East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1909-11-25
HOMESICKNESS THE
CAUSE OF DESERT|ON
GENERAL MORTON SAYS
sOLDyEDS Ger LCNIcscs.E
Ranks Are Young Men Who Have
Yearning for Home and Mother
Would Re-cnlist If Consequences
Were Not So Seycrc--Gcncral Sug-
scsts Remedy.

Washington -Brigadier General
Charles Morton, commanding the de-
partment of the Missouri. one of the
oldest, in point of service, OF the Of
ficers of the army is official spon-
sor for the idea that the greatest
trouble with the American soldier is
ilomesickness, and that Of the plain
est, unmodified variety. DesertiOn
has long been the most pcrpleXing
problem sfor the officers who are con-
stantly striving TO build up thorough
ly trained army units No sooner have
they started on their task when the
recruit beginning to undergo the
metaporphosis into the soldiery reg
ular, takes a notion to get back to
the undisciplined order Of civil life.
More recruits take their places and
the process is continuous so that the
army officer IS constantly confronted
with this variety Of embyro soldier.
Like the poor of the Bible, he is al
ways with them.
General Morton. who has had time
to study the problem for the 4S years
! he has been in the military service,
| believes homesickness is the trouble
and for this reason suggests a modi-
| fication of the stern treatment which
is meted out to the deserving soldier
boy who overstays his leave to get
glimpse of home from whence he set
| forth with beating heart to achieve
glory for thirteen dollars a month.
Suggests Lenient Treatment.
Says General Morton in his re-
| port to the department:
81 am fully convinced that the ma
| ior portion OF the desertions by very
young men, in the early part of their
enlistment terms, Is due to homesick-
ness and disappointment over what
| they enormously anticipated SOL
dier's life to be. The numerous at
tempts by this class of deserters to
enlist again and the number found
to have succeeded demonstrate that
the desertions were not due to caus-
! cs Inherent TO the service nor to real
| satisfaction Herewith This is
| further demonstrated by the fact of
so many who surrender from desar-
tion and of those apprehended. de-
| string to serve the uneXpired term Of
| their enlistments. / would re2om-
mend, in outline. a proclamation u
restore to duty without trial for de-
sertion this class of deserters where
I the desertiOns We're not attended by
any aggravaing circumstances, con-
| ditioned upon their reporting within
three months to their respective or
ginizations for honorable completion
of their terms of enlistments | be-
/ rf,tn nt,t
with law, should be extended 70 'lr
very young men now serving SEN
tences for plain. unaggravatcd d".cr-
tion soon after enlistment
81 believe that many men who are
absent from their organizations with
out leave for various causes, nos with
any original intent to desert. remain
away from fear of punishment upon
return and become deserters. For
this and many other obviou, reason
would recommend that post com
manders be authorized in their d's-
| cretion to try for absence without
leave cases where soldiers voluntarily
return to their commands within
three months from original datc Of
| such absence"
Army In Good Condition.
General Morton takes occasion in
~ report to pay his tribIce to the
.rmy of today. Speaking "f h!mscH
as commander of the department. !tc
says. as the closing argument in his
last official report before his retire
ment next March;
"He ventures to make tho ohser-
vations: that with the exception of
brief interval of a few months he
has been continuously in the service
since July. 1861, passing through ev-
cry grade from a private of volunteers
and IS fairly familiar with the details
of the service; he has noticed
steady and constant improvement in
the army proper but more pronounc-
ed of late years, and Judging from the
troops and affairs that have recent
ly come under his observation, ant
presuming that like conditions pre-
vail in other departments, he is con
viucnd that the army was never IN