The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1915-08-20
Charge that They Behave Badly Un-
der Fire u Battle, Showing
yellow Streak" Not Sup.
ported by Facts
SECTIONAL FEUD
STARTS SLANDER
Bad Leadership Cause Of Flight d
First Action; South Furnishes
Four Greatest Generals
to Nation
BY United Press.
BY WILLIAM PHILIP sIMMs.

pf WILLIAM r7tLlf StMMS,
Omitted Press Staff Correspondent
Paris. Aug. 3.--OBy mail. Northern
France accuses southern France Of
lacking courage, OF possessing a vel
low streak, Of talking whole lot and
doing little in the way Of slaughtering
Germans.
Since the very commencement of
the war stories have been going the
rounds concerning the behavior OF Ger
tain regiments, said regiments being
recruits in the Midi!Southern France.
Boiled down these stories have 1t that
these regiments turned and fled in dis
order immediately they found them
selves under fire; that this happened
more than once, but that the guilty
regiments had been badly punished.
Is it true that Frenchmen from
southern france made bad soldiers?
To the neutral observer this would not
appear true for four OF Frances great
est generals hail from that corner OF
the country. These are Gen. Joffre,l
Gen. GalIieni, Gen. r5ch and Gen. Cas-
telnau
Between northern and southern
France there has always been fued
not unlike that which exists--or did
exist--between the north and the
south in the United States. So far as
outsiders are concerned, France is
France without distinction as to the
particular part OF the country one
claims as home. But among them
selves the northerner looks down on
the southerner and vice versa; both
claim to be the real and true French,
both the speakers OF the purest Ian
guage both claim chivalry as their
own particular birthright and so on up
and down the line.
| asked a highly educated soldier
belonging to one of the regiments
which are said to have distinguished
themselves by bad morale" under
fire. what was in the story. He re-.
Piled
'fWe are blamed for what has hap
pened In every war since wars be-
gan; we ran but we only did what the
best soldiers in the world would have
dcue. and would have done again UNI
der similar circumstances.
The war broke out suddenly. Al
most without warning we were hus-
tied out of offices. from behind coun-
ters. from desks and studies into uni
forms and rushed into trains Our
trains were directly upon the battle-
field and we were detrained actually
under heavy fire We did not have
time to assemble. to get our bearings,
anything We got eff the train to be
shot down Somebody ran. Somebody
else followed. Two more followed the
first and the others seeing some run
ming away. followed suit It Is
psychological fact that this is what
happens always under these circum
stances.
''We should have been halted mfie
to the rear, assembled and marched,
in orderly fashion, into the firing line.
In that way we would have had time
to look around, to see where we were.
to catch courage one from another.
Wake the boldest man from heavy
sleep, in the dead OF night and let him
haze great danger TO face. He will
be afraid providing he is not too stupid
TO have any sensations at ALI Wake
him up and give him few minutes
time to get himself together. then let
him face the danger and he win meet
| it as a brave man should
so ii should have been with us. II
was bad leadership TO precipitate mon
who had never been under fire, men
/ fresh from the arms OF wife or sweet.
heart or mother. into action in such
sudden fashion. Men who have once
faced bullets can be handled that way
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