The Washington herald., 1918-03-24
WILL INSIGNIA
SHAME STAFF?
KITCHIN ASKS
Do Slackers Wish to Parade
as Fighters, Query Of
Representative.
DO WORK OF WOMEN
One Thousand Bomb-proof
Uniforms Might Be Made
Into Skirts.

Staff officers of the War Depart
ment do not want to wear insignia
distinguishing them from line off
GERS because they are either asham-
ed of their service or wish to mas
querade as fighting officers before
the public. according to Represent
ative Claude A. Kitchin, majority
leader of the House. Representa-
tive Kitchin commended the fight
made by The Washington Herald
on the Stacker commission scandal.
1t. does not make any differ
ence whether staff officers are men
with military education or not. "
said Mr.. Kitchin. They are do
ing nonc6mbatant work which is
both necessary and honorable.
Why should they be ashamed of
it? The horror of these 6ghtless
fighters at my suggestion that they
should wear an insignia denoting
that they do not go into the battle
zone can only be based on one of
two things. Either they are asham-
ed of their service or they want
to play soldier before the public"
Anticipates Trouble.
Unless the War Department un-
qualifiedly makes good on its
promise to clear "safety-first'' Of
ficers out of Washington within
the next three weeks. Representa-
tive Kitchin believes that there will
be trouble in the House.
BY that time the big war appro-
priation, bond issue and food con-
troll bills will have been disposed Of,
and the War Department will have
had time to demonstrate what it in
tends to do in the matter of dis
posing of officers of draft age who
In case the War Department does
not act vigorously in the matter.
Representative Kitchin will attack
the system on the floor o of the
House.
Amy utterance which I may
make will not be in the spirit of
mere criticism" said Mr.. Kitchin,
but an effort to get justice for the
soldiers who are at the fighting
front. At the very start Of the war.
thousands of men of draft age, with
no technical qualifications, flocked
into the Ordnance, Quartermaster.
Signal and Engineer Corps They
wore uniforms in order not to be
soldiers. Their presence is a desc
Grafton to the military service.
Il know of at least thousand Of
ficers In Washington who are doing
work that could be done by women.
The average one couldn't hit the side
Of a house with a shot gun at ten
Yards. These men should either get
out Of their bomb proof uniforms or
20 to France. They are a blot on the
service and on real Americanism."
The Washington Herald had done a
great deal Of good, Representative
Kitchin said, In bringing these mat
ters to light. The only officers within
the draft who had any business in
the War Department were those who
possessed technical qualification which
made them Of more value to the De-
partment than they would he to the
tighting forces In France.
Army officers admit that the War
Department IS overnanned with re-
serve officers. In the Ordnance De-
partment there are 1000 officers in
an Office force Of 5.oO0-an average
of 25 clerks to each officer
1900 Never In Camp.
Gen March. Chief OF Stan, has
stated that of the 5000 stan off,
GERS, 1900 have never been in train
ing camp or seen a day of military
service. A partial explanation of this
huge body of unframed officers is
given by the fact that q. 900 of them
belong to the medical service. This
leaves 1900 who are filing minor
clerical positions. The Chief Of Staff
says that these men will be ousted
in the REORGANIZATION now IN prog
ress and their places taken by civil
ian clerks.
The case Of a major, who, when
first commissioned, did not know
enough TO salute his men, is cited
as a case OF the extreme lack of