Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-08-11
Moral Status
Of New Army
Important
Service Not a Pen Ity
for Transgressors
BY HUGH $. JOHNSON

TOO frequently these days the
press reports some judge
offering probation to con-
victed criminal if he will enlist
in the army or navy. The most
recent case. which the local re-
cruiting officer protested Vigor-
ously. was in Los Angeles whore
the prospective probationer was
rejected at the recruiting office
for moral unfitneSS.
This touches an important
and many-angled subject of ma
tional interest.
The moral character OF this
new draft army is the highest
2 ever known. II is an affront 10
the army and 10 every Selec-
tee 10 have this call to service
placed by a Judge on a level only
a little less low than a Jail sem
tence. II could he Just cause
for apprehension of families and
friends 10 think that these boys
were being taken into an assoc
citation composed. in part at
least. OF iall-SwecpingS or some
thing very close 10 il.
Such action may not produce
an effect. but il is in the direc-
ton Of an effect, 10 destroy the
institution of SclcCtive service
in America as il did in England
during the reign of the Stuarts.
THE idea Of absolute liabil-
L ity 10 military service is in
trinSic in Anglo-SaNon law. The
methods applied during the
Stuart fight with Parliament
degraded and destroyed II, JailS
and even aSylumS were emptied
10 recruit armies. The press
gangs took the poor and friend
loss by force Just as later. I'M
der the Georges. American sea-
men were impressed.
The idea Of CONSUMPTION he
came so hateful IN England
that II has not even yet been
As completely accepted either
there or in Canada as il has
here. We can't CountenanCe
even start IN that direction.
About the present automatic
exclusion. on the ground of
moral unfltneSS' Of men who
have erred served their punish
mont and are no longer charged
with crime Is a more difficult
question. II such man who can
show a subsequent record OF
good conduct can't serve his
country there is little mcrlt IN
the supposed corrective value Of
our penal system.
Some Of these eN-had-boyS
have done marvellous military
exploits. There are plenty ~
examples in the French Foreign
Legion where no questions are
asked It Is tradition. al least,
that a Goodly number Of the
sailors of Columbus on the first
discovery voyage were eN-Con-
vICtS. If not worse
With. perhaps some idea OF
the presence OF such characters
in both the Legion and tho
crews Of the Nina tho Pinta
and the Santa Maria. tho dis
cipline was brutal II Is no
condition 10 he encouraged al
any time. but there IS real
cause 10 question tho automatic
exclusion of any and All cN-con-
victS ON the ground Of moral un-
fitness.
~ THE hope Of not being mis-
Il understood. lei me repeat That
these considerations do not APP
ply 10 the apparently growing
practice Of judicial offerings TO
suspend or withhold punishment
for crime if the convict VIII
promptly enlist
In addition 10 tho other roa-
sons here given. that practice
could actually encourage the
commission Of minor crimes 20
escape the draft That IS not
far-fctchcd. There arc authoniI-
Gated cases Of men having their
principal teeth extracted or
otherwise manning themselves
10 be rendered physically unfit.
II Is not hard 70 imagine 2
mind with that kind Of fear or
adherence of military service
prac,icing mild larceny. rob
berry or arson. expecting q short
sentence for the first offenSe IN
place of an indctcrminate hitch
IN tho army or navy.
have actually seen that hap
pen. too. IN slightly different
circumstances. An otherwise
model soldier who felt. for some
private reason. that ne must
have his discharge and couldn't
purchase il. committed about
the worst military offenSe di-
rect diSohedience OF orders eX-
pecting a light sentence and
discharge He got 10 years.
This is very serious subject.
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