Omaha daily bee., 1918-09-22
Views and Reviews
Difficulties Besetttng the Wartime
Tropeler--Root's Tribute to Cro,Oder

| A hurried trip to New York has thus given
| me new opportunities to observe the changes
| that have been brought about in the running OF
| Mr.. McAdoo's trains and the difficulties met
with by passengers forced to wartime travel.
| Some OF the changes are indisputable improve
ments, such, for example, as running trans OF
| other roads through the tunnel into the Penn
| syIyania's New York station the simplihcation
| OF the dining car service, and the rearrangement
! of depot facilities, but otherwise the discom-
| forts and inconvenience of railway travel have
been strikingly increased The reduction OF the
number of trains, the added pressure for &C
commodations refusal to sell through tickets
with stop-over privileges, the rule against
sleeping car reservations, these compel every
| traveller to take what is handed to him. ! slept
| four nights in Pullman car berths-four of them
| in uppers. With no observation or lounging
cars one is compelled to stay in his own seat
or find hang-out in the wash room. believe
l had to stand in line from five minutes to. a
| half hour each time | wanted to secure adnlis-
sion to the dining car. -
| Cordial invitation is extended by big placards
posted in every coach bearing the name of Mr..
! McAdoo in black letters at top and bottom to
| send him suggestions and complaints, but why
| complain? Unable to secure through WASH
ington sleeper on the limited it was necessary
to change to chair car at Harrisburg, where
we arrived on time, only to be side-tracked half
| an hour to let Special train from Pittsburgh
carrying Mr. McAdoo himself go ahead of US
presumably as an object lesson in conservation.
| In the meantime, Mr. McAdoos name also
stares at you on every ticket and in two places
on every bill OF fare.
I'm sure the government will take over the
street railways next" proclaimed a Mushroom
orator.
why" asked, falling for the gag.
$50 Mr. McAdoo can have his name printed
on every transfer" was the answer,
| New York where had last year witnessed
| the inauguration of the first "heatess" day, fur
nished this time the novel exhibit of "gasesss
| Sunday. Not motor car was to be seen ex-
cept the buses. Fifth avenue, ordinarily one
continuous procession of whrrng machines
| going along from two to four abreast was
almost ifeless. At the Forty-second street
crossing, the busiest of the entire thoroughfare,
| workmen were putting across from curb to
curb a 1ight-wre conduit, protected with a
white stone or tile covering flush with the
pavement, without any traffic interruption
whatever and with only few onlookers
serving as volunteer inspectors. The street
cars of course, were running, and yes did see
one Limousine partially occupied by flowers and
displaying cardboard sign, reading in large
letters, funeral" as justification and excuse
| for using gasoline on Sabbath morning At
some of the larger hotels was reminded Of the
time preceding the horseess age. Where they
were resurrected no one seemed to know, but
here and there stood coupe or Hanson"
cab surmounted on the box by "cabby" aF4
harnessed to an animal that looked as if it
| might once have been horse | did not ex-
| pertinent with these vehicles, for one glance
convinced me that the street cars were speedier,
if not safer and, anyway, l would not want to
be responsible for having one of the decrep
equines drop dead from over-exerton.
had delightful visit with General Crowder,
who is in fine form and spirits notwithstanding
the tremendous stress under which he is
working. He had been over to New York to
see his mother. now IS years old, stopping there
with his sister. The enlarged army program
calling for an aggregate of a 500 coo men as the
man-power furnished as Americas quota of the
war forces, has put new and immensely in
creased responsibilities on the draft machinery,
for whose success and smooth working General
Crowder is entitled to the credit, but he hopes
to have practically finished this part by January.
next Like all keen military men, he would
like to lead an army in the field, yet is uncer-
tain whether he will have that opportunity.
General Crowder was on the program for the
| Ohio Bar association last month but, though
prevented from attending, was accredited an
exceptional tribute through Elihu Root, who in
his opening address, laid claim on him for the
legal profession in these highly complimentary
remarks:
THE bar has answered 70 the demands
which these amazing issues present. 1t was
| fortunate circumstance that the president
| placed in the hands of the head of the law
department of the army the application OF
the law for CONSUMPTION and for the raising
of the vast army already in France and the
still greater army which is about to follow;
for, in the first place, the judge advocate
general, General Crowder when he became
provost marshal general, applied the new law
under the war-power of the constitution to
the people Of the country with just
sense of their legal rights and the legal
principles to which they were accus-
toned. do not want to pass his name with
out expressing a sense of satisfaction and
doing honor to that admirable and able and
effective officer, General Crowder (applause)
We have had much criticism; many things
have necessarily gone wrong, many things
have made us unhappy but we could always
turn to him and to his work as proof that
virtue still remained in the American people
(applause). Whatever has gone wrong it has
not gone wrong with him and the result of his
work is 100000 American soldiers in France
today and 100000 and more that are yet
to go (applause). General Crowder. as say
applied the new law under war powers to the
American people with just sense of their
legal rights To accomplish that he called
upon the bar, and the bar of America has re-
sponded most noby by the thousands and
tens of thousands and have given their serv-
ices and their devotion to the work which
underlies all American service in France.
The law Offices of the country have been
emptied not merely of the noble and gener-
GUS youths who have gone across the water,
but of their elders who have laid aside lucra-
tive business and have given their time and
their strength, some of them to the extreme
limit, to the. application of this law of con-
scription to the American people The result
is that the draft has taken its place through
out America with the good will and the salts
faction and the undiminished patriotism and
the enthusiasm of the entire people, and the
| Who haap II