The Washington herald., 1917-07-26
Will fight TEUTONS
Though in CONGRESS
Representative La Guardia Seeks
Commission to France as Aviator.
ny FIoRELLo II. LA GUARDIA,

BY FIoRELLO II. La GUARDIA,
Member Congress. Fourteenth Dis
trict, New York.
"It Is my earnest hope to be at the
front In the aviation service before
many months. Ny application for the
Reserve Of1cers' Corps was received
at headquarters; this morning. II I
am successful in my application, I
shall not resign my seat in Congress;
II am fortunate in not being killed,
and should ! still be in Europe-or
in America, for that matter, for 1
shall go wherever I am assigned-I
intend to make the race for Congress
again.
These assertions, taken together,
mean something more than my de-
sire to serve the United States in
active war. They mean that I shall
squarely put up to Congress the ques-
ton whether II Is possible for q
member to serve in the body and at
the same time carry . commission
in the army or navy. There Ii a
tradition that a, member cannot do
both. Representative Gardner, of
Massachusetts,, did not wait to have
the question answered. He resigned
at once and then obtained his commits
sion. purpose testing the case. Con-
gress will then have to 60 on record.
can't think that the House would ex-
pell q member for doing just what 1t
has advocated as the duty Of every
young man in the country. On the
contrary, I think see q disposition
to evade the question.
Wisdom In Procedure.
"a
Der of the House for four or five
terms. went to the Mexican Border
with his National Guard regiment and
! there was no word said OF his alb
sence from duty. There can be no
argument, in my opinion, as to not
only the propriety of q member of
the House going to the front as an
officer, but the wisdom Of such pro-
cedurs. Members of Congress are
always seeking information at frst
hand; what better way for them to
get 1t than by having one or more
members to-~speak from actual ex-
perience?
Members Of the British ParIia-
ment hold military commissions, and
they go to the front. When they
can get a furlough they come home
and 60 to their seats and tell their
colleagues just what they have OBJ
served OF the way the war is being
conducted. ! should like to see some
such arrangement in this country. 1t
makes no difference to me whether
the House should send a delegation
to Europe. or whether the members
act of their own accord. In my case.
however, l intend to do all 1 can
to go as an officer and see the war
at close range. Then II my counsel
Is asked, l shall be in an accurate
position to tell facts as I found
them, and not as read them or
heard them from sources more or less
unreliable"
Long Public Career.
Personally, I think members OF the
House would want to go to the front.
1 believe It is the duty Of those who
are of eligible age to go as soldiers.
II there is no voluntary disposition
manifested to this effect, / should
not be surprised to see a resolution
introduced sending a Commute from
the House and Senate to France, 20
observe conditions. then to return and
give the nation the beneft Of their
study"
Mr.. LaGuardia has taken a full
course in aviation. He was one OF
the expert witnesses to appear before
the subcommittee of the Senate Com
mittee on Military Affairs at the hear
ing on the creation OF a separate de-
partment OF aeronautics with the head
to rank as a cabinet minister. He
is a native OF Arizona; a graduate
Of the New York University Law
School: has served in the United
States consular service in Austria
Hungary and has been an assistant
attorney general of New York. His
experiences on the aviation field were
prematurely terminated by an acci-
dent on the Minneola course in 1915,
when his companion was injured in
flight and lessons In flying were
called of, temporarily. by the in
struCtors. While waiting to resums
his lessons, politics called. and La
Guardia never went back to his air
ventures. He is the first Republican
ever elected from the Fourteenth New
York district.