The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-05-09
Planned army OFFICERS
WHEAT0NA. WILLIAMS HANDED
OUT RICH BROWH ROAST
'GR|LLED AERO GRAFTERS
Sizzling Red Hot Remarks Were
Made Before Presbyterian
Brotherhood

"The American Expeditionary
Force is an autocracy within de-
mocracy," declared Wheaton Will
liams, lately returned from eighteen
months active service in France with
| the Second division, engineers, in
| remarks made last evening at the
meeting of the Presbyterian Broth
| erhood. Although the war is over
strict censorship is still maintain
ed on all mail from France. This
is because the officers do not want
the men to tell of conditions or of
their treatment over there"
Il have seen officers threaten to
beat man over the head with their
pistols because the man did not re-
main at attention when an officers
horse was standing on his foot. l
have seen officers demand two
steaks at meal, because they were
better then the men when there was
but quarter of beef for two-hund-
| red and fifty men,"
"Other officers were democratic
| and alright but the men have to be
| broad enough to realize that big
mistakes were made in increasing
an army from 100000 to 100000
600 to see that the government was
| not wholly to blame for such Of
| ficers. There are men who went
into the army VIII chad never worn
shoes before, there are men from
| this county who had never rode on
| a train until they went into the
army. Such men will not under
stand those conditions"
when soapbox orator delivers
the plea of bolshevism to them, ask
| ing: Where were your officers
when you were rolling in the mud"
| and What were your officers eat
ing when you had next to nothing"
ready converts to his standard. l
believe that it is the duty of every
man at home to meet the boys as
they return and learn their political
| opinions and their feelings toward
the government. The boys do not tell
such things about their officers
when they get home because they
have been schooled to keep silent"
| Raped the Administration.
| Mr.. Williams also took a rap at
| the administration on the aeroplane
production program. He stated that
/ when he went into the army in April
1917, the Americans had appropriat-
ed large sums and were bending
every effort to get planes to France.
In September 1918 there was not an
American plane on the western
front and American aviators were
in which to fly.
J "Of course the men feel bitter"
he stated. 'If you he'd laid under
one edge of trench to escape fire
from a boche plane and then rolled
over under the other edge when he
flew to the other side and all the
time the bullets raining about you
with the nearest allied plane several
kilometers away you would feel bit
| ter also. The men feel particularly
bitter over the grafters who made
away with some $680,000,000 in the
aeroplane production funds"
| Another thing the men disliked,"
stated Mr.. Williams, twas the way
| the administration paid men IS and
| $40 day to work in the shipyards
while they drafted men and sent
| them to France to die at $50 a
month. Why could they not draft
men for the shipyards? That was
characteristic of the administration
| throughout
Negro Soldiers in France.
Wheaton Williams told number
of interesting and amusing expert
! ences he had while in France. He
related the experiences of the negro
troops in the labor battalions and
stated that the American negro had
better time in the army in France
than he had ever had before. Their
food also he said was good, often
better than the white soldiers re-
ceived.
i Speaking of the Y NJ. G.. A.,
Williams declared that all the while
he was in France he received ex-
cellent treatment from the "Y" and
that he believed they did a great
work for the men. He told of one
instance where the men were COM
ing out of the Argonne district and
the "Y" workers met them with
chocolate and cakes. He stated he
personally heard general order the
1 men to stop handing out the food
because it stopped the progress of
the troops.
Mr.. Williams told of meeting
Margaret Marsh, who is working
with a canteen in France. He said
all the boys liked her very much
because she treated them all the
same. In one instance he related
how she made major go to the
rear of waiting line and take his
turn in getting package of ciga-
rettes from the canteen.
In closing, Mr.. Williams appealed
to the men present to continue the
spirit of loyalty that had been mani
tested throughout the war. He said
that bond slackers and men who
could have gone to the front and
would not should be treated differ
emily than the men who fought and
offered their all in France.
Men Should Get Fair Shake.
Paul Wendtland, formerly lieu
tenant in the aviation corps, spoke
i of his experiences in the flying
service and in England where he
received his training. He also dwelt
on the treatment soldiers were get
ting when they returned home. He
|. said they should at least get fair
shake anil as a matter of fact they