OCR Text |
Show I GARRISON THINKS ARMY PLAN WRONG "The present system of punishing desertion from the army is as bad as the old English laws fixing the death penalty for 160 offenses," said Secretary Secre-tary Garrison of the war department the other day, in discussing a proposal pro-posal to make desertion in the army a misdemeanor and not a crime. Secretary Garrison is in favor of a proposition which would abolish the purely statutory, criminality of desertion deser-tion in time of peace. For any obligation obli-gation by the enlisted man, violation of which must be treated as a crime and punished accordingly, would be substituted a purely contractual obligation. obli-gation. Desertion in time of peace would be treated as a misdemeanor. Steps would be taken to surround the subsequent civil employment of a deserter de-serter with certain hazards designed lo discourage desertion and to pro-mole pro-mole the fulfillment of his obligation to the United States, even after desertion. deser-tion. These penalties should be mild. & X ' $ ' -; : i V 4 t; .. ,.r.- . . . : '. . . :. ;c.y... -..-, nw,A .".s . . . . : The practice of making a jail bird of a man who had committed no actual crime, of placing a price of $50 on his head and of discouraging by the prospect pros-pect of imprisonment as a felon, the voluntary return of a deserted, all would be discontinued. The war secretary believes that reform in the present method of dealing Uh Hie deserters would not only obviate many instances of grave injustice, u wouid diminish the difficulties of recruiting. |