Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-11-04

WASHINGTON, november o.-Ine
War Department has given a jolt to
the thousands Of successful business
and professional men who. for nearly
three months, have been undergoing
intensive training with the expectation
that they would get commissions as
reserve officers or with the National
Army.
At Fort Myer and the other officers
training camps to-day the candidates
for commissions have been informed
that less than half OF them, no matter
how we'll qqualified they may be for
officers, Will be commissioned.
These thousands OF men--there are
1887 Of them at Fort Myer-have
given up important business positions
lucrative professional practice and
: home life during the last three months
with the assurance that all of those
who showed physical and mental
qualifications would be commissioned
Now the department comes along
with an inspired report that in its
hurry to get enough men to start the
training at the sixteen National Army
environments and the sixteen National
Guard training camps. 1t ovcrstockcd
with officers SO as not TO make the
mistake that England made and have
too few.
At the same time letters from per-
sonal friends who arc officers in the
environments tell of great shortage Of
officers; that in order to whip the Ma
tional Army into proper shape to soic
1t against Germany there must be hum
dreds of new officers sent to the camps.
= This has led the men at Fort Myer and
the other officers training camps TO cx-
~
would be commissioned.
HUNDREDS FOUND UNFIT
PUT ON INACTIVE list
1t is a known .nct that in n hurry
to commission certain men, the War
Department has given commissions 10
, many who have since been asked to
\ surrender them. 1t is also Il fact well
known In army circles that hundreds
OF those already commissioned have
had to be transferred to the inactive
list, because they were found unfit
to take charge OF military organi-
zaticn in the field. These facts are
being confirmed in authoritative re-
ports from the various environments,
where II Is an open aecret that the
War Department must soon remove
some OF those favored ones who were
given commissions without the proper
qualification.
Those who go back home without
commissions will in many instances be
better qualified men than those who
were commissioned In tho first train
ing camp. They arc mature men and
the regular army officers who have
been In charge Of the training at For.
Myer have frequently remarked that
the War Department had a chance To
get fine lot Of officers from the pres
ent student booy.
It is q bitter disappointment at Fort
Myer to those who have been led to
believe that .arly every man now in
the training a,chool would get r COM
mission. The men are earnestly
anxious TO serve their country. II
they were denied commissions on ac-
count Of disqualification they say they
would not murmur, for that was part
OF tho game. They entered Fort Myer
TO prove their ability If they conld
and they feel that they have done it
and the instructor officers say:
Z I I'VE have had fine lot Of men here
There is material here for excellent
o7lcers. The material now in camp is
very much superior to that in the first
camp" 81
Under these circumstances the men
at Fort Myer feel that it was unfair
for the War Department TO accept them
and keep them at the training school II
there was no intention OF giving com
missions.
ACTION LIKELY TO HAVE
BAD EFFECT on COUNTRY
Those in close touch with military
affairs feel that this summary action
by the War Department, after the men
\ Sad been given every reason to expect
,mmissions. will have very bad eff
loot throughout the country, and that
1t will discourage many ambitious and
able young men, who would like 10
enter the military service, but will
hesitate to submit themselves to injus-
tico, such Is the men at Fort Myer
and the other training camps feel is
now being done them.
According to official figures obtained
at the War Department to-day. there