The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1916-03-31
aN ay from the expedition led those in
pursuit Of II straight 10 q spring


Pershing Won His Way.
Much has been written and printed
about Brig. Gen John j. Pershing.
United States army, the commander II
chief of the punitive expedition SENT
across the border into Mexico to round
up Francisco Villa and his followers.
Many Of the things which he has ac
complished as soldier have been
printed, but there are some things
which seem to have been overlooked
by the record searchers
No one seems to have given as jet
the exact circumstances connected
with Pershing's coup in the Philip
pines, by which he won his star as p
brigadier general He was captain OF
cavalry, and he happened to be near
the Lake Lanao country with his
troop at a time when there were no
officers Of superior rank present. al
though there was considerable body
of troops in the immediate vicinity.
In the section OF the country In
which Pershing was stationed there
was some cavalry, some infantry, and
If memory is all right, some field ar
tillerymen. There were troops enough
there of the different branches to
form. when combined. miniature bri-
gade. There we're the elements pres
ent necessary for mixed brigade. but
there were not troops enough to make
it proper in military sense to cali
the assembIage brigade
However, it was brigade in form,
and Pershing happened to be senior
captain present. In the absence OF
majors. lieutenant colonels and col
onels he therefore became the com
handing officer of what. for courtesy's
sake, was called brigade. He TOOK
his troops, cavalrymen, infantrymen
district and there fought a hard fight
and cleaned UP what was a very dirty
situation, or at least SO one might OK
press it from military point OF view,
Following this exploit, Theodore
Roosevelt, who was then president of
ing's name in message to congress
saying that he wished that he could
promote the captain to a majority or
a lieutenant colonelcy, in order to
show appreciation of his fine service
in the Philippines.
The law is such that the president
of the United States cannot promote
an officer except to the grade of brig
adler general. When the opportunity
came. Roosevelt promoted Captain
Pershing and made him Brigadier Cen
eral Pershing.
Controversy over Submarines
A controversy still is waging In ma
val circles and in legislative circles
concerning the usefulness of sub
marines. AS has been pointed out be
fore in Washington dispatches, there
is wide difference OF opinion among
the members of the senate naval com
mittee over this submarine matter.
The chairman of the committee 1t IL
said favors submarines at the expense
of dreadnaughts. while most of the
members take issue with the chairmaB
and favor dreadnaughts at the ex
pense Of submarines.
For year and five months now this
submarine matter has been causing
disputes in congress and In the Ameri
can navy In September, 1914, Ger
man submarine, the U-9, performed q
feat which astonished navy men all
over the world. The U-9 went a long
distance from its base and sunk TIRES
second-line enemy cruisers. At that
time it was said that upon the report
of the captain OF the US when 1t final
ly was turned in might depend the flu
lures of the navies of the world.
Some time ago, after the exploit Of
the US, it was reported on seemingly
good authority that one of the under
the-sea boats had made voyage from
the vicinity of the North sea to the
Bosporus without replenishing its
fuel. This feat was so much more ex-
traordinary than the voyage of the u
8 that naval officers in America began
to believe that dreadnaughts were to
be done away with for all time and
principally of speedy battleship cruis
ers and OF an enormous number on
submarines.
Then all at once there came stories
that the British navy authorities had
found means which were effective to
offset the attacks of submarines and
moreover to cut short the career OF
the under-the-sea boats before they
could get in their deadly work. Then
the American authorities, naval and
Legislative, had to study the subject all
over again. They tried hard to get the
truth concerning the British reports as
they tried hard to get the truth con
corning the reports which came from
Germany, The stories have been so
conflicting that the camps are about
equally divided today between the
submarine advocates and the dread