Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 January 1918 — AMERICANS ADEPT AT POLICE WORK [ARTICLE]

AMERICANS ADEPT AT POLICE WORK

Detailed to Help Out French Constables in Maintaining ** Order. SHOW STUFFTHEY’REMADEOF University Graduates Speak Little French, but They Render Valuable Service—People Should Bo Careful What They Say. VSomewhere in France. —One of the features of American military life in France is the municipal police work performed by several companies in various parts of France. In one town near to the regional camps I noticed a very excellent example of American adaptiveness to any sort of work that necessity gives rise to. The captain of a certain company who graduated from the American school with high honors and the usual grade was not long before he got promoted to his present rank. He Is beloved by his men and can “get anything out-of them,” it is said. : These men are not used to police ’ work. But that is no matter. They do it all the same. In this company alone I counted as many as 131 university men. They are all men who volunteered for the army at the start. This shows the sort of stuff they are •made of. On Patrol Duty. In thje evenings you see groups of these military police stationed at various parts of the city and patrolling about In the day time they do the same sort of work. They are detailed to look after the American troops and see that they get fair play In any misunderstandings that may arise. One difficulty that the local French

police have to contend with is the lack of constables, who are mostly at the front. But this is no difficulty to the American captain, who promptly details as many men to help as may be needed. «*■**.'• • * r - * iC " yhe captain is treated with great respect and has an office for his lieutenants in the local police buildings. What strikes one as strange is that the local police officials seem to think that the Americans, after coming over to France to take part in this war, paying their way, supplied with every sort of food for man and horses, clothing and munitions of war, ought to speak French also. TJie boot is diecidedly on the other leg, think the American boys. The French authorities ought to have officials who speak English, or, if this is ftot convenient, then they ought to have men who can act as interpreters for the hoys. This is a crying evil and ought to be remedied at once. Volunteers are wanted to teach the Americans the elements of French as spoken. The Language Question. One Frenchman said to me: “I cannot understand how it is that your men who come —that is, so many of them —from schools and colleges where they are taught French canno' Speak the language, a little, anyhow.’ Now this nettled me somewhat, and replied “How is It that with all your schools and colleges in France so few of your people can speak a word of English? And how is it thaf the most of them do not even want to learn English? Why is this?” One of the many duties of the American military police is to arrest suspicious characters. It would surprise many to know that this sort of person is particularly busy at the present time and meete with severe experience* when found out. civilian* as well as the soldiers cannot be toe careful what they say and where thej say lt-at present '