Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-01-12
FIXES MAXIMUM
LIMIT T0PENA[T|ES
Presidents Order Affecting
Punishment of Soldiers for
Military Offenses.

Under authority of the articles of war,
the President has issued an executive
order fixing the ma Ximum limit of pun
iShment of soldiers convicted of military
offenses of all kinds. excepting murder
ana other capital cases involving the
death penalty.
The maximum Imprisonment for some
Of the principal offenSes are: Deser
ton. five years; attempting to desert in
execution of conspiracy. three years:
using disrespectful words against the
President, Vice President and others.
one year: assaulting a warrant or nom
commissioned officer, one year; drawing
a weapon on nurse or on-commis-
stoned officer, three years: refusing to
obey a nurse. one year; escaping from
confinement. one year; neglect in the
care of government property. two years;
losing property valued at $50 or more,
five years: drunk on guard. six months;
arson. twenty years; assault with in
tent to commit murder or rape, twenty
years: assault with intent to commit
any lesser felony, ten years: burglary,
ten years: embezzlement. five years:
forgery. five years: housebrealing, ten
years: manslaughter, ten years; perjury.
five years; robbery. ten years: mutilat-
ing or misappropriating records. three
years: destroying public property, i've
years; disobedience, one year: false
swearing. three years: introducing mar
cotics into camp or station. two years:
three years: refusing to submit to medi-
cal or dental treatment. six years: re-
fusing to submit to surgical operation,
one year; striking a sentinel. one year;
subordinat;on of perjury. five years.
Order Relating to Courts.
1t is prescribed that courts shall
not by single sentence adjudge
against a soldier detention of pay at
a rate greater than two-thirds of his
pay for more than three months nor
impose a sentence a hard labor with
out confinement for more than three
months. In every case in which the
customary maximum penalty exec eds
confinement at hard labor or for
fixture of pay for ten days and in
which the offense is not attended by
aggravating circumstances, the order
says. the punishment will be graded
down according to the circumstances
of the offense: and if. for any reason.
the court-martial fails SO to grade
down the punishment it will be the
duty of the reviewing authority to
do SO.
"Dishonorable discharge. in itself
a severe punishment" the order says.
should be adjudged and approved
only when it is clear that the accused
should be separated from the service
or that he should be required to
undergo a period of reformatory dis
cipline before he can again be per-
mltted to serve in an organization
composed of honorable men When
the accused is relatively young and
his record. except for the offense of
which he stands convicted. is good
the reviewing authority should. in the
exercise of his sound discretion. sus-
pend the execution of the d shonor-
able discharge to the end that the
offender may have an opportunity to
redeem himself in the military serv-
ice: but he should not suspend the
execution of the dishonorabie dis
offense involving that degree of moral
turpitude which disquaifies for further
military service"