Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-27
ANY OFFICER MAY JOIN
Post Clubs Otherwise Denied
Government Quarters.
RULING BY GENERAL BELL
Decision of Old Question as to Regi.
mental Organizations.
BLOW AT EXCLUSIVE MES
Nothing to Do With Alleged Efforts
of West Point Men to Crowd
Men From Ranks.

Men From Ranks.
\ good deal more comment without
than within the army has been caused
by an order, issued yesterday by Gen.
Bell, chief of staff. directing that eek
elusive" clubs, which do not extend men,
bership to all fellow post officers shall
not be allowed the privilege OF govern
ment buildings at army posts.
The order, which was not altogether
self explanatory to the outside world,
was as follows:
mo officers club, mess or other similar
social organization of officers at any mill
tary post or station will be permitted to
occupy any part of any public building.
other than the private quarters OF an
officer unless such club, mess or other
organization extends to all officers on
duty at the post or station the right to
full membership. either permanent or
temporary. in such club, mess or organi-
zation. including the right equally with
any and all other members thereof to
participate in the management thereof, to
hold Office therein, and to vote upon any
and ali of the affairs thereof in which
the officers concerned have an interest.
whenever at any military post or sta
ton permanent membership in any off,
GERS club, mess or other similar social Or
ganization. with the right to acquire an
interest in the permanent property there
of, Is limited to the members of par
ticular military organization. such club,
mess or other social organization must.
in order to be permitted to occupy any
part of any public building, other than
the private quarters Of an officer, extend
the right of temporary membership to
all officers on duty at the post or station
and on such reasonable terms as to
initiation fees, dues and other charges as
should be satisfactory to the tempora airy
members
"In the event of a disagreement as to the
reasonableness of any such terms. the
commanding officer of the post or station
will require the parties in disagreement to
submit written statements of their re-
spective views Of the matter, and Will
forward those statements, through mill
tary channels, to the W. Department
for decision as to the questions involved
Old Question Settled.
The chief point about the order is that
1t is an official ruling Of the War De-
partment on a subject that has come up
now and then in the past and was liable
to come up again.
An appeal was made to the War De-
partment, In perfect good feeling, 1t Is
said. from one of the posts not In or
about Washington where certain officers
wanted to maintain a regimental rather
than a post mess. The matter has been
officially settled and is not likely to be
aSitated again.
An army officer, speaking Of the matter
today, said:
there has been any effort among the
West Point men in the army to keep out
Of their organizations men who nave
come up from the ranks. There Is none
of that feeling in the army at all. l am
West Point man myself. I undertake
to say that any such statement Is untrue
Neither is there any attempt to set up
an aristocracy OF wealth or social CASTE
Most of us in the army are poor anyhow.
There Is certainly. not much chance to get
rich in the profession.
"A few men who are wealthy in their
own right come into the service, but the
mere fact that they come in where there
is no chance for money or social prestige
to count is apt to indicate that they are
good fellows.
IF they are their money is not allowed
to count against them. That is al! there
is to that end of it.
1.-THE root Of the matter Is in the rather
old system, still maintained by some regi-
ments, of having regimental plate and
linen with the regimental number on it.,
and that sort of thing. These regiments
have sometimes run a regtmental mess
and have had their monthly or annual
regimental dinners. And it was pleas
ant custom. too. in some ways.
But since 1890 there has been less
chance to keep up this regimental spirit.
A man in the American service does not
go into one regiment for life. as he does
In the English and some of the conti-
mental armies. He is promoted here by
seniority out of one regiment and into an
other. A man may be first lieutenant
in one regiment. captain In another ana
a major in third.
What Difficulty Was.
"In some cases where regiment want
ed to keep up the regimental mess sys-
tenn the members of the mess wanted to
allow the doctors and other officers. not
members Of the regiment. but on duty at
a post, to have the privileges OF the mess
or the club on the payment of nominal
dues, but not to have vote in the affairs
of the club or mess.
THE extra regimental officers In some
cases objected to that arrangement. They
held that they were ready to pay their
full dues and wanted to do SO and be
considered full members of the club or
mess.
II do not care to say just where the
case arose that led to the Issuance of the
order. But I will say that there was a
similar case at Fort Monroe good many
years ago before the organization of the
Coast Artillery.
THAT question was settled among the
officers themselves. Now it has been
settled by the department.
"A man In the American army Is men,
Der OF the United States Army and not
of any particular regiment. He Is not
in the Coldstream Guards or the Scots
Grays or the Gordon Highlanders for
life, as he might be in England. He Is
liable to be here this year and in some
other regiment the next.
I'VE are all on the same footing While
there were pleasant features about the
old family life of particular regiment.
it cannot be kept up now as it was years
organization of the service
Leaves State to Escape Prosecution.
LEXINGTON. Ky. March 27.-After
signing an agreement to leave Kentucky
and never return, John w. Thomas. a
prominent farmer of Shelby county, who
two weeks ago terrorized the whole COM