The Washington herald., 1916-07-09
SEEN AND HEARD
BY GEORGE MINER

IL oGON\1L IN1lNGN
New York, July 8.--Mr. Robert Bacon, for
merly United States Ambassador to France and
formerly partner in the firm of J. P. Morgan &
Co., came down from the Plattsburs camp last
Tuesday to preside at meeting called by the
National Security League of representatives OF
all the patriotic defense societies
Private Robert Bacon, after two weeks OF
digging trenches in the mud and drilling in the
sun and sleeping in dog tents, looked more like
a cowboy than hnancer and statesman. He
was as brown and tough looking as the under
side OF fried egg. But in one respect he did
not look at all like dough boy" fresh from
the trenches. He was quite clean.
Soldiers in clean and shiny and gold-trimmed
uniforms are not the pets nowadays The parade
soldier had monopoly of all that but the day
of the parade soldier has passed. for the time at
least.
There were twenty-one different societies rep
resented at the luncheon and meeting which
was held in the governors room of the Lawyers
Club After three hours discussion, which at
times became as heated the business end of a
humble bee, set of resolutions was adopted
scolding Congress from soup to nuts for pass
ing the Hay bill and demanding that universal
military training be enforced
Not one voice was raised against that, but
many bitter and forceful things were said con-
cerning our national preparedness. The National
Guard had some stanch defenders present and
it was good thing it had.
Our speaker, being Gen. Wingate, for forty
six years soldier said:
Whats the of criticsing the Guard
when outside of the little handful Of regulars il
is the only army you have. You had better make
the best use of the Guard you can. The last few
days have proved that they are doing the best
they for you"
That held some OF the faulthnders for a while
l noticed that not of the hfty-odd men
present was in uniform expressed any sort oi
intention of putting and going to the
front. Everybody, however, had a we-worr
speech in his system he was anxious to wrap
himself in if not in khaki, and they all knew ex-
actly how to run the Mexican mess if the gov
ernmcnt does not.
! am inclined to think that the majority oi
amateur assistants and advisers are professional
pests.
Henry Reuterdahl, the well-known naval ar
tist and boomer, was there and hardly opened his
mouth, although he could have said a lot
Gen. S. B. NJ. Young, who has retired from
the army, was also there and not only did no,
speak. but asked to be excused from voting
Some of the New York newspapers quoted
him at length. Possibly Gen Young would have
said just what they said he said if he had said
anything. But he didn't. I'll bet he was sur
prised to see how modern newspapers have per-
fected the process Of mental telepathy reporting
Mr.. Herbert Satterlee, formerly Assistant Sec
retary OF the Navy also present and did not
open his mouth excepting to put cigarette in
it. He was likewise quoted in the New York
Press as having made ringing speech in favor
OF obligatory military service.
Mr.. Peter Cooper Hewitt was another well.
known man that the press took liberties with
enjoyed reading his speech, but l must be very
deaf, for / sat next to him and did not hear
him say word after the talking began except
to ask me to pass the matches
The worst bit OF nerve that the New York
papers perpetrated was on Mr. Daniel Willard
president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
They had him explaining the details of how
troops were moved in time Of war 1t was in
teresting reading and very informative. The
reporter who wrote it has bully ina gination
But Mr. Willard was not there
After | read all these reports in the papers
this morning I somehow sort of lost my taste
tor news-as printed in New York had a
sneaking idea l might be mised