The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-05-21
Special Cable Dispatch.

IN TNE. AMERICAN SECTOR. Apr:
2o-ObServinc. ar trying IL observe.
the life OF tn" American solder AZ MAR
from a press division. limousine IS qu!S
different from living with Il regime!
and seeing events unfold tr"ni me
equality o. terra tlrnl;t. Even N" pos
slbility OF being mistaken tor l. hlaJ"'
general and putting LII entire village
Of billeted soldi.ry At attention IS !'"'
ADEQUATE compensation Tor tae l"SSes
sustained by Il correspondent.
Recalling the events OF days spent
in the sott-cuShIoned folds ~ "ne ct
the sixteen mu;prcar$ provided Tor INC
writer's BY the United States army. l
have a confused r.::Icm br;Lnc" OF roll
inS country side. heavy trucks. artillery
and other military crnvcyorS "t wcicnt
that gave US the road. soldiers Salu.in
and miles and miles and mills OF dis
lance covered.
But Of army anecdotes. details o.
maneuyers and the emotions OF tae
tShting units / learned very little. u!
anything at all.
Which recalls he story .ot an ISSUE
officer" a major who. meeting Il toTnI|r
equal from his homo town IN ihc ranks.
said: Heard the news. Bill" am 4
lieutenant colonel now.
Got nothing on me. Ben" was thH
Quick retort. u hav: just been made
a corporal" No strata Of being mat
does no, have its honprarium.
There have been so many Herd"nt OF
ficers dumped for training upon the reg
irnents in France that the soldiers IN
their unfailins sense OF hunor, nave
nicknamcd them issue officers. Ike
other articles of common utility issueo
from the army stores.
True enough. the press mo'orcar Is OF
necessary value in transporting col
le.tor of spot news" from the locality
OF it's development and escape TO tho
little town fifty miles back Of the mrs
line trenches where the chief press CEN
sor presides with blue pencil and a
good natured. tolerant smile. From
this same town the cable news of the
American army is put On the wire /"
be relayed two hours later from FarIs
for America via either the direct French
line or those cable routes which pass
through England.
JOB TOO Big for One MAI
1t is simply impossible for single
correspondent to get around TO all tf''
places where American troops are on
gagged either participating in or pr"paT-
ing for the war. Some troops are IN
the trenches for instruction with tnc
French and British all along IN" wcSe
front. and others arc going 1t alone IN
the American sector some arc ~ t'ic
dozens and dozens Of camps fer inian-
try, artillery. engineers, ctc-nE ms
end Of April there will be ten distin'-
camps for artillery alone. Then thNrr
are the crucial news points at the por'S
of dcbarkation and along phc lines nj
communication" now called service OF
supplies" To say nothing OF u. II. -.
and the aviation centers.
Hence. after four weeks of trial on
nerience in the saucy. swayinG speeding
n,otorcars of The press ,ilvjSi"n--wh"n
two-thirds of each day Was spent IN
getting to some fnrcga thcrinE Of our
trnops and riding back to press head
ouar,ers-I find that the mind rcvcrtS
tn those occasional short periods when
I was on the ground long enough II hH;tr
an Incident of soldering and soc Z r'SI-
men,, troop or battery chow. :" 10 bed
s,cgfunrtror IN some military duty.
Right nuw thu American Expeditions
ary Err.r in France has reached the
period where every member "f IT, even
the correspondents. suddenly realize
that they ars. but petty EGGS IN q great
growing machIn"--:"r the army has ar
rived at tho m"ciilnIstic stag. How
We did it in the Philippines or on tn"
Mexican border. IN comparison with our
part in the European struggle. sinks 1"
the level If pop-gun warfare TIL"
directing force OF the new autnmatom
is the general staff.
A general staff corresponds I" what
in civil life might h" Il committee. =
commission or. better still. Il department.
store. AZ docs III" department store.