The Dermott news., 1917-03-01
STATE, WAR AND NAVY BUILD INGs CLOSED TO THOSE WHO
 HAVE NO PASSES.
WHITE HOUSE IS PROTECTED
Offers of Service In Any Capacity Come Fror, All Over the Country Political Pressure for Commissions 10 Pleasantly Absent.
By GEORGE CLINTON.

iiibHSr tHHiGIiHH til tic HtiHiiGe tee of the United States senate: Sena- tor Benjamin F. Tlllman, chairman of the committee on naval affairs, and Gen. William Crozier, chief of ord nance of the United States army. were forbidden admission to the state, war and navy building by the sentries on guard because they did not have with them the passes necessary for admts- sion
 This goes to show how i'll these days of national crises Washington ts guarding It's treasury boxes of infor- nation. So far as Washington Is con cerned. il is still case of watehful waiting. hut Waiting has Work as il companion, and vigorous go-ahead person the companion is.
 Washington is on guard and Is guarded. No one sees Il trace of eN- eitement here. but the unseen exists. It k q serious capital today. Even the few ordinarily fliPPant ones in congress seem to have felt the touch of the subduing hand.
 Today one needs what Is equivalent to q military pass to secure entrance to the state. war and navy building. Passes to the White House offices also have been issued 10 persons who have il right to receive them. There Is more than Il suggestion of war days in the vicinity of every government building Inside the armed service buildings one Is In the presence of war.
 Only one gate to the White House grounds remains open. At every closed entrance and along the iron rail fences which separate the grounds from the street. policemen are sta toned The doors to al the public buildings are guarded II is repro dueed picture of the days Just prior and during the spanish Wur
 conscripton Might Be Necessary.
 \ chapter of patriotism Is being written Into the history of the war and navy departments today. From all over the country are coming offers of service in any capacity. helpful to I country in need. Retired army and navy officers in their old age are re- daeSting that they may be allowed to get back into active service if war s.::,llll s.h:ell cc~e. All kinds of industrial organizations arc offering assistance. lnd.viduas mon and women. are ask tng what they can do to help.
 lt might appear from the immense number of offers of service which are heinz received that II would not be Il difficulty thing for the United States ill cuse of War to raise quickly m army of 1O0.oo0 men hy the volunteer plan, but even with all the surface in- dications that such an army at once could he called to the instruction camps, the officials fear that 1t will be hard to get such Il number of phys ically fl men without resortng to con scription.
 One of the striking things about the offers of service which have been re- ceived at headquarters in Washington Is that there Is nothing like the pos iitIcal pressure being eXerted that there was in Civil war and Spanish war days to secure commission us n ranking officer for this man or that man without regard 10 his lack of mil itary training. The European war seems to haye taught each aspiring gentleman that influence in his ward without m hours training does not entirely fiji him to command men on the field of battle.
 If the preaching of preparation has had It's checking effect on the poli- ticianS and political heelers who other wise would have sought high army commands, il may not have been en- tlrely in vain.
 Planning for Censorship.
 Newspaper correspondents in the city of Washington have taken sharp note of the possible censorship conditions which are to prevail if we shall have war with Germany or for that matter with any other for eign power. The authorities already have been approached by the standing committee of press correspondents which has charge of press gallery mat ters, and plan will be adopted which the newspaper men hope will meet  their desires while in every way safe guarding the government.
 There are In existence fin the war department plans formulated over two years ago and which were intended to govern correspondence sent from the field or from battleships. or from the city of Washington, in case war was declared with Mexico. It Is under stood that the war department had laid down rules so drastic as virtually to destroy the usefulness of the work of correspondent in the field or in the capital.
 It will be the endeavor of the corps ! of Washington correspondents to se- cure an amelioration of the conditions | laid down in the existing plan, and CO., operation will be promised so far as the standing committee of correspond | ents has authority, in the name of ev- cry correspondent who today Is admit |