Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1917-11-09

promise soon Of active field service in
France. General Mcintyre Is also
chief of the bureau of insular affairs
Every part of the Union is finely
represented in the armed forces of the
United States. The same spirit ami
mates officers from whatever part of
the country they come. 1t has been an
accident of the service more than any
thing else, probably, which has given
some Southern officers the opportunity
to see first service and to carry
through but the fact remains.
The adjutant general of the United
States army, Maj. Gen. Henry P. Nc
Cain, whose work perhaps at present
is the most burdensome of all the staff
services, is a Mississippian. Gorgas,
Sfbert, Mcintyre and Mccain rose In
the service to the point where chief
commands were certain to be their lot
when war broke out, under Republican
administrations. There has been no
politics or sectionalism in the promo
ton of these men, nor in their selection
for high service. It was Republican
president who sent Gorgas and Sibert
to Panama. where they made their
great fame, and it was a Republican
president also who put Mcintyre where's
he is.
Same Spirit in All Sections.
Brig. Gen. George B. Duncan, the
first American regular to be given a
Cross of War by the French govern
ment for conspicuous courage in the
field, is a Kentuckian. A Southern
captain of regulars, because of his rec
ord, was picked by general staff COM
posed largely of Northerners to COM
mand regiment of National Guards
men in the field in France. His name
is William P Screws and he is now on
duty with the Rainbow division on
Long Island, which lin good time and
soon" probably will sail for France.
No one must understand from what
is said in Washington concerning the
willingness of the Southern soldiers to
do their duty and something more,
that the same spirit does not animate
the Northern officers. What is true of
one is true of the other, but 1t is some
thing to be able as a NOrtherner to
pay a tribute to the unmistakable spirit
of loyalty to service and loyalty to
country which is being shown daily by
the men Of the South who are follow
ing the flag on land and on sea.
When the official record of heroic
deeds Of individual soldiers and sailors
of the United States is read it is found
that heroism knows no section, The
medals of honor which have been
granted by congress for conspicuous
personal gallantry in the field have
gone about equally, in proportion to
numbers, to North, South, East and
West. American herOism knows no
state, country, city, township or ham,
let. It abides in all.
General Gorgas' Great Task.
There are major generals in the
field in France and major generals in
the field in the United States, and
there are major generals in Washing
ton. Sometimes it is the way of folks
to think that the major generals who
are not under canvas are not doing
their full war duty. Give over the
thought.
There are major generals in Wash
ington who are doing work which, If
left undone, would not permit the
army to stay in the field week.
There are several of these major gen.
erals in the Capital City, but it is Of
one of them that it is the present In
tention to write-Maj. Gen. William G.
Gorgas, surgeon general Of the United
States army.
1t is to be wondered If any layman i
in the land can conceive of the enOr-
nous burden which is resting upon
the shoulders of this soldier doctor.
He is responsible today for the health
of nearly 100000 of men. OF course,
it may be said that his subordinates
on the scene of sickness or of casu-
alties are the ones responsible, but
this is not so in any large sense. 1t
trouble comes, responsibility quickly
is shifted from subordinate to supe-
rior and the man at the head must
take 1t all.
Worlds Foremost Sanitarian.
w l1l1du1 VI 10 AAOC OAAJ q oOA~
geon, but in the broadcast sense FAM
lily physician, and moreover he is ac-
knowledged by the medical fraterni-
ties of all the world to be the fore
most sanitarian that mankind knows.
It is not necessary to explain nor in
the least to apologize for putting down
here this word that the world says
concerning the ranking officer of the
army's medical department. The
world knows that there is proof Of
the word, and so one may write it
unafraid of the charge that he is CIV
ing forth praise for which there is not
full foundation. Not long ago the
medical department of the United
States army consisted Of comparative
ly few surgeons. Today the service
stands expanded MANIFOLD. Under
the command of Doctor Gorgas there
are thousands upon thousands of ply
SipionS