The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1918-04-19
DECLARES ARMY
UNIFORM SAVES
MANY SLACKERS
Rep. Kitchin Against Draft
Age Men in Non Com
Blatant Forces.
| WOULD PLACE THOSE
UNDER OR OVER AGE
Objects to Having Real Sol
diers Salute Non Com
Blatant Officers.

washington, April ia declara-
ton that no physically fit man within
the draft age should be admitted into
the ordinary non-combatant branches
OF the military service if men out
side the draft age can be found
equally competent is made in letter
Which Representative Claude Kitchin,
democratic leader of the House, has
just sent to a western lawyer who
wrote to him. Mr.. Kitchin's CORE
spondent said he was willing to make
sacrifice to come to Washington
and take an officers commission for
duty there but that he had seen an
article attributed to Mr.. Kitchin crit
icising as slackers men who, with
military Commissions, have no idea
of doing actual military work.
! In view of the various statements
on the subject attributed to him, the
majority leader of the House decided
to make his attitude clear and ex-
pressed it in a letter to the lawyer, as
follows:
MY chief protest is thet young
men within the draft age, who never
saw e military training camp, who
never served in the army, with 10
military experience and with no quail
iications as a soldier officer, have
been, and are being commissioned in
non-combatant branches of the ser
vice. Many such young men, per
haps, their number reaches into the
thousands, have succeeded, through
some kind of influence, in securing
commissions, from lieutenancies up,
in the Ordnance, Quartermaster' In
| telligence, or some other department,
for no other purpose than to escape
service at the front. The uniform OF
the American soldier, instead of be-
ing an insignia of dare and do for the
| country, is being desecrated by its
use as a shield and protection to
slackers.
"And 1 further object to the real
soldier, officer or private-the man
who must face danger for his coun-
| try-being required on all occasions
to deferentially salute such non-com-
t patant commissioned officers. This
tends to destroy the morale of the
, army, and is an injustice and humilia
| ton to the real soldier. I include, o.
= course, as real soldiers, the Engineer
= corps that goes to the front
NV pOSlIlOn IS IHdI no HAL WlLLlI
thed raft age, and physically fit
should be admitted into these non
9 combatant branches of the service
= either as a private or commissione'
: officer, if men under or over the draf
age can be found equally competen
| to perform the duties. In my judg
ment, such men can be found by tn
tens of thousands, ready and willin
to undertake the performance of sue
duties.
. while I have no serious objectio
to civilians over the draft age bein
appointed and commissioned to sue
positions for the purpose of servin
their government, I see no sound rea
: son, if a civilian actually desires t
u devote his time and talents to- hi
government in such honorable service
. why he should demand or require
military title and uniform; and Ger
tainly, if he is given the title and uni
form, he should be perfectly willin
to have a mark known to the publ
\ distinguishing him from the rec
y fighting officers and soldiers. For in
stance: If he is appointed an office
in the Quartermaster's department o
Ordnance department, why should h
object at having marked plainly o
the sleeve of his coat, respectively
Q.M.D. or Cd? The man who reall
desires to serve his government coul
not object to this, except on tw
grounds: 1st, that he is ashamed G
the position he holds or the servic
in which he is engaged, or End, tina
he desires to deceive the public int
the belief that he is real soldier.
Being above the draft, if you O
other persons under similar circum
stances were appointed, neither I no
any member of Congress, nor any on
else, would consider you or such per
son Stacker, but as one doing neces
sary and most honorable service fo
the government.
Neither my objection, nor that c
any other member of Congress nor c
any person, SO far as I know, ha
been seriously directed against tn
] appointment of one under the cir
cumstances described by you, thong
we do think it but right and justic
to the fighting man or officer of tn
army that his uniform shall bea
some mark, known to the public, dis
tinguishing him from such flghtin
man or officer"