The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-05-20
FROM THE ARMY AND NAVY ARE
REPORTED ANNUALLY.
MANY ARE The CAUSES
Officials Preparing TO Make Effort to
Have Service Made More At.
trsetive by Increasing
Pay to Men.
udmoreite Special.

udmoreite Special.
Washington. ID. c., May 2O.-More
than ten thousand men have desert
cd from Uncle Sans military and ma.
val vice in the past year. That is
nearly ten per cent of the whole mum.
ber enlisted men In the army and
navy. In the opinion oi officers OF
both services who have investigated
the subject. the situation is grow.
ing worse rather than better.
Both Secretary Taft. in the war de-
partment. and Secretary Metcalf, in
the navy department, have given
careful consideration TO the matter OF
desertions from the service, as have
the various executive officers of the
two departments. The causes are
somewhat difficult to trace. In gen
eral way it is supposed that many
of the enlisted men become dissatis-
fed after they enter the service, be
cause they do not make enough mon
ey. Throughout the country, times
are good and the people are prosper
| Gus. Men who are willing to work
have no difficulty in obtaining and
| holding employment at good wages.
| This is noted by the men in the mill
| tary branches OF the government ser
vice and they feel. not unnatVrally,
perhaps. that they ought to be better
paid than they are by the govern.
ment.
It is pretty well settled. however,
| that the small pay. comparatively
| that the men in the army and lazy
receive. is not the only cause Of their
dissatisfaction with the service. Some
OF them complain that they are not
well treated by their officers, but this
complaint, when made heretofore, has
not borne investigation. Inquiries
made into the relations OF the officers
and enlisted men in both the army
and navy indicate generally that they
are very good The men are thor
oughly loyal, as a rule. to the Off
GERS and the officers. also as a rule
do everything they can TO make the
men comfortable and satisfied.
"The root of the difficulty" said an
experienced naval officer. lies in the
fact that many men enlist In both the
navy and army out OF pique. Perhaps
they have had some family trouble;
perhaps they have lost good positions
through an indiscretion. These sur
misses might be extended to almost
any length. These men seek the navy
or the army in order to get away from
themselves. so to speak. After awhile
they naturally become dissatisfied be
cause they may not be adapted to the
service. Then there is n class oi
young men who are attracted by the
glamour OF the military service and
they enlist in order that they may ap
pear In blue and brass As soon as
the novelty OF the service wears on
they want to get away. # they stick
out their term of enlistment. those
men are almost certain not to re.en
list. II is the class of men | hav,
indicated who desert from the navy
and the army"
An effort is to be made 10 rendel
the service IN both the army and tn,
navy more attractive than II Is now
( II is quite "kely this effort W. tak'
the direction OF more pay for the en-
, listed men. Thirteen dollars a montl
and found is not very munificen
, wage, particularly when men Of tn,
sort that are accepted for enlistmen
in either the army or the navy easil.
can make, in these time, from sl2 e
s25 week. IL is problematica
whether congress will consent to ad
vance the enlisted mems pay, but, il
r the opinion of the best informed OF
q iicers in the service. II will be neces
sary to do something to maintain
good corps Of enlisted men, particu
, larly in the navy, which constant!
d has new ships coming into commits
sion which ought TO be manned by eX
, peTienced and able crews.