The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1917-12-21
our ARMY MUST BE DEMOCRATIC

), cy' we cannot anOrd 10 nave our drAiy
other than democratic.
i We must turn our faces like flint
4 and steel against the first steps to-
i wards snobbery and autocracy.
Mr.. Cliff Langford, writing to the
Tampa Times and other papers from
Camp Jackson at Columbia, S. G., I'M
der date of December 18th, says:
I'm an interview recently published
in Columbia, Maj. Gen. Henry A.
Greene. commander of the 91st diyis-
i ion, national army, declared: do not
know what other cantonment COM
manders- intend doing about it, but
so far as my division is concerned
there will be no lines of social caste.
Gen. Greene continued the inter
view by recalling the fact that the
national army is a democratic army
and that it must be democratic.
Officers and men of my command
ludy H6St DIS SoNAdi SquellS OilSioO WV
environment he said, "but in the
camp there is no society nothing but
work
"The general told of meeting a pri-
vate in the home of a Tacoma, Wash,
family. We shook hands said Gen.
Greene; and why should we not
Shake hands? BY birth, breeding and
education he was my social equal.
! Why should we behave other than two
gentleman in the presence of lady?
1t is the common sense way of look
ing at it,
This article attracted considerable
interest and much comment in Colum-
bia. In fact, it resulted in the draw
! ing up of petition which has already
been signed by many well known CO.
lumbia citizens, asking the command
er of this, the S1st division, Camp
Jackson, to adopt some similar regu-
lations for this division. The petition,
which was originated by T. Keith Le-
care, city engineer, is not request
it is more like letter from men of
standing, pointing out what may work
wonderful change If adopted.
"a North Carolina lawyer, of suf-i
ficient prominence and so well ac-
quainted with the secretary of the
navy to address him as My dear Joe,
saw an article concerning The petition
that was being circulated in Columbia
The attorney wrote Mr.. Lagere two
page letter, enclosing four-page one
he had written to Mr.. Daniels, show
ing that he was deeply interested
along the lines. suggested in the petit
ton and also in the interview givenI
out by Gen. Greene.
i do not know you personally, |
wrote the North Carolina lawyer tot
Mr.. Lagere, but | want to say that
your life may doubtless have been
filled with acts of usefulness, but you
never entered into more useful task
nor one that, if accomplished, would /
produce more beneficial results.
Part of the attorneys letter to Mr. |
Lagere read;
LAS stated in my letter to Mr. Dan.
iels, have two sons who have already
been commissioned as first lieuten-
ants. One of these is with me now.
and the other is headed for overseas
service, and is probably on the seas
today. | am glad to say that my Off.
Ger son who is with me shows no dis.
position to do otherwise than associate
with privates upon terms of equality, /
in so far as it is possible for him to
do so. |
But the thing that has brought all
this so close home to me is the fact
that my third son is about to enlist as
low, now in charge of a cotton mill,
getting a fine salary and making al
great success. He has decided that he .
will enlist as a private prior to the
18th of December, and he is thinking
seriously of enlisting in company in
Columbia. He has many intimate !
friends among the officers-young
men who were his classmates at our
state university, where my son grad I
uated My son tells me that of course
if he goes in as private his social
intercourse with these intimate
friends of his will instantly be cut off, I
as he~will have no opportunity to see
them.
What an internal outrage. These
officers would be glad to associate /
with my son as they have always
done, but they feel that they will be
under ban from their superiors be- |
cause, fOrsoOth, they deign to assoef. I