Evening star., 1918-08-25
Army and Navy News

from the War Department goes over
his desk. and he personally has signed
the commissions OF nearly 10000
OF promotions. He has seen the Army
grow from 9.524 officers and 202.51O
enlisted men into one OF 169,600 offi-
GERS and 100000 men. With the out
break Of the war the great specific
the ONCE of the adjutant general fell
the enormous task of providing them,
and there was nothing to start with
except q very few regular officers and
s0me more from the National Guard.
The whole world knows now of the
training camps for oficers that were
established In camp and cantonment.
OF the magnificent body OF young
men who responded to the call for
volunteers to enter the drst series,
and that same world Ia wondering
how the United States Army ever
oncers now serving in the war
against the Huns.
Gen. Mccain could, if It were pos
sible to induce him. tell OF the diff
nculties Of those early days. when he
sra,n and Goi. W: z. Johnston. chief Of the
make success Of the plan. but leaves
70 some one else the pleasure of tell
ing about the thoroughness Of their
RAINING and the constant improve
ment In each successive camp. The
crowning act is the organization of
the energies Of the place are set to
the one end-turning out in the I'm
lshed product young men for officers
anu enllsted men ready to be formed
into the divisions and corps for over
seas duty. All this has been done
general.
IN aid Of the routine of his COM
piicated Office. which has expanded
from twenty-eight to 716 ofiicers and
from 4s3 to 2.779 clerical employees, he
mas introduced the most modern and
sclentinc methods Of conducting the
muititudinous details, and. generally
speaking, has converted the place into
q model buStpess machine for hand
ing the records Of the greatest or
ganization the United States has ever
nnown. ttn IN the last analysis. when
animation, high up with that of
Crowder. Black. Gorgas and the di-
tlsional commanders, will be placed
tnat or Maj. Gen. Henry p. Mccain,
adJutant general.
~
THERE will be chagrin on the part
OF some members of Congress
and disappointment on the part of
guardsmen who went to the Mexican
border when the construction of the
act regarding their campaign medals
Is announced by the general staff In
the regulations soon to be issued.
Owing to the peculiar wording of the
act. the stan holds thai only those
members OF the guard who are also
veterans OF the Spanish American war
are entitled to receive the medals
That Congress intended for them all.
The discussions of the bill In com
mittee and on the floor, and the fact
that Congress- set apart $1,000 for the
purchase Of the suitable devices and
ribbons" indicate clearly enough what
their intention was toward the men
OF the organizations who have proven
their worth by what they have ac-
complished In the trenches and in the
open in the Marine and in Picardy.
The language Of the act Is as fol-
lows:
The Secretary Of War is authorized to pro.
cure bronse medal. with suitable device and
ris6on. 70 Be- pr.:eated to each Of the several
Nati:..i q Guard who .:ryea not less than mine
received an honorable discharge from the srrv-
Ice. and who served on the Mexican border In
t,,.,i,e the years 1915 and 1917. and who are not
heretofore authorized by the President.
The Mexican badge referred to is
open only to those who were under
fire In the Mexican expedition, and is
almost confined to the officers and
men or the Regular Army. 1t is re-
called that in the discussion of this
provision 1t was obviously the inten-
tion Of Congress to provide the medal
for all soldiers Of the guard who
had conducted themselves in SOL
dierly way. and that was the real OBJ
ject OF the bill, the reference to Span
ish war veterans being altogether an
afterthought.
which will appear in the regulation
about to be published, can be deduced
from the words Of the act, and IL NAV
be safer to adopt it in this literal
way rather than to take liberties
with the words of solemn act of
Congress, however clear the inten-
tton and spirit OF the law may be.
The only recourse is for Congress- to
re-enact the law In language SO clear
that there can be but one meaning
to the words that they employ. Mean
time most of the members of that
guard are earning immortal laurels In
the battler of the world.
~
A N officer OF high rank In the mill
tary aviation service takes ex-
ception to the statement that aviation
students are "temperamental
bunch" He prefers to put it: "They
are lot Of normal young men living
under tremendous nervous strain,