South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-08-05
Red Tape Hampent1g
Gen. Pershng,s Work
On Foreign Field
what We Need is War Department Not Peace Depart
ment," Says Staff Oficial-Americans
in France Loyal Aides.

government which has keenly ap-
preciated the American chieftains
endeavors 10 gather together all the
loose ends of his organization and
Centralize them in one body.
Many Official Missions.
After our declaration of war mis-
sions from the United States imme-
diately began 10 pour into France.
Each one was official" but bent on
a different accomplishment. There
We're the sanitary mission, the Red
Cross mission the forestry mission,
the surgical mission. The French
government received them all, but
with increasing bewilderment
They represented America un-
doubtedly, but what had been gone
over with one mission had TO be re-
peated with the next. There were
endless conferences, receptions, and
then more conferences and recep-
tons. Now all is changed. Any
thing officially pertaining 10 the war
as far as the United States is con-
cerned emanate from 81 Rue de
Constantine. The missions all pass
through staff handling and are
treated accordingly.
During the past week the staff Of
ficers have also been Ito school" to
a certain extent, under the tutelage
Of some of the best masters of
trench warfare. They have held nu-
merous conferences with the French
officers, who are 10 be their con-
frers, and have had all the finer
shades of the war game explained.
They have been most apt pupils,
the French declaring they have
never seen officers more eager TO
learn or quicker of perception. This
week the officers will pass from the
theoretic TO the practical and, for the
most part. Will be sent TO the front,
where they will see the French
troops in action, will have a chance
10 observe the ground maps, TO offer
suggestions for attacks and be
shown wherein the success or failure
OF their estimates might lie.
Americans Patriotic.
Patriotism among the Americans
in France has reached a fever heat
with the coming of Gen. Pershing
and his forces. At the same time
their patriotism has taken a practi-
cal course. without which some of
our departmental officers would have
been hard put 70 it to carry out
their work in France.
When the war department did not
see its way clear toward sending
any sum of money to France for the
use of the department men, or, to
say the least, when the department
men could not get any money or au-
thOrization from Washington to en-
gage civilian clerks 10 do the fast
accommodating work of the bureau, a
number OF Paris Americans stepped
into the breach.
From seven in the morning until
midnight. from six weeks before the
arrival of Gen. Pershing TO his com
Ing, they worked hard. All of them
are men who have sufficient TO have
enjoyed themselves in taking life
easy about Paris instead Of sitting
in a stuffy office, cooling kilograms,
doing copying on a typewriter, or
even running errands for the bu-
reau. Not one of them has received
a cent for his labors, nor so far has
the war department acknowledged
the work done in any manner.
But practical patriotism continues
TO be the word in Paris, where
Americans are sacrificing their time.
their pleasures and their money 10
do all they can to help win the war.