The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1919-06-06
~ n OFFICERS UNIFORMS

.n Who Have Won Commits
''f''r rssu,ted BY Regulars; ohicers
''n' rrs,ted Like Privates When
court.martialeo' ono,,+
HerDsr rsts-martial matter. ao,aiors
his cou a1 Wood says private solale[s
General ad ~" as fairly by courts-mar-
Re trea naicers are. Except, says ne,
al as Sitting on courts naturally
bfcers sltsiH0 credit charges made
hesitate fo1Iow officers who have
pgalns' faithfully for years.
served, l"i W. General Wood has the
Nay Nay At his fingers ends. Every
figures ,sSoWs that General WOOD Is aD-
One NY ny fair and square hlmseH'
SoluleN = not possible that ne was
put ~ Emo of the professional SOL
sODlel nln INT Of view? Also, because
dierS PHO hig man and fearless one,
be ID n,sihIe that things do not hap
i u in his presence which might well
psI caammonplaces where smaller men
@ .ro11v are concerned.
nO[1N9 9vn impression has been that
u! pegnIar Army is a bit Prussian
N our ~ 9ttitude toward the private
N u LIAR I.1 Not all of our regular army
So nlDrs of course. But there are
Ol niSu-sntrited little DULLES in the
mG :torm and it has seemed to me
I'M ~. tba regular establishment sup
t tnrt them. Time after time [ have
Pgl.bod for the service at hearing an
D @oor snarl at a fine, clean, upstand-
!ur voung American who had volun-
t tnerad to serve his country. Some
more there was lack Of discipline
,,onq the officers-or rather some
'-bnrp there was a lack of the proper
spirit.
WIN National Guardsman? snarled
brigade adjutant of the Rainbow
Tusion. Haven't you ever learned
how to salute, you-
The lieutenant who was being
abused shamefully in the presence of
his men had been on duty in the front
line for As hours without rest. He
was covered with mud from heel to
head. His boots were SO clogged with
mire that he could not have clicked
his heels in 10 minutes trying. The
adjutant was brown-polished and
tailored and natty. 1t was his first
visit to the front line.
iii teach you National Guards
men something about soldering"
said the professional soldier
He filed charges against the lieu
tenant. who was an officer in one of
the companies of the 166th Regi-
ment from Ohio. 1t will soon land
on this side of the water. The lieu
tenant had a good colonel in Ben
HOugh, who not only fought his regi-
ment but fought for his regiment
against the regular establishment
Hough insisted that his lieutenant be
given d trial and filed charges against
the adjutant.
I'll find out" said Hough, "wheth-
er an adjutant can come down into
my trenches and curse an officer G
mine in the presence of his men"
Well, he found out. The adjutant
did not press his charges against
the lieutenant because one Of the ,un-
forgivable things is to reprove an
officer in the presence of his men.
so the charges against the lieutenant
never came to trial. At last accounts
ne was still a lieutenant. He had
not been promoted because of sthe
black spot on his record-and, any,
low, he was national guardsman.
In order to save the adiutant from
]elng tried on the counter charge
brought by the. lieutenant, he was
'ent home on mission He i'm
nediately became a colonel. The
ocular establishment knows how to
'rOteCt its own.
1t always seemed to me that there
vas d decided difference in the treat
lent afforded the private soldier and
he officer in the American army. If
private soldier was found in pos
e5Sl0n OF a jag, he was pinched by
no first M. P. who met him. That
vas the NJ. P.'s duty. But he also
earned that it was his duty to look
ne other way when an officer made
l5 way up the street in tacks and
lbs.
What's your name?" | heard an
l. +. ask drunken officer on the
treetS OF Paris. What's your unit?"
You go to hell" was the reply,
II you come near me I'll knock
our block off"
The NJ. P. shrugged his shoulders
nd went on his way. | asked him
way ne did not arrest the officer.
mo was making very unpleasant
of himself on the streets
Not a chance" said he. Il ran in
NE officer who was worse than he
.aS-and it was me who got bawled
at and not the officer.
rms may be dismissed as a single
but it remains a fact that
ur officers paid not the slightest at
5htlon to our NJ. P.'s in France. It.
lIen happened that when an officer
got IN bad" he was sent home in
lead OF being sent to a court-mar-
di' There are no figures available
prove this, of course. But | have
ever known an officer being treated
'lln anything but the most distin-
ulShed consideration.
On the other hand, there was a
me when enlisted men were being
eaten up almost nightly in the army
4ll' which was under the direction
the provost marshal for Paris, and
'as located in the Hotel Ste Anne,
n the Rue Ste. Anne, and which at
nat time sheltered several of the
rmy departments. This fact was
n0iticially brought to the attention
L the army authorities, but / never
card of an officer being punished be-
auSe this condition of things existed