The evening times., 1901-04-29
RECRUITS WANT TO FIGHT
Enlisted Men Desert the Army Be.
cause Of Prospects of Peace.

The War Departments Decision 20
send No More Troops to the Phil
fppfnes at This Tins Dampens
Their Ardur for II Soldiers Life
Since the announcement by the War
Department that TO more troops would
be sent to the Philippines. and that the
newly recruited regiments viii remain at
posts in this country, the officials have
had a hard time keeping some of the
enlisted men from deseTting and recruits
cannot be found TO enlist
when there was q prospect of seeing
some fighting there was no trouble in
filling the ranks with good material, but
with the present peaceful outlook the
task Of completing regiments has become
a difficult one, and two men are not
secured where one hundred applied a
few months ago.
The War Department has within the
last few weeks been overwhelmed with
reports of deseTtioHs. and these come
from every station where recruiting has
been going on Word has been received
from Fort LeaveHworth, Kansas, that
155 newly enlisted men deserted from that
post in one day. These were recruits
for the Fourteenth Cavalry
The department officials are now seek
ing some plan whereby the men can be
kept in the ranks
The large number of desertions at this
time is attributed by the officials to the
fact that the ma aj0rity of the men enlist
ed in the hope of seeing some fighting in
the Philippines or Of at least being sent
to the archipelago nUt the plans agreed
upon are that none OF the new regiments
are to be sent to the Philippines imuae-
diateIy but from year to year as other
regiments hich have served two years
in the tropics are returned to the United
States and are replaced by one OF the
fresh organizations at the army posts As
this means beiug. quartered in this couu-
try, It is believed that the uniform has
become distastefUE to many recruits and
they are sorry they enlisted.
In order to overcome the problem, Sec
retary Root viii this week issue a general
order containing a proclamation to be
posted throughout the country, giving the
soldiers thirty days in which 20 return
without danger of punishment or of hav-
ing desertion placed against their names.
Those who return within this period VIII
not be prosecuted or sent to prison.
This is the first time in the history OF
the army that such leniency has been
{ SHOWN to deSerterS. and army officers are
QGDaJlDS Ine WISDOM OF Such course
Secretary Root is said to be firm in his
plan, however. and gives as his reason for
leniency that the deSeTteTs are probably
: only diSap ppOiUteG AT not getting a chance
to fight and that such men are needed to
carry krag-JOrgenSens IN defence of the
United States. He has added that the
military prisons throughout the country
are already filled with material for good
soldiers and no more convicts are needed.
The cases Of deseTtIOn have multiplied
with exceeding rapIdIty, and in place of
the old method OF Offering reWa rds and
aWayS the Secretary of Wzr it is said.
believes that American recruits VIII be
honest enough to come back and serve
their term Of enlistment
The War Department has another plan
on foot to OFFER all soldiers mustered out
in the Philippines inducements to remain
( there and cOlOnIZe- a certain sum viii be
aGded to the pay and travel allowance
/ when the men are mustered out in case
they remain in the archipelago and settle
down. This method has been used by all
powers having colonial possessions, and
/ has been found to have a splendid effect
1t is thought that such q plan would ef-
( fcctualiy AmeT1canize the Philippines in a
! very s2W years, and would add greatly to
/ the value of the possessions. besides set
{ ting up 4 model in a manner of living and
methods OF civilization. which would be
! certain 10 be adopted by the natives in
short order
Three. years service in the Philippines.
! it is said, viii enable d man to learn the
! language and to prepare for a business
venture which viii prove profitable It is
/ insisted that a healthy man can get veal
/ thy in the Philippines, whereas he might
always remain poor in the United States
HeuTicl's Senate Beer is fast becoming the most
popular table beverage of the city, Phone West
! 81, Arlington B0ttlIug Co, for