The daily Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1916-1917, 1917-08-15


that Governor Mccall, the commander
in-chief Of the military forces OF
Massachusetts, had urged the appoint
ment of Colonel Butler Ames as COM
mander of the New England contin-
gency, the American believed that the
proposal was mildly presumptuous
This feeling was based upon the fact
that Colonel Ames was an officer of
the militia with the ordinary militia
officers lack of technical training.
Since the beginning of the contro-
versy We have taken pains to inquire
into Colonel Ames' qualifications. Our
inquiry has resulted in discovering a
man whom we ought to have known
better because he has long been a pub
lie man, but strangely enough, one
whom we did not know at all
The American expresses no opinion
upon the merits of Colonel Ames' de-
sire to be appointed to this respon-
sible command. Whatever may be the
determining considerations of the War
Department in the selection of a COM
handing officer. IT is just to Colonel
Ames, now that his ambition has been
publicly criticised. and it is also Just
to Governor Mccall, now that he has
publicly espoused the claim of Colonel
Ames, to make known his qualifica-
| tiOns
He is descended from a line of fight
ers which dates back without inter-
ruption to the French and Indian wars
in this country and has included ev-
cry war in which we have engaged as
colony and as a nation. He is al
member of the Order of Cincinnati
through direct descent from one of
the generals on Washington's staff. He
is the fifth in line of unbroken des-
cent of men who have been in the
military service of the United States.
His father was Major-General in the
regular army in the Civil War and
Brigadier-General in the Spanish War
and was given the medal of honor aft
er the first battle of Bull Run. Every
body knows his grandfather, General
Benjamin F. Butler of Massachusetts,, |
who was not only sterling soldier
but a lion-hearted friend of democ-
racy in this State.
In this country and in this day andd
age. we cite Colonel Ames' ancestral |
history, not as evidence of his quail
ifications, but to show his natural en-
thusiasm for military service when
there is real fighting to be done. He
is a graduate of our great Military
Academy at West Point where all our
regular army officers receive their
training. While there he was the sec
Ond best all-round athlete of the acad-
emy. He played half-back and full
back on the football team and he
pitched On the baseball team. He won
the championship in fencing and also
with the broadsword. After graduat-
ing and serving short while in the
regular army, he resigned to take up
an engineering course at the Institute
Of Technology. He graduated from
that famous technical institution and
was marshal Of his class.
When the Spanish War broke out he
enlisted, was under fire
and promoted for distinguished sery-
ice. During the war besides his or
linary command he was given COM
nand of large body of men doing en-
cheering work and was also given
charge of civil administration on the
sland of Porto Rico. He has been
of our General Court and was
en- years a member of Congress, serv-
ng upon military and foreign affairs
committees. He drew the insurance
aw which after the insurance scan-
ials President Roosevelt adopted as a
model law for the District of Colum-
,ia and which has been adopted in a
,reat many of our states. His firm
he United States Cartridge Company.
one OF the large small arms manu-
acturing concerns of the world. He