The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-08-03
DESERTERS ARE
MOSTLY ROCKIES"
OFFICERS AT SNELIINGl ACCOUNT
FOR DISAPPEARANCEs.
Abolition Of Canteen Is Held Largely
Responsible Go On Sprees in
the Cities and Desert to Avoid Pun
ishment- Lads Often Are Disap-
pointed in Army Life.

Why are there SO many assertions
among the troops at Fort Snelling9
This is question which is going the
rounds, especially among the officers at
the government reservation. All seem
united on at least two causes.
First-The adjustment Of the sale
OF liquor at a post canteen.
Second-The large number Of recruits
entering the army with thoughts only
Of brass buttons and shining arms, and
with no appreciation Of swhat they are
really going up against
One and all at Fort Smelling would
like to see. the old canteen re-estab-
lshed: In the old days, when a soldier
got his liquor on the reservation, they
say, he was not likely to ''take a drop
too much. - It was too much like a
house. His official family were all
around him to administer punishment if
ne dared imbibe too freely. But on the
exceptional occasions when Johnny did
get drunk on the reservation, he was
punishable only for drunkenness, or at
| most dlsorderly conduct, and not the
more severe infringement of the rules
| OF being absent from the post without
| leave.
But now. that the canteen Of old is
no more, the soldier lad goes into the
cities for his liquor. There he meets
GENIAL companions who are not Fin the
service and probably out fol-. the ex-
lead the soldier boy On, For w What t cary
they 1t he is not back in barracks at
the fort. at "taps'9 The place where
the soldier finds himself in such case,
IS not to be compared with the re.
spectability Of the canteen. His com.
panlons are low. and lead him from
pad to worse: The proprietor is after
MS money, nothing more, and the future
a. Of the 5oy IN blue is nothing to him
The soldier becomes intoxicated. For
days he has great time. His money
gives out, and then comes the awaken
ing: What is he to do? Return to the
forts There the guardhouse awaits
him, dishonor and hard labor with 8
guard at his side with loaded musket
There Is one way out Of the difficulty
thru which to escape all punishment
It he Is not caught. So the poor soldie,
Average One Day.
This is the way the officers at tn,
fort explain the fact that desertion,
have increased 20 per cent sine,
1898. This is the main reason why, they
4 say, that on the average of one man
day leaves Fort Smelling with inten
never to return to the reservation.
Increasing the size of the regula
standing army in recent years, has nee
essarily resulted in the enlistment of ,
large number aof new men. And it i
these new men who furnish the majo
portion Of the deserters.
Two men have deserted from m,
troop the past month"; said captaii
OF cavalry to J Journal reporter a
| Fort Sno1Iinr EIRo+1, ~ +l,a,, 80. -,
cruits. I have large number of re
: enlisted men in my troop and I kno,
that there will be no desertions anon
them. They know what the service il
/ / They have learned to like it.sqThey ar
every inch soldiers. But the new me
are never to be depended upon
"The recruiting officers are not pal
ticular enough in their work. said al
other officer to the reporter. "They al
too anxious to make records as to th
number Of men they can enlist. The
fail to give men who inquire what
/ expected Of soldiers, true statemer
bright, and fail to let applicants kno'
of any of it's vexations and hardships.
D There is class Of men who are a
ways changing their employment. The
are not tramps, for they are nearly a
f ways at work. But they are wal
derers; fellows of rowing disposition
They stick to job for a few month
and then quit it for the sole reaso
that they want change; that the
r present work is becoming monotonou
d Such. men have entered the army, an
J. they in great part, are the deserter
i Frequently they will desert after bein
Q at the post a month, and a few weel
a later re-enlist elsewhere under anoth'
e name. At present the recorded desert
y lions of all men in the army are so e:
Y act that deserters re-enlisted under ne
a names are discovered, and returned |
:: their original regiment TO punishme1
9 for one to five years.
.. Fare Not 80 Good.
" Another thing causing disconte1
> among the men Of the line, is that tt
h mess is more costly and at that, not
- good as it was few years ago. Al
once more is the lack Of the post ca
teen responsible. In the saloon off IL
reservation the profits Of the soldier
expenditures 20 to the pocket Of IL
- proprietor. When the old canteen O
i Grated, the profits went to the mes
And these profits were not small. The
amounted to about 500 a month f
the mess Of each troop. Now an a