The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1918-12-23
American Force of Occupation
.:siaze German People by
: Lack of Pomp.
5 M0CRACY IN r N S
ilitary Nation Impressed by
Great Display Of Force
and Euuipment.
(Iondon Times.Phil. Ledger Cop. Cabie.)

hostilities were in progress. The ef-
feet upon the civilian population o.
the great display Of force which the
Americans have made has been mos
| noticeable. AS regiment after regi'
ment crossed the Rhine and hun.
| dreds and hundreds OF pieces of ar.
tillery rumbled over the cobblestone.
Of Ehrenbreitstein, an element o.
respect entered into the attitude o.
the people. which hitherto had beer
almost entirely lacking. They wer,
impressed by the youth. the splendic
physique. the lavish equipment Of
force and by the enormous quantity
of supplies, the abundance Of rub.
ber-tired lorries and motor cars ant
by the businesslike manner In which
the American occupation Is heinG
carried out. The impression created
, upon a military people such as thf
Germans Is all the more extraor.
dinary, as not even the most rabid
foe of militarism could accuse the
American army Of bowling down be.
fore the god Of war. Here we have
the spectacle Of democracy in arm,
occupying the enemy territory with
as much regard for their democratic
ideals as they would display if they
were called upon to occupy ono oi
their own towns in time Of indus
trial unrest.
Not Strictly Enforced.
Indeed, l have seen martial law
more strictly enforced in the United
States than II is today in Germany
Beyond the fact that the inhabitants
are requested to register with the
American military authorities and
must not change their abode without
permission, that drinking places car
only be open at stated hours, much
the same as in London in war time
and that the press is subject to CEN
sorship by American instead of Ger
man authorities. there Is no change
in the life of the people. tsF4.
T., German civilians are not requesSet
to salute the American officers, the
American nag or the American ma
tional anthem. Indeed. we have YET
to hear the "Star-Spangled Banner
played in Germany. In everything
the American army does there Is n
close adherence to the old common
law maxim that soldier Is merely
a civilian garbed in particular
manner for carrying out specific du-
ties.
Cannot Understand Yanks.
Impressed, and they undoubtedly
are, by the display OF force without
stint or limit" the Germans are per-
haps even more amazed by the total
lack of pomp and circumstance In
the military establishment. The calm
content with which the British in
their sector have stretched forth the
iron hand of unbending authority
finds no counterpart here, any more
than the glory and glamor with
which the French have surrounded
their return to the Rhine. 1t is easy
to misintepret the attitude Of the
American army. but to one who has
spent many years in America and
seen that army created, any other
attitude would appear unnatural.
1t Is this very genuine generosity
which is inspired by a lofty idealism
which is utterly lost upon the boche,
who cannot reconcile the position
of overwhelming force with an at
titude of sympathetic liberation.
But facts are facts. and much as one
must regret that the units Of COM
mand which achieved such mag
nificent results in winning the war
has not resulted In the establish
ment Of Identical regulation through
out the entire occupied area, the
bearing Of the American army Is In
accord with both American tradition
and American sentiment. The
Americans, as a nation, have been
taught to do their own thinking. and
the whole American army, from the
commanding general down to the
last private, Is made up of men who
are conscious of what they hoped to
achieve for mankind, the men to
whom democracy has been and now
is an active principle Of conduct.
They fought the German at the
Marne. the Vesle, st. Mihiel and the
Argonne with a valor to which both
friend and foe have paid the high
est tributes, and as fighters the
"doughboys" have proved themselves
the equal of any soldiers in the
world. For months in the she'll
spattered districts of desolated
France they slept on manure piles
and amid ruins; of the real France
they saw almost nothing. only the
scars Of ravaged lands. They cheer
fully endured all the hardships OF
war that have deprived hell of half
of its terrors, and now that the
enemy has sued for peace and has
accepted the terms Of an armistice
which makes the resumption OF hos
tilities almost a physical impossible
ity, these young, impressionable SOL
diers suddenly find themselves
transferred to the banks Of the fair
Rhine to live among the scenes OF
which Byron and Victor Hugo have
sung, believing In their hearts that
the war is over and confident that
Germany will be made to pay FOR
the damage done in France and BEL
GUM. The American soldiers now
think mostly OF home. They know
little and care less about Europe
and politics or international
prestige. Here, when march
ing through the clean streets
and brightly lighted towns or
in charging old world villa ges. they
20 to their billets and they sleep In
good beds and between real sheets
for the boche has lied about his linen
as he has lied about his church bells
and his food--a hausfrau attends to
their wants, and, all unconscious OF
the contemptuous hatred OF the jun
kerry, these youthful soldiers Of tho
great republic cannot but feel a GER
tain allurement in their hearts. They
have no hatred Of the German pco-
Y,Io aud - tl1A hooI1a Il anyfo,ln to