Evening star., 1918-01-15
ARE j. S. SOLDIERS
IN FRANCE POORLY .
CLOTHED AND FED?
Comprehensive Charges Made
Arouse Wide Comment !:
in Washington. !;
UNTRUE AND PICAYUNE, {.
WAR DEPARTMENT SAYS
ohcer Discusses Criticisms, Declar.
ing America Will Be Proud When
Whole Story Is Fully Known.


Whole Story Is Fully Known.
Are American soldiers in France poor
ly clothed. underfed and badly shoai
Is the American expeditionary force in
France without automobile transports,
dependent upon allied nations for az
tillery and for labor, and the victim Of
mistakes in uniforms, equipment and
munitionsf
Indignation in War Department.
Charges to these general effects, made
by correspondents now with the Amer.
lean Army. or who have returned from
France. have aroused wide comment in
Washington. At the War Department
they Rave melted Indignation. Many
statements made are characterized az
distorted. picayune and untrue.
Broader aspects of the country's war
preparations are being dealt with by
Secretary Of War Baker before SEN.
ate committee. Specific charges alleg-
mented upon to a reporter from The
star both by heads Of the bureau con-.
cerned and by officers recently returned
from France. who will mako Official re-.
ports ofs what they saw, good and bad
to the War Department
believe no ofhcer would have any
thing said which would lead tho Amer
lean people to abate their energy and
concern about getting supplies to the
men in France; but on the other hand
it is neither truthful nor helpful to per:
init wide circulation of reports which
tend to shake the confidence of Ameri-
cans In the command and maintenance
OF our troops" was the comment Of one
omcer. He is just back from the
trenches and has had the widest possi-
pie opportunity to observe what is be-.
ing done in France.
Army in Training, They Claim.
Practically every oficer interviewed,
made one point which, they said, .gen-,
orally is overlooked. in criticisms OF
American sxpsdfticnary force in rsncs
Is virtually = training camp, just a.
that ats CAnp Made. and that. it isl
starting with a-.wrong bfsmisS TO re-
on the allied lines.
Certainly It IL true that men have,
arrived there ahead Of supplies" one
officer stated Men were rushed TO.
France. as urged by the allies and the.
American people. for the moral effect.
they would have upon the allies That
was understood here and abroad Yet
while they still are: in training and,
while supplies are being rushed to
them in ample time for use when they
take over active sectors in the allied
lines. there arises the criticism that
they are not ready to fight. -
1t is true that there are no steam
heated barracks for the men in train
ing in France. Neither are there such.
barracks for men OF the allied armies
Officers are bIlleted in houses: men In
barns, and they are crowded. sometimes.
Just as are the fighting forces of other
allied nations. Forestry units Of the
engineers are cutting trees for Ium--
ber. laborers are available for some
work from the inveiided men of France
and these are used. But 1t IL not con-
sidered good policy to burden unduly
the tonnage with materials and labor
for housing when other things are
more badly needed. :
Two Sides to Many Criticisms.
There are two sides to many of the i.
urged that the campaign hats should
be abandoned because they are trou-
blesome in the breezy French coun- S
small hats like those Of the British and
French soldier. But it was not con-
sidered wise to scrap large quantities
of hats which could be used Id train
ing until there was time for making
and delivering those of a new type.
Then there are conditions which
could not have been foreseen,' which
only could be remedied by experiment.
Take the case Of a certain type of
American car. sent to France in large
numbers. for transport work. In Amer
lea these cars had stood up we'll For.
some mysterious reason they went to
when they were used in France It
took little study to discover the rea.
SON.
a billiard table. smooth. nat. wide and
straight. Hence 1t is the custom to
drive for twenty. thirty or fifty miles at
top speed. These hill-ciimbing cars
They We're not tuned to 1t, as. the
said. Therefore this new
element in their making had to be
taken into consideration"
Praise for Pershing and Army.
An officer just returned from Franco
paid high tribute to Gen. PershinR'a
work and to his stan. Obviously his
name cannot be used.
Gen. Pershing has won admiration
and his capacity for organisation. He
the respect of allied officers
his tact and ability. He has
! staff at his headquarters which 10 .
90 coordination. He has not hesitated to
men who could not At in with,
nen who could work together. His etaff
aow is SO organized that his onicers
ook after details. leaving to him the
broader general questions which only
le can settle.
1T Is no uncommon thing for mem.
,ers of his stan to work from 8 o'clock
n the morning to midnight and even
Until o'clock the next morning Their
Ipirit Is best illustrated by the fact
hat Gen. Pershfng had to issue an or
ler to require them to take two hours
II exercise each day and to take q fun
lour on for luncheon.
Prohibition Rule Among omeers.
II don't know where the stories about
drunkenness among American troops
originate. Not even in. the 'cantonments
,yer here. I believe, will there be found
men more sober than in France Pro-
.ibition is practically q general rule
.mong American officers in Franco.
len. Pershing and his stan set the az,
.mple by serving no wine at their
ness. Since headquarters have been
moved away from Paris there IL NO oc-
aston for officers to 60 to Paris. ualeos
hey are sent on business with tn
french government" s-s,. =
In no allied nation have the people u
pportunity to be - wen. inf6gsnod a10Uk
that their army 10 doinG tha0 In vfa0oal J