The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1919-09-26
DECLINED TO LIVE ON
FARE OF TROOPS

Life in the corps OF officers was
officer himself. and. lastly. the whole
structure OF municipal and imperial
order which stands and falls with the
status OF the officer.
The way OF life OF the higher stan
officers was also sharply criticised.
Yet is there man who does not
know OF the nerveracking work and
colossal burden they bear unceas.
lngly7 The troops were relieved. but
the stan remained on duty. day and
night
For four years endured this state
OF tension without rest or relief. In
such circumstances / could not live
on feld-kitchen rations.
Nevertheless. in October. 1918. de-
Prince Max that headquarters was
willing 10 live on the fare provided
by the field kitchens II the various
secretaries OF state and the whole OF
Berlin would undertake to do like
wise; but until then we should live in
such n way "a was considered best
for the men and ourselves. The i'm.
periaI chancellor, Prince Max. de
clintd to eat fieldkitchen fare. and
so long as remained in the field
we messed simply, but as before.
The other higher stafrs were in n
similar position. They lived much in
the same way as we did. / have
never countenanced excesses. and IL
they have occurred. | disciaim all
responsibility. SO long as we have
any social order at all. authority
must exist. and there must ~ social
distinctions. There must still he. as
before. corps OF officers, in which
the individual officer must keep him.
self distinct from the $oldier while
continuing TO be his true friend.
Then came complaints that the Off.
GERS were living at the expense OF
the men--a shameful calumny spread
by enemy and home propaganda.
Many men OF undoubted honesty and
intelligence came TO me bleating out
such general accusations, instead OF
vigorously assailing them. They had
already lost all regard for the mo-
rality OF the corps OF officers, so in.
extricably had they fallen into the
snare spread by the circulators of
these reports.
1t was said that officers of the reg
ular army hid in their quarters. This
was the reward OF grateful people
to the regular officer for his sacrifice
and devotionl There were only few
of them left. The remainder had
fallen or had been hopelessly dis
abled. The corps OF officers had lost
from so to 30 per cent of its full
strength.
Could they not understand that to
fill certain posts of the STATS. on
which the fate of the troops depend.
ed, officers of exceptional experience
and initiative were required? II is
obvious that for such duties the reg.
ular officer was more fitted than an
officer of the reserve. and that even.
tually IL would be impossible to re-
place the former.
l begged the military cabinet TO in.
vestigate these charges. This ex.
posed their injustice all along the
line.
Notwithstanding this, l persistent
ly issued reminders that officers fit
for service should be sent from home
and from the various STATS TO the
front. TO be replaced by officers At
only for garrison duty. The STATS
during the summer of 1918 were so
composed that several divisional
commanders complained to me that
they had too few fit officers on their
STATS to cope with all demands.