The Washington herald., 1914-03-03
|DESERTERS NOW
GIVEN A CHANCE
Prisoners Charged with Mill
tary Crimes May Re-enlist
at End Of Terms.
ALL ARE PUT TO WORK
Fort Leavenworth Prison Now Is
Known as Detention Barracks"
and Men Are Drilled.
ALL ARE PUT TO WORK

The Wilson administration has put into
operation a number OF much-needed re-
forms In connection with governmental
bureaus and departmental, but probably
none has accomplished more than the
change in policy OF the War Department
In connection with deserters.
Formerly the deserter was considered
as IL he were on the same plane. When
apprehended he was handcuffed and taken
TO Fort Leayenworth or some other
military prison and there incarcerated for
the full length Of his sentence, knowing
that when he was released he could not
be received into the army again. As
some of the deserteTs had spent the best
Years Of their ives serving Uncle Sam
and the flag they loved and their TECH
nical 'desertion'' was due. perhaps. TO
a lapse OF memory or too great a thirst.
they found themselves without u position
when released from prison.
Secretary Of War Garrison has changed
all that He soon found the method Of
dealing with deserters was not calculated
TO make them better men or to induce
them to mend their ways. but. on the
contrary. to indIce them To lose whatever
respect they might have had for their
superiors. together with their love Of
country. During his tour OF army posts
last summer, Secretary Garrison stopped
at Fort Leavenworth and mixed with the
men there. attempting to obtain, first
hand, an insight into their lives. and to
discover way in which their lot might
be improved.
Garrison Makes Announcement.
The result was that when returning
East the Secretary's party stopped again
at Fort Leavenworth and Mr.. Garrison
himself Informed the prisoners that. by
virtue OF a change in the regulations
which he had ordered that day. all pris-
oners charged with purely military
crimes would be allowed to re-enlist at
the end Of their terms.
This action of the Secretary of War
has met with the full and unlimited ap-
pioval of officers of the army.
THE men who have been In prison."
said Mai. Sen. Leonard Wood. Chief of
STAN of the army. in discussing the mat
ter. will make the finest kind of SOL
diers. They will he well drilled and
equipped to stand all sorts OF hardships.
In addition. they will be ready to go
through hell itself to show their graft
tudc to the flag and their love for their
country"
In putting the new plan into effect the
army has, as far as possible. completely
changed the character of the military
prison. 1t Is now known as the United
States Detention Barracks. even the
name OF prison" being eliminated
Mental Cure Is Slow.
When the deserter is caught he is tried
as usual, and. IL found guilty, sent 10
the detention barracks In a military
prison the first question that used to be
asked was What has he done?' Now
they ask What's the matter with him?'h
He goes to the hospital for an eXamina-
ton instead Of to a cell and his physical
ailments are quickly cared for. The
mental cure takes longer. Often his case
Is simply one Of plain nomesickness.
The best remedy for mental depression,
according TO army surgeons, is work. so
the inmate who suffers from this malady
is assigned to one of the barrack indus
tries and TO one of the disciplinary COM
panies. He keeps regular hours. works
so much every day. has so much time
for leisure and puts in so much time
drilling with his companions He goes
through the same military drill as the
men in the barracks that he can see
across the wall. which is the only evil
dence of his restraint
Finally, when he has reached the state
of mental and physical health where he
again is amenablc to discipline in the
ranks. he may go back. serve out the re-
mainder OF his original enlistment and
then quit the army with a clean record.
Or. should he so desire. he may re-enlist
and stay as long as he chooses