New-York tribune., 1910-10-02
This Has Forced an Increase IN the Mum
Der of the Disciplinary Regiments ana
MHforu Penal Settlements.

fCopyrirht 1910. hy the Brentwood Company
Whereas here in America particular
care Is exercised in barring from the
honor Of serving in the United states
army any man OF questionable ante
cedents. those with prison records belns
.-iCorousIv excluded from the ranks
countries where the law Of obllsa1or!
military service FOR al is in force are
confronted with the dilemma OF know
sng how 10 deal with recruits VINO are
ex-convicts Compulsory service IN 'le
army and in the navy IS not popu'ai'
especially with the masses, ana any 8p-
,,,lics-ior1 of the American doctrine 1ha'
,,ena1 conviction constitutes disquah-
station from serving under the coun-
49, nsr would in France, Germany,
Austria. italy and Russia prove merely
z ron7ptation 20 crime for there are
,nsnv who would prefer six months in
,bo penitentiary 10 two or three years
Hrduous service in the army or navy
In France for instance. the number OF
men convicted Of offences against COM
mon law who are annually enrolled in
-be army exceeds ten thousand 80
alarming Is the growth of the yearly
contingent Of jaiIbirds who present
themselves Tor service with The coiors
thar the government has recently been
obliged 10 adopt 2 radical transforma-
zion of its former methods OF dealing
with This class Of soldiers 10y increasing
.ba number of so-oaIled disciplinary. or
..biriri, regiments in Africa, Madagas-
car and the other colonies and by also
sucmentinE the series Of military penaI
settlements in the most remote portions
oe Frances oversee dependencies. Unul
few months ago the annual draft OF
,,,en for the disciplinary regiments IL the
co1onies did not exceed ! 100. which
meant that at least eight thousand for
-,er con,-icts were enrolled each year in
The ordinary regiments of the line.
particularly atrocious murder OF an oid
woman in a railroad carriage between
Versailles and Paris last winter by
couple of soldiers. who. as was brought
out during their trial. had been Paris
Apaches before enrolment in the army
served TO call the attention Of the public
character and antecedents 10 serve IN
regiments possessed of brilliant military
traditions and of names figuring in let
-.ers Of gold in the military annals OF
,be nation. The presence Of former
Lapaches in such a corps was calculated
Eoi- Was asserted 70 bring disgrace upon
SIS dag and to destroy its prestige IN the
urT
.xfs intrust their sons 10 the nation Tor
service in the army protested loudly
ys-ainst the idea OF their boys being reie-
GATED 10 the communicating companion
shin Of souteneurs and Of Jailblrds'
while from other sources came warnings
"a the danger Of such men hetraying
military secrets in connection with ORD
snance. rifles. ammunition and movement
q the troops.
From now on all who have suffered
sentences OF three months in prison OF
.v-ho have been convicted Of that partlc-
',llsr form Of vagabondsge known as
-Eoutensre will be mercilessly shipped
off 70 the disciplinary regiments in the
colonies. no matter how many thousand
En number. and viii be allowed 20 return
70 France only when they are able 10
show ? years wholly good conduct or
perfo-m some feat OF bravery which, If
--hev belonged 20 an ordinary regiment.
would have won for them special recog-
milton in the form Of the Medaille Mill
taire. or the cross Of the Legion Of
Honor. Those who 90 not behave them
selves while members Of the disciplinary
corps viii be obliged 10 remain on in
definitely. with their term OF service
prolonged. and in a number Of instances
= is proposed to keep the men in the
colonies IS ticket-of-leave mon. under
surveillance. even after their discharge
from the disciplinary corps.
Before proceeding 70 describe quite
briefly the fate that awaits the Paris
Apaches in the disciplinary regiments Of
Africa aIfd of Mads gascar let me men
ton that, although the problem is now
being in a measure solved as far as the
army is concerned. no satisfactory way
has been found Of dealing with il in the
navy. Il has been found impossible 10
prevent the inclusion Of seanen with
-Criminal records on any Of the larger
l1Tench m+n-of-W4r. where. Needless
t1o Say, they exercise a contaminat-