Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-12-13

"TASHINGTON, D. c., December 9.-Shall
w the American dead in France be dis
w inferred and brought back to America,
or shall their bones be allowed to remain
permanently in the soil of the country where
they fell?
This question, which is supposed to have
been settled some months ago by an official
order of the secretary of war, remains in fact
a subject involving some difference of opinion
and great deal of practical difficulty.
The order of the secretary of war; issued
last July states that 1.-The remains of all Of
ficers, enlisted men and civilian employees of
the army, navy and marine corps, who have
died or may hereafter die in France. shall be
buried in France until the end OF the war,
when the remains shall be brought hack tn
the United States for final interment."
This order suggests in itself that it must
have been issued without a careful prelimi-
nary consideration of what it might involve.
1t is known to have been issued in response
to a popular demand for the return of the
remains of the slain to this country. This
demand was evidenced by letters to the war
department. Many of them were from
wealthy persons who desired to go in person
and bring back the bodies of their dead from
France. 1t was found impossible to grant
these requests because of the shortage of
transportation, and it was further considered
unjust to allow the wealthy to bring back
their dead, while the poor were unable to
do So 1t was concluded that the only just
and satisfactory arrangement would be for
all the dead to be brought back at govern
ment expense.
Since the issuance of the order, however,
a strong sentiment has sprung up in favor
of leaving the fallen Americans where they
are Colonel Roosevelt's letter to the secre-
tary of war, expressing the earnest wish that
the remains of his son Quentin be not dis
turbed, has been widely published in the
newspapers. The feeling expressed by Colonel
Roosevelt is known to be widely shared and
to have been communicated to the war de-
partment by many other fathers Of fallen
sons.
While the government presumably stands
pledged to bring back the remains OF the
American soldiers to this country, 1t can
safely be stated that for various reasons the
growth of this sentiment is thing to be
desired.
For one thing, there are great practical
difficulties in the way of bringing back the
remains of the slain. For another, they are
not buried here and there in France in scat
tered and INTENDED graves, as many persons
seem to imagine.
The Grave Registration Service OF the
American Expeditionary Force is special
service which has been organized for the pur-
pose of gathering the American dead and
interring them in cemeteries set aside by the
French government for the purpose Inose
temporarily buried on or near the nelu OF Cal-
tie are disinterred and removed TO these
cemeteries later. The cemeteries may be con-
sidered as American soil, since they have been
given by France to the United States for the
purpose which they serve. Some American
soldiers have been buried in French ana
British military cemeteries More except
those listed as missing, are inferred outside
of military cemeteries, and few OF these could
no Identified for return to this country in
any case.
Photographs of these military cemeteries
have reached this country. They show long
rows of carefully tended graves, with flowers