Evening journal., 1912-12-02
MONDAY DEC. 2. 1912.
SOLDIERS AND cnILIANs.

VAT E congratulate the military authorities at Fort
w DUPONT upon the sentences they have imposed
upon the six coast artilierymen who impi-
Gated in the outrageous Shooting up Of Dobbins-
ville suburb Of New Castle last July. The action
taken by the officers who composed the court-mar-
tal shows that the military authorities determined
that the disordcry element in the ranks shall be taught
that the persons and properties OF civilians near mi
ary reservations must be respected by the sodiery and
that the weapons supplied to the soldiers by the peo-
pie must not be turned upon the people. The nnic-
ton OF hye-year sentences upon three OF the six
accused may harsh to many persons of sympa-
thetic temperament They should remember, how
ever that the crime and the situation created by IL
called for drastic action by the military authorities
That fact was recognized clearly by the army officers
and they did not hesitate to act upon It.
The heavy sentences inflicted will accomplish two inn
portant things One is the establishment OF a better
understanding and more friendly feeling between the
soldiUY and the civilians near the reservation than
has existed for many months. The other is the tam-
ing of the Wild and dsorderiy element in the Coast
Artillery company stationed at Fort Dupont
There thousands of good and decent privates
in the United States Army Unfortunately for them
there are hundreds of wild and dssolute in the
ranks Rhoso drunken and disordery conduct in public
places serves to bring practically an the prvates into
discredU among civilians. It is not right that there
should be that lack Of discrimination between tho
good and the bad soldiers, but it exists and is
deeply that it would require months, If years
IT.. "A
penalty the thousands of good and decent soldiers
pay for the crimes and msdemeauors of the hundreds
of bad and indecent ones.
Manr in the ranks come Of respectable fami-
lies. In fact the Federal Government has made
studious effort in recent years to recruit such young
men iestead of depending upon the human hotsam
and jetsam in the Bowory In New York and the un-
savory quarters Of other large American cities Nor
has been unsuccessful in its quest Thousands OF
the-lhnbed squareshouldered bright-eyed and clear
skinned young men have been put In the ranks I'm
fortunately others brualized by all sorts OF
have succeeded in working their way into the army
The effect Of their and their conduct when
free from the scrutnizing OF their officers
been to scandaze the uniform and the service in tho
public eye and to hrutalize many OF the decent
young men who had enlisted from lofty motive and
patriotic impuse' As the situation exists to-day sol
ders in uniform, who should be welcomed everywhere
not desired in places of public amusement or in
public conycyances. Neither can they maintain when
in the service the social status they held back home
These are unpleasant things to say but they true
and for the good of the service better said than left
unsaid. The time may come when the uniformed
private will be held in higher regard by the public
That time will come, however, until the SOL
der learns to respect himself and the uniform he
wears. II never viii come until he learns observe
when in uniform those social amenities which are
common to almost all young in civil life and
which, too often, put off when the uniform is put
on II never will come so long American woman
hood and girlhood have the blush Of shame brought
to their checks by the ribadry and indecency per-
perated by soldiers in the Streets places Of amuse-
ment and public conyeyances. II never will come so
long the decent element i'm the ranks associates with
and condones the Of the indecent element Il may
be that sooner or later the common soldiers in tho
United States army will awaken to the facts stated
above, and establish standards conduct for their
companies and regiments which will rehahate them
as individuals. in public respect The decent private
soldiers in such a large majority that they can
do it, it, at the outset they decide they will not permit
the debased minority to drag them down to its social
and moral level.