Trench and camp. ([Admiral, Md.) 1917-1919, 1918-10-03


with enthusiasm because they saw In
IL Q chance to fight not only the bat
ties OF their adopted country, bat
likewise opportunity to avenge some
OF the wrongs perpetrated upon their
own countrymen in the past by the
wMholy Hun, the treacherouN Aus
TRAN and the "unspeakable Turk.
They had come into camp ready to
fight, mot to lie around and grow dis
contented and lazy rs part OF badly
disciplined rabble.
In their main ranks were men who
did not want to fight; men who act
ually did not understand why they
had been put into . military camp:
men who were victims of pacilist and
German propaganda: men who re-
fused to be naturalized, refused to
don o uniform, refused to even pick
mp rife and learn to drill.
Presently, race began to quarrel
and bicker with race: old scores from
the pages OF history were dug up and
reopened; and even within groups Of
men Of the same race, factions
based upon politics or religion or
upon some one OF many points Of
difference the American mind sim
ply cannot grasp-factions began to
spring up and disrupt the scant har-
mony that did exist.
The problem became imminently
terrible. Every effort was being made
to solve 1t, and results were being OBJ
tanned here and there, but not ON the
big scale necessary. The few Of
ficers equipped to handle portions OF
the mass worked day and night to
bring some sort OF order out of the
chaos. But sheer force of numbers
neutralixed their valiant efforts.
Then came to the fore two Of
icers with a plan which they be-
lieved would solve the problem, a
plan 90 simple that now it seems 1t
should have been obvious; but then,
indeed, q plan which possessed all the
elements of novelty and uncertainty.
This plan Of theirs was to segre-
gate according to their nationalities
the foreign-speaking soldiers who
could not understand commands.
army orders and regulations in Eng
lish. Instead OF Poles, Russians, Ital-
ians and a dozen other races being
jumbled, helter-skelter, into ONE bat
talon, they advised, the Poles should
be formed into all-Polish companies
and battalions; and so, too, with the
Italians, the Russians and the other
races.
Obstacles Numerous
A simple plan? Indeed yes-look-
ing backward! But not quite so
simple as it seems, even now. Its
advantages were many; the obstacles
to its execution all but legion. For
example, to officer an all-Italian COM
pany the officers need be able to
speak only Italian and English. But
where were such officers, trained and
capable, to be found? And, obvious
| ly, to find officers competent to COM
mand companies and battalions
formed of every nationality present
must be some officers who knew not
only one language In addition to Eng
lish, but many, many dialects, and
more than all else-knew the charac-
teristics and idiosyncracies of the
Jugo-Slavs, Czecho-Siovaks, Syrians,
Armenians and other races. Where,
again, could such men be found?
They certainly were not in the old
U. s. Army.
But the officers were not deferred
by such obstacles. They decided to
go ahead, with the proper authori-
cation, and let each day be suficient
unto itself.
Camp Gordon, an infantry replace
ment camp near Atlanta, Ca, was Sc
lected for the experiment on a big
scale. There were some four thou
sand non-English-speaking soldiers
there who were all but running
around in circles. Indeed. many Of
them were openly Indifferent, dis
couraged, discontinued, rebellioHs.
Not understanding English, many Of
them were confined to kitchen and
police duty, working with pick and
shovel, and they were objects of ridi-
cule for the English-speaking soldier,
who derived keen pleasure in calling
them 'fWops" and "Sheenies" and
other terms of good-natured con-
tempt: But few of them had been
naturalized.
Many who truly hated the Central
Powers were being held as, enemy
aliens solely because, not being un-
derstOod, they gave the impression. of
being such. Others were out-and-out
adherents of Bolshevik principles.
Many were discontinued because of
their enforced isolation from spirit
uaI and religious stimulus, believing
that services at the Knights of Colum-
bus huts were not Catholic because
they were not Polish or Italian. Still
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