The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1918-08-08
GENERAL CR0WDER
PRAISES BOARDS

, IAAEE AfNA AAteA4A t14etAA VI htlN * = al
advisory committee Of the exemption
board has Just received from John Nj.
" ilhams. Oregon's acting adJutant
general. a letter .embudying com
muuication from Provost Marshal Gen-
eral Crowder to Senator Chamberlain.
that breathes a strong and honest
praise for the thousands Of citizens
who have made effective the selective
draft The letter follows
Subordinatiug self and declining well
merited promotion to the rank of Lieu
tenant-General in the United States
army on the remarkably unseltish
ground that he was not entitled TO
such distinctive reward when no provl-
sion has been made to bestow upon
thousands Of loyal, patriotic citizens
constituting the draft machinery
throughout the nation, the public rec
OgnltIOn due for their umemlttIng la
bors which have made the operation of
the SelectiVe service 50 successful,
Mai. Gen. Enoch +. Crowder has writ
ten letter To United States Senator
Geo. +. Chamberlain than which no
more inspirational American document
has come out of the war.
General Crowder's communication to
the head of the Military Affairs Com
mittee of the Z. 5. senate, which is
verify IA classic and breathes a senti-
ment as noble as it is unprecedented.
is given in full below that board mem
bers in Oregon may know that the
| heart of the chief executive of the Sc
lective service pulsates with and for
| them in the great sacrifices and patrl-
otic devotion to duty which has been
their contribution to the cause of uni
versal liberty.
Nv Washington. d. c.. July 5, 1918.
"Hon Geo. f. Chamberlain, United
States Senate
| my Dear Senator Chamberlain. In
view Of that provision of the Army
| Appropriation Bill personal to myself,
now pending before the Conference
| Committee, 1t is unavoidable that
should take this opportunity to lay be
fore you and also Mr.. Dent. Chairman
Of the House Conferees, my personal
sentiments, and to ask you to c0mmun-
icate them. f,you see fit, to your asso-
ciates.
THAT the provision in question in
wolves a compliment and distinction
which ! value beyond anything in my
military career, is natural; and that
! the approval testified to by the vote of
! the senate gratifies me beyond the
power of words to express, is simple
statement of fact
But, after considerable reflection,
| Il h., ~, nd
way, am reluctant to allow the con.
sideration of the proposed provision to
proceed any further. If the conferees
are in accord with my wishes in this
regard, | should be glad if you, for the
senate cOnferees, and Chairman Dent,
for the house cOnferees, in reporting
back to your respective houses that
the senate conferees yielded on this
provision, would say that the action
was in accord with my request and for
the express reason next to be stated.
Forty eight states and three terri
torial headquarters and nearly six
thousand local and district boards, with
an aggregate membership Of nearly
eighteen thousand citizens, assisted by
legal and medical advisory boards in
every jurisdiction, have cooperated
with the national headquarters efticl-
emily and honorably, and many without
compensation, in the superb team work
which has produced the gratifying re-
suits attained under the selective ser
vice law. These results embrace the
registration of more than ten and one
half millions of citizens and their
classification for military service, and
the entralnment of nearly 500, ,0OC
men now serving with the colors BY
August LIST of this year this latter
number will be approximately 1000
600, and by the close of the year, t
expected acquisitions are received, the
aggregate will approach 1000, 900. OF
the members Of these boards it may
be truly SAID that when the selectiVe
service system which they administer
ceases to function efficiently to produce
the military and to conserve the indus
trial mani power we shall be in a fair
way To lose this war. ! have long en-.
tertalned the view that something
ought to be done to recognize publicly
! and emphatically the enormous sacri.
/ fees these citizens have made in be-
slowing the continuous and eXhaustinp
services that has been indispensable in
,arrying the administrative burden Of
the selective service system. The diff
| hculty has been in deVising a suitable
reward, nation wide in its application
and acceptable generally to those who
nave 50 participated At the risk OF
| being regarded as ungrateful to the
| proposers of this provision, | cannot
| bring myself to be satisfied that my
own conscientiously performed share
in discharging that duty should become
| the subject of recognition, so long as
the far greater share of these Other
builders Of the national army remains
without public and distinguished ack-
nowledgement in the records Of con.
gress.
"These men, my fellow workers,
their tolls, their sacrifices, and then
achievements, are next to my heart
On this subject, | frankly confess to {
sentiment hope that it will not be
reckOned as sentimentaity a senti
ment which would not receive unal
ioyed satisfaction from the bestowa OF
any honor, however generous, that i:
personal to myself only.
In placing before you at this time
these sincere convictions. trust that
have adequately expressed the motive
that prompted this letter.
Cordially and gratefully yours,
+. H. CroWder