The Washington herald., 1913-10-12
HOPE FOR The
"ARMY CONVICT
Military Prisoners viii Be AL
lowed to Re-Enlist at
End of Terms.
TO BE GIVEN TRAINING
Infantry Companies viii Be Formed
at Prisons and the Men Put
Through Various Drills.


Army convicts are going to get a
chance to make good" ana redeem their
previous bad records.
As the first step in his campaign to
make the army better and place it on
a higher plane OF efficiency, Secretary
OF War Garrison has perfected a plan
whereby all military offenders now. and
in future. incarcerated in the l.eaven-
worth prison will be given an oppor-
tunity to re-enlist in the army at the
conclusion Of their terms-provided their
conduct has been exemplary during their
/ time in prisOn-and to obtain honorary
discharges"
/ Under the new order general prisoners
under sentence purely for military Of
lenses will be given special course
! in military training while at Leayen-
worth prison. This course will consume
portion of the time formerly utilized
for hard labor" and it is the opinion of
the War Department officials that Il will
serve to lessen the discomfort among
| the men and at the same time increase
their efficiency in the servic.
Disciplinary companies will be or
ganized as infantry. Four Of these COM
panies will be organized at Fort Leaven-
worth. The prisoners will be placed
under military training during a half
OF each working day and will be equipped
with arms. While there is the element
Of danger in thus providing convicts with
the means for possible escape. military
officials here do not believe that there
will be any attempted revolts within the
prison. because the men have been in
formed that any one who tries 10 break
away will forfeit forever the right OF
re-entering the army and obtaining
an honorable discharge.
To Remove Firing Pins.
During the drills within the prison
walls. however. the firing pins of tn,
rifles will be removed in order to prevent
any attempt at revolt by other prison.
ers who might obtain possession of the
guns, but they will be replaced when
the squads are marshalled outside of
the prison for target practise
In addition to this freedom, which is
reported to be much appreciated by the
men incarcerated in Leavenworth for in
fractions of military discipline or at
tempts to desert, II is also planned to do
away with the old system of designating
the men hy numbers. Their names will
be restored to them and the members
Cf the disciplinary companies Will be
seated at tables separate from the other
verse under conditions similar to those
which govern enlisted men while at mess
Their course OF military instruction will
Include physical training, personal hy-
gience, the school of the soldier squad,
company. and military battalion. dis
mounted cavalry and field artillery drills,
elementary signalling. care Of arms and
equipment. rifle and revolver practice.
saber drills. tent handling. bridge con-
gtFlgtinn he -
enlisted men
VIII Be Kept Separate.
In addition to the four companies to he
organized at the Kansas military prison,
il is planned also to extend the system
to Governors Island, New York where
another company will be composed of men
serving time there for military offenses-
Prisoners under sentence for statutory
or common law crimes or misdemeanors
will not be eligible for membership in the
disciplinary company. They will be kept
separate from the military offenders as
far as the prison regulations and faciIi-
ties permit There will also be further
segregation of felons from those punished
for misdemeanOrs and the harder labor
will fall TO the lot of those who are under
sentence for common law crimes
1t is believed by War Department Of
hcials that this system-devised by Sec
retary of War Garrison during his recent
swing around the circle of army posts
and prisons-will have a good effect
upon the raising of the present standard
of the army. Under the previous reguIa-
tions it was impossible for a man who
had been convicted Of any military oTense
and had served term in a military
prison to re-enlist in the army. He was
'dishOnorably discharged and his papers
retained in such manner that he found
il extremely difficult to obtain any other
positiOn-particularly if he had been in
the army so long that he was unfit for
civil work.
The Secretary of War saw that this
condition needed rectifying. In the first
place. he said, the army needed the men.
and in the second place. the men needed
the army. The problem then resolved IT.
self into one Of how to bring the two
elements together in such a manner that
both would benefit
Officers Favor Plan.
Army officers having assured the Sec
retary that they had no objection TO thu
Remittance of the purely military of
tenders into their command. in fact,
most Of them said they would be delight
ed to have them, the Secretary ordered
a change in the military regulations
which will have the effect of allowing all
military prisoners, IL their conduct has
been such to merit the favor. to re-enllst
at the end of their prison term and to
work out their honorable discharge and
obtain papers which will show that their
army record has been good.
That this plan meets with the full and
enthusiastic approval of the men them
selves was apparent from the tumultuous
applause with which it was received
when the Secretary outlined II to the
prisoners themselves during his visit to
Leayenworth Prison a short time ago.
Practically every man in the military
portion of the prison signitied his inten-
ton of re-entering the army upon his
and the new rule thus will
insure to the United States fully 90 per
cent of the men who have served in
Leavenworth. whereas, under the previ-
Gus regulations their services were en-
tirely lost to the government.
Concerning the efficiency Of the men,
Mai Gen. Leonard Wood, Chief Of STAN
OF the army, recently said:
'I would rather have company Of
these men than a regiment Of recruits,
no matter what their moral record.
These men are hard as nails and will
fight like demons. l consider that this is
a most wise change in regulations, both
for the army and the men themselves"