The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-12-25
ALL WILL GET A CHANCE
Every Enlisted Man Can Apply
for Admission.
Few Camps will Be Established
in the South.

Washington, Dec. 25.-Plans for
1918 contemplate greater activity in
the matter of training new officers
for the army than ever before. The
difference in the training camps for
the coming year and those of this year
lies in the fact that hereafter only men
in the regular army. national guard
and national army can attend them,
excepting only designated civilians
from recognized military schools, who
will be admitted in limited numbers.
Furthermore. it can be said on au
thority that officers in training camps
of this character will be continued
until the end of the war in order that
the American army shall never lack
for officers. The limit of promotion
of second lieutenant of the line.
The new camps will be held at ex-
listing camps and cantonments and the
course will last three months There
will be more schools for officers of
the line than for any other branch,
but, nevertheless, the number of
schools for men seeking commissions
in the engineers, signal corps, quar+
termaster corps and other specialized
branches will equal, if not exceed, the
number of schools in the second series
of training camps just closed this year.
Chance for All.
Already hundreds of enlisted men
with Pershing's army in France are at
work in school and enlisted men
everywhere, including the colonies,
will have chance for promotion.
General Pershing did not await per-
mission from Washington to start his
school, but sent word he had started
it. This indicates the independence
his command and the promptness with
which he has seized upon the oppor-
tunity to increase his available supply
of officers.
The first big series of camps for
1918 will open January 5-the So
called third series of camps At the
same time experts will be testing the
men in the regular national guard
and national army to get the proper
material for the engineer uuartermas-
ter and signal corps camps now in
force or to be opened in the spring.
Approximately 27,500 men-25, 900
from the army and $500 from the
educational institutions of this coun-
try-will attend the camps. There
will be twenty-four training camps.
The national army will have sixteen
schools and the national guard will
hive six In addition, there will be
camp at Oglethorpe and one at Leon
Springs. The school at Leon Springs
gular army regiments in the south
ern department. This will be the
largest school.
Camps To BE Smaller.
1t was intended originally to have
school at each camp and cantonment
but sickness in the southern camps
and other conditions resulted in the
| decision to assemble all of the men
selected from regiments in the south
in one school at Leo, Springs. There
; will be five hundred students at each
national guard school, $50 at each ma
tlonal army school and approximately
twelve hL2dred at the school at OgeI-
/ thorpe.
| More enlisted men have applied for
admission to the series, which opens
| January 5, than can possibly be ac-
| commodated. Reports from camps
| and cantonments are to the effect that
thousands of men have applied for
permission to take the three months
| course and to compete for commits
/ sions. Men in some camps and in
some colleges have been selected; all
/ of the others will be chosen within the
! next two weeks. Some of the disap-
pointed men will have an opportunity
! to attend subsequent camp. Attic
definite plans have not been made for
camps in the spring and summer, it
can be said on the authority of the
| highest officers in the war depart
! ment that one series of training
| schools will follow another until the
war is over. The schools that open
next month will continue until April
! 5. The enlisted men and the drafted
men will be carried on detached ser
vice while in attendance at the train