Evening star., 1917-11-05
LIKELY TO ENLARGE
COMMISSION LIST
War Department Indicates
Change in Orders Affecting
Officers Training Camps.
PAYS HEED TO PROTESTS

With the strongest kind of influence
| brought to bear upon the War Depart
ment to show what a disastrous erect
it will have on the spirit of the people
il half of the men at Fort Myer and
the other training camps for reserve
officers are sent home without the
commissions for which they have
proved themselves qualified. there were
increasing indications today that more
commissions will be issued than have
been stated in the official instructions
to the training camp officers.
While hints that the War Depart
ment will not hold strictly to the
figures compiled by the desk mathe-
maticians of the department are reach
ing the men at Fort Myer and caus-
ing more hopefulness, it is not dis
pelling the gloom and resentment that
is felt by the 1921 men in the elghe
companies of infantry and three bat
teries of field artillery now in train
ing.
Will Carry "Grouch" Home.
These men are all going home for
Thanksgiving. Whether they get a COM
mission or not. win or lose. they are go
ing home-and most Of them come from
homes that WELD big inf1uence-carry-
ing a crouch. Those who feel they earned
a commission and do not get it will have
a crouch. Those who get commission
and feel their buddy" deserved. one also
will have a crouch. for the men at Fort
Myer are very loyal to each other and
want to see justice done.
If we are not qualified. all right,
said one son of very prominent family
today who probably will be among those
$p Oh shfYf ara
qualified and do not get the commission
we have earned we cannot feel that our
war is being run for efficiency: We can
not go home and assure the mothers
be under officers capable Of taking the
best care possible OF them. We will
not believe 1t, and we would all like
to feel sincerely patriotic and confident
that those in authority were going about
winning the war in the right way"
A prominent lawyer, in commenting
on how the men feel and what an in
justice has been done them. said today:
why, 1t is just as though We accepted
men for q course in a law school, and at
the end of the course said to them:
Most of you have done excellent work,
but we're going to give degrees to only
half Of you. because there are too many
lawyers already. and some of them are
not good lawyers, SO you good ones
will have to wait until some of the un-
fit ones die"
Mote Depression in Spirit. ~
Tegufar Army officers and reserve
officers, who have been instrucrng the
candidates at Fort Myer, say that there
has been a noticeable depression shown
in their spirit at drills and even in the
carriage Of the men since they learned
the war Departments plan summarily
to deny commissions to more than half
Of them. II never saw s,;s such ., a wet.
blanket enect be1ore, salo veteran
officer. -
has been seeing some war authorities
said today: why. these men are their
own pick as especially mature and ca
pable men, they are the best American
stock. they are patriotic, their hearts
have been in this work to such an ex-
tent that they have sacrificed all else.
Of our young leaders this way. how can
they expect to keep up the spirit OF the
people?"
Whisper Of Boomerang.
Although nothing definite could be
obtained from authoritative officials in
the War Department. it was whispered
that the War Department has found its
hasty decision to throw over half of the
well qualified men in the training
camps has acted as a boomerang. 1t
all over the country. Some very sharp
letters and kilograms have been receiv-
ed on the subject by practically all Of
the administration advisers. AS re-
suit the War Department executives are
deeply concerned.
One prominent War Department Of
ficial-on account of the strict War De-
partment system names of officers must
not be mentioned, or they might receive
severe punishment-said today: III the
exicencies of the service require. we
will be ready to commission as many
men as may be needed for special de-
tails"
1t also was learned it Is very likely
that, as has occurred before, the War
Department may suddenly realize that
it needs some specially trained men for
special work, and thus the War De-
partment hopes, it is intimated. to
dodge some of the most vigorous pro-
tests against its summary orders re-
earding how many men will be COM
missioned.
Signal Corps Recruiting.
The Signal Corps is conducting a
campaign for volunteers at the train
ing camps. This was started at Fort
Myer with a mass meeting in the riding
hall last Thursday night. Many of the
men in camp feel that this campaign,
and the announcement that the num-
csiopS would cuf in