The Mena weekly star., 1919-02-06
BIG ARMY ROW IS
 COMING ID FRONT
General Crowder Reprimanded and Effort Made to Shelye Him--Gen- eral Woods Treated Like Spy
 An Inquiry Probable.

Washington, Feb. 2.-Congression- al and army circles were set agog yesterday by the publication of charges that Provost Marshal General Crowder had been officially repri- manded by Chief of Staff March for outlining to 8 Senate committee (dur- ing the progress of the war) features of the comprehensive draft plan which later was adopted and is credit ed to have been major factor in America's winning the war.
 Crowder's Friends Indignant.
 Friends of General Crowder, who was regarded at one of the really popular war heads, are known to have been deeply ineensed over the treat ment they say he has been accorded by the chief of staff. Stories that General Crowder intended to retire from the army have been current for weeks here.
 Publication of these charges led to renewed discussion of another phase of the relations of General Crowder and General March, which has been widely talked about in Washington. but never officially disclosed. At the height of the operation of the selec- tive draft plan, when General Crow der and his aids were working day and night to meet the demands for men that mobilization plans called for, Generad Crowder suddenly was offered what was termed at the War Department overseas duty"
 Tried to SheIve General.
 General Crowder had been anxious for active service abroad, in the fight ing zone, and publication of reports that he had asked that he be not re- moved from his position as provost marshal general at that time caused wide comment. But it later was learned, tho General Crowder stead fastly declined to discuss the matter, that the overseas duty" referred to was a diplomatic mission in neutral country.
 It is understood that General Crow der pointed out that such service could be performed by many men, whereas his knowledge of the opera tion of the Draft Law made him of unique value in Washington, so long as he was not to have his wish for an assignment in the zone of action.
 Calls 1t "ContemptibIe."
 The March, -Crowder" charges were made by Colonel George Har- vey in the weekly paper he publishes. He detailed the story as follows:
 Barring only the shameful treat ment of Leonard Wood, no conspira- cy matched at the War Department has been quite so petty in it's concep- tion so contemptible in it's inception as the attempt to smirch the service record of Maj. Sen. Encch Crowder.
 A year ago when the war machine was webbing from bad to worse Gen. reral Crowder realized that the coun- try would be impotent in the war un- tii the Nations man power was mo- bilized to the limit for industrial and military purposes. Thereupon he prepared and submitted to the War Department the most comprehensive military and industrial draft plan that was ever outlined in this or any other country.
 The plan has never been pub lished. It probably never will be pub lished unless Congress demands it. The American Federation of Labor ,exerted tremendous power to stop it's execution, and the War Department refused to approve it. Labor was against it because it would destroy labor's license to maintain exorbitant wages. The War Department opposed 1t because the mismanaged tumble which Mr Baker called a war ma chine at that time could not digest it.
 Senate Called the General.
 But the demand for universal draft became So great that General Crowder was called before the Senate committee, and he then exposed the inexerable and immediate need for enlarged man power, altho Mir Bak- CT and General March, as their tes- tinony showed, took an opposite view of the situation.
 General Crowder's patriotism was his undoing The War Department, Mir Baker and General March could no more abide his activities than those of General Wood But thus far he had done nothing that could be used as an example for 'diseiplinte'
 Realizing that men over 3l years of age should not be taken directly from civil life and submitted to the kind of rigorous physical work that younger men could stand, lest their unaccustomed constitutions be under mined. General Crowder prepared a set of suggestions for older men to the end that they might prepare themselves gradually before entering the army.