New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-15
No Favoritism in
Plattsbufg Lists,
Army Officers Say
Admit College Men Get Prefer
ence. but Declare Selections
Have Done Justice

Army officers do not attempt TO e1-
plain all individual failures to obtain
appointments to officers training
camps. They insist, however, that the
successful candidates were chosen
without the remotest favoritism and
along strictly democratic lines.
The Tribune. deluged with letters OIL
complaint from men apparently excep-
tionally qualified to become officers
who. nevertheless, were left out IN the
final choice for the Plattsburg and
other training camps, made an ehort
Yesterday to learn from expert sources
of lust what value an A. B. degree was
for example, TO a prospective ofhcer'
INQUIRY was made of a regular army
officer who has been fully conversant
with the methods used in sitting tne
candidates for reserve commissions.
College Men Preferred
"other things being equal, man
with a college education is to be pre-
ferred to one without was this mans
comment.
The War Department order reiatiVe
10 the selection Of men for the ofh-
GERS training camps specifies that they
shall be clearly we'll educated This
NAV or may not be interpreted broadly,
according to the examining board re-
sponsible for the choices. In a great
many instances, however, high schooi
education with subsequent military eX-
perience has been deemed sufficient TO
cover it. Graduates of military schools
without college diplomas have also
been chosen in quantity. On the other
hand, as the letters from unsuccessfui
candidates printed in The Tribune Will
show, college mon with and without
military experience have been turned
down though physically fit.
No Favoritism Shown
The army officer cited would not at
tempt to justify the selection or re-
lection of men in individual instances.
But he was sure the system of selec-
ton adopted mad done substantial JUS
ticc. For one thing, he said. 1t had
been free from political or social press
ure due to the fact that the public did
not know who were making the selec-
tions. 1t supposed these were being
made at Governors Island for the De
partment of the East, when, as a mat
Ter of fact. it was done by the COM
mandants of the Plattsburg and other
camps in the department, assisted by
advisory boards, without the slightest
interference from Governors Island.
Governors Island simply acted as a
buffer, receiving all the kilograms ana
other communications urging the
qualifications of this candidate and that
and smothering them.
There was at least one instance of a
college graduate with strong recon-
mendation from Major General Bell
who passed the physical examination
but failed of appointment TO Platts-
burg. His case was cited yesterday as
signal proof of the lack of favoritism
shown by the Plattsburg commandant
and his board when IL came TO the
selection of the . 800 successful candi-
dates from a field of 5000.
Need Mature Men
In the matter of age, a we'll balanced
camp should have a good percentage OF
mature men available for commissions
as captains and majors. Such was the
opinion of the army officer mentioned.
But these men must be able to show
from their business or professional rec
ords since leaving school or college
some special adaptability. In other
words, they are faced with a hurdle
which the youngster just out OF college
and available for second lieutenancy
is not required TO clear.
But none of the men left out in the
makeup OF these first training camps
need despair. IN this officers opinion.
There will be other camps. not improb-
ably series Of other camps, for which
they may enroll. And if any of the
successful candidates for these first
camps are lacking in the proper soldier
~ qualities, as the letters of complaint
infer, they will be weeded out effect
ually in the course of their three
months training.