Ing in any branch of the service at any
tine and under any circumstances. The
recruiting officer Is held responsible for
the expense incurred by the government
In the mans case.zIf 1t should happen
that the recruit safely reaches San Fran
cisco on his way to=Manila he is returned
Immediately to the recruiting station and
all expenditure on his account IS charged
up against the officer who accepted him.
1t is not often. however that he is de-
tected when so far;on his way to his regi-
meDt.
1.-THE other day 7 found myself with an
enlisted married man on my hands" said
Maj. Whitney today. He was sent mere
from the office at Newark-arrived in the
morning and seemed to be promis ng re-
cruit In the afternoon his wife and
mother-in-law turned up with an objec-
ton or two and I caRed the fellow in.
His excuse was that he didn't know a
man had to be single, and when I asked
him why he wanted to Join the army he
said he was sick and tired of his mother
-in-law, who berated him half the time
and wanted to get any place away from
her-he didn't care much where. inform
ed the department and they ordered his
i discharge without honor few days
| later"
DECEIVE RECRUITING OFFICERS
Married applicants always say, accord
| ing to the sergeant. that there is no
one dependent, on them; it is their I'M
/ failing argument when confronted with
| requirement that shuts them out. Last
| week one such followed to a re-
cruiting office by a woman with baby
1 In her arms, who pleaded that her hus-
4 band should not be enlisted because he
was her sole support. One of the clerks
said he thought at the time that she
| would have a hard time of 1t when the
! man got her home and alone The army
| seems to be the refuge, not only Of men
who have means of winning their
daily bread, but Of those who have
| tired of their wives or children. Some
times they admit this freely: often they
| say they have put their children In sood
care and are drawn to the service only
| because they are tired of the monotony
| of life as they have lived it.
| One man told a recruiting officer that
| he wanted to go to the Philippines for
| the future he might find there for him
| self and family after his term of service
| had expired. He had a wife and two
| children. five and seven years old, who
| were to live with his mother until he
| should send for them and he was quite
| ready to run all the chances of war;
/ meanwhile keeping Il lookout for prom
| Using opening at the time Of his dis
| charge. He asked for service in volun-
| teer regiment. in the hope that he would
| be discharged within a year. AS mat
| ter, of course, he was not accepted but
| he was advised that the consent Of a
| colonel commanding any regiment would
| make his acceptance sure.
MAY BE ACCEPTED
| The war department rarely gives spe-
cial permission for the enlistment Of
| married men, but the .eoloneps often do
| 1t is what Mai. Whitney calls "con-
! stitutional right of every man to get
| married. and enlisted men follow their
| own inclination in this respect. They are
| discharged however. at the expiration
| of their enlistment time. and If they
| want to re-enlist they must have the
| consent Of their old commander. A man
| who has done faithful service for fifteen
years the colonel wants to keep. so he
gives his consent. The form of enlist
ment paper is then changed; there is H.
serted a clause which releases the gov
| ernment from all responsibility for the
wife and family. No claim can be made
by him for a pension on the strength OF
| service; he reduces himself, in fact. to a
single man In the eyes Of the govern
ment and on this condition only is he re-
enlisted.
Wives and children are left at home
| when the regiment moves, but they can
rejoin it when 1t returns to it's post and
there provision is made for them-in-
volving no expense. Nowadays, by order
of the department they can buy fuel and
provisions at the commissary stores at