Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 213, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 September 1917 — OFFICERS AT TOP MUST MAKE GOOD [ARTICLE]

OFFICERS AT TOP MUST MAKE GOOD

Men Recently Appointed to High Rank Will Be on Trial in Camp. NONE BUT BEST WILL LEAD Work in Training Camps Will Decide Who Are to Command Troops on Fighting Line in France. By EDWARD B. CLARK. Washington. When the training" camps for the men of the new National army are pitched and the young Americans march in to begin their military studies, every one of them can know that .the oflicers~who are in command, particularly those of the highest ranks, also are ~Just~ entering—sehool-to- leana /essons. It may not he that the officers of the service who are to rule over the new camps either as major generals or brigadier generals have full realization that such is the case, but the fact Is that in a large sense these officers themselves are entering into camps where, like the young civilians who joined the officers’ reserve camps, they must either make good or get out. There are many general officers appointed to high rank recently who must center their bodily and mental efforts

on the work ahead. With the officers of regulars who have been appointed there are the brigadier generals of the National Guard and the two major.generals of the same organization who also must make good or step down and out before the times comes to go to France. The reasons for this ought to he apparent. The United States has entered upon a war which is to be carried on after new military methods. Few of the men, if any, who now hold major general rank ever have had an opportunity so much as to see a division of troops in the field, let alone opportunity to command a division. Must Make Good. The work vVhlch these major generals and brigadier generals of regulars and of National Guardsmen do in the training camps will decide ryhether or not they are to be allowed to continue theic-ivork in_ coinmand of large-bodies oTtJoops on the fighting line in France. It takes only a reading of the list of the names of the officers recently given general rank in the army to prove that the United States finally has an army In the field none of whose commanding officers received promotion beenuse of political influence. In 180 S when the Spanish war began, men witft political pull in some instances were given high commands. The results in a number of cases were disastrous. The general staff of the army, aided by civilian officials of the war

department, succeeded In prevebtlng political Influence from taking effect in the recent promotions to high army rank. There are yet to be appointed a good many men to'field work service in the new National army, that is to the ranks of colonel apd lieutenant colonel and major. It is not believed that political influence will avail to affect these promotions any more than it availed in the naming pf major generals and brigadier generals. The war department has realized, and has said so, that it may have to go outside of the army and the National Guard to secure the services of some officers for comparatively high rank. There will not be enough material in the service to supply all the field officers needed. It must be remembered that thousands upon thousands of the regular and'National Guard officers are Very young men. and the majority of them have not had enough experience to justify, from the army point of view, their appointment as first and second in command of regiments. The war department officials today have in their possession a list of names of only 71 men outside the present service who may be considered for field officer’s rank. It is said that there are some few political pets on this list, that is, -men who have received the Indorsement of senators or fepresentatives or governors, or someone else high in the service of one political party or another, but it is pretty well known that even those men who received the indorsement of politicians have had previous military experience and have been put on the list, not because of their political indorsements, but in spite of them. Commissions for Some. It is said that it does not follow at all because there are 71 civilians listed as available for army that all of them are to be given commissions. It Is probable that not more than eight or ten of them will be given places at the outset, but the chances are that later when we must raise bigger armleg more of these mgn will he appointed and that to the list Already in existence other names will De added. An amusing story is being told here of aJUnited States senator who, finding that his influence was not to avail in securing appointments foi" political friends, cast about him for means of getting some credit for himself out of the appointments that were made without any reference to him. This senator, it is said, wrote to the men from his state who had received 'commissions and called their attention to the fact that he had not tried to prevent their appointment. The chances are he did not even know that they were going to be appointed, but he did his best to secure the good will, by the only means possible, of the men who had been given preferment without any reference to their friendliness with the political powers of their horn testates.