Evening star., 1903-11-07
Compulsory Military Service.

Compulsory Military Service.
Compulsory military service. satisfactory
as it has been to those nations that have
adopted it, still has certain drawbacks that
cannot be concealed, says the Army and
Navy Journal In Germany, for example,
where the system has been in vogue for
forty years, 1t appears that more than
10000 young men who, under the law,
should have presented themselves for en-
lstment this year have failed to do so, and
have therefore been legally declared to be
In contumacy. This is about twice the
annual average number of elgibles who
ignore their obligation of military service.
and the increase is ascribed to various
causes One theory is that the frequent
reports recently published describing the ILL
treatment of enlisted men in the German
army by officers and non-commissioned Off
GERS have so terrified thousands of young
Germans that they are willing to risk the
possible future penalties of desertion rather
than enter the service under conditions
which may expose them to immediate hard
ship.
1t Is said to be the belief in Berlin that
large proportion of those condemned this
year as cOntumaciouS have already left
the empire for foreign countries, which,
If correct, simply means that the sources
of supply for the German army have suffer-
ed serious loss. On the subject of cruelty
in the army the VOrwartS of Berlin states
that so far during the year 159 sentences
have been passed on German officers and
non commissioned officers for ill-treating
private soldiers, the punishments inflicted
in these cases amounting to a total of fifty
years and nine months of Imprisonment.
The Berlin Tageblatt cites in contrast to
this the case of three enlisted men of the
I'd Baden Grenader Regiment. who. on
conviction by a court-martial at Heidel-
berg, were recently sentenced to ten, six
and four years Imprisonment, respectively,
and to dismissal from the army for having,
when off duty, insulted a sergeant who had
made himself unpopular
Notes.
On his own application Private Nicholas
A. Holman, Company G, Cd Regiment, has
been honorably discharged.
A school of instruction for the petty Off
GERS and enlisted men of the Naval Bat
talon has been established
Sergeant Michael ]. Ryan has been elect
ed first lieutenant of Company c. 1st Regi-
ment; Sergeant Alfred r. McGonegal, sec
ond lieutenant of Company c, 1st Regi-
ment, and Staff Sergeant Richard B. Clay
ton, general non-commissoned staff. first
lieutenant of Company L. I'd Regiment.
They have been ordered to report for ex-
animation November Is.
Sergt Roscoe Wines and Privates Jo-
seph J. Campbell, Edward Deshazo and
Charles o. Kerr, all of Company E, I'd
Regiment, have been honorably discharged
because of removal from the District of
Columbia
Because of defects in its muster and pay
rolls the Indiana National Guard has had
its pay for service with United States
troops held up. 1t is noted in a communi-
cation of the Secretary of War to the
controller of the -reasury on the SUBJ
ject that the adjutant general of Indiana
did not make requisition for proper pay
rolls, and did not ask for any advice as to
how the rolls should be made out under the
law.
In the Maryland National Guard Krag-
Jorgensen rifles have been distributed to
the various companies of the 4th and 9Th
Regiments. The rifle range at Glenburnie
has been completed. The 4th Regiment
entertained its friends at a regimental pa
rade, battalion drill and hop last Friday
evening. The annual indoor athletic games
OF the 9Th Regiment of Baltimore will be
held December in the armory