New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-02-26
A SENTENCE TO ENLIST
Humane to the individuals and No Asro,,
to the Service
To the Editor of The Tribune.


Sir: While | hold the position Of ind-.
advocate general of the New York State M.
partment of Spanish War Veterans. I vr;,.
you as an individual and without any thouy.,
that voice the opinion of the above organ;
cation, in whole or in part.
Controversy has arisen over the sct =,
Supreme Court Justice Howard, Of this Al,
trict. in suspending sentence upon several
young men for the first time CONVICTED =,
violation Of law upon condition that thew
Immediately enlist in the United STATE,
navy. They have endeavored to comply With
the condition by offering themselves for
listment and have been refused upon IA.
ground that the navy should not and shall
not be made a dumping ground for criminals
The act of the recruiting officer who "a
jected these men seems 20 have a r,,o.
widespread approval, and one OF In, n,.
tional defence organizations has passed
resolutions upon the subject and called u,
matter to the attention of the Governor A.
the state.
certainly do not write TO defend u.
Judge who has done this thing He IA,
acted within the law, so far as | know II,
law. and within the right and power OF II,
court. From his own point of view .,s
from any except the most distorted point
of view. he has done at least a human,
thing. Having these young men before him
and knowing the circumstances Of their
cases better than any one who has been
heard upon the subject, he has not con.
demned them 70 the utter waste Of prison
confinement, nor has he thrown them back
free upon the community and into the same
undisciplined condition which may have had
something to do with the misstep in life they
have made but he has given them the o.
portunity to make fight under naval dis.
cipline for the restoration Of their names
and the reestablishment of their manhood
So much for the act of the Judge.
Now, is the attitude of the navy-and
believe it is the attitude of the army also
as big and fair one as might be assumed
in such case? | ask the question in fair.
ness and without any thought Of dsrespeet
to either branch of the service Ny father
served in the Union army Throughout the
Civil War and my brother and | in the
Spanish American War. No one can pos
sibly have better feeling about the fighting
forces of the land than !.
It is certain that no dishonor or disgrac.
can ever come to the army or the navy er.
cept from the unthinkabe possibility Of its
own lack of courage and efficiency. II
thousand convicted men were given and
chose the alternative OF enlistment and
were accepted into the ranks, neither the
army nor the navy would rightly lose one
iota of our common regard. Some infinitely
greater and more ignoble thing must hap.
pen to keep any real American out Of the
service when his country wants him 10
/ And every man redeemed and restored b.
the service might be almost as unanswer.
! able an argument in favor of its need and
/ of its value as a minor battle won.
Where is there more glorious COMPANY
of men to-day, one and all, than compose
the armies of France? And yet the Apache
and the hardened criminal fight shoulder 10
shoulder with the noblest and the best
Their minds are full Of France and Their
cause rather than the mischances or fine
nesses of their past eXistences. And have
no doubt they call one another the French
equivalent of "comrade" with the same de-
gree Of respect and regard that attaches 10
the word in our own fighting forces. And
il seems to me that any one who has read
with what joyous gallantry the Foreign
/. Legion. composed in part, 10 is said, OF the
so-caled outcasts and renegades and crmi'
mails, perhaps, from other lands, vent to rs
sure extinction long ago for France would
cease TO think that there can be any loss
to the forces Of the United States by com.
plcte abandonment Of the application Of
that sad old principle included within TIE
words "man's inhumanity 70 man. And any
man who would at any time keep out OF ne
army Of the United States for the sole rea'
son that among its numbers were some ever
/ hardened criminals might call himself 81
American. but ] certainly would give ven
sympathetic and respectful hearing 70 'a'
other side of the case.
| say again that nothing can hurt Wv
army or the navy Of the United States e.
! cept its own lack Of courage and ef1eieHq'
an unthinkable possibility. And ] resFe'
! fully submit that if ! were an authority
/ either branch or in any organization :"
voted 10 the promotion OF national deienes"
I this time. my mind would be occupied VIZ
matters of larger concern than the eH'''
I to keep out Of the service few young ny"
whose hard lot in life it has been 70 s.."
bic and to fall. FREDERICK f. DRAfbN
Troy n. Y, Feb. 10, 1917.