The Monticellonian., 1919-04-11
DEAOTIONS IN ARMY
 THAT SEEM UNJUST
COMPLAINTS ARE CAUSED BY THE REDUCTION OF OFFICERS
 TO THEIR FORMER RANK.
OTHERS RETAIN HIGH PLACES
Cases of Kutz, Fries and Barker Are Typical of Those That Have Given Rise to Much Unfavorable critisim y the Public.
By EDWARD B. CLARK.

By EDWARD B. CLARK.
 Washtugton.-Re Recently there have been many cases of "demotion by se- lection in the United States army. In time Of peace promotion by selection. known to some army officers us pro motion by personal acquaintance. could not produce more complaints and qHarrels.
 The trouble is that hundreds of reg ular army officers while still holding their present rank in the regular estab- lishment, were promoted to higher rank in the National army, to keep that rank until the time came when they were to he osdered to resume their old places in the regular army. Many of these high ranking officers in the army as it exists today already have been sent back to their old junior ranks, while scores and in fact hum dreds of others, junior in the regular army 10 the men already denoted, ire still holding their high rank in the army as ii k. This means that many veterans of the regulars today are ranked i'll the existing army ny men who are many years their junior i'll years and in service.
 Peculiar Case Of kutz.
 There is one peculiar case which possible is worthy of comment. C. M. kutz, of the corps of engineers, ts today the engineer commissioner of the District of Columbia. holding the rank of lieutenant colonel of regulars. It Was only the other day that kHth was Il brigadier general in the Amer iean ExPedtionary Forces ill France. lie served with great distinction as fhe commander If an American regiment ill the field with the French neur Yer. dun. Ii was while in command of this regiment that he Was promoted To the rank If brieadier general. Then lie Was sent back to the ted States 10 organize \ brigade and to take il back to the enbattled country.
 Instead of this program being fol lowed. kutz WaS discharged from his rank as brigadier general and resumed automatically his old rank as lieu tenant colonel of regulars. Today as q lieutenant colonel and as engineer commissioner of the District of Co tumbia, he has under him as engineer commissioner two officers of the corps of engineers who are still full colonels in the army IL it exists, both Of whom are sixteen years kutz's junior
 In this case Kutz, lieutenant col onel has under his direction two col onels This would be impossible were t not fer the fact that Lieutenant Gol- onel Kutz in directing the activities Of the two colonels, is acting not as a lieutenant colonel of the army but aS engineer commissioner Of the District eff Columbia.
 Gemotion of General Fries.
 \ large part of the criticism of army administration is unmStiiable, but it K certain that the demotions which re gently haye taken place have brought about q condition which k something #ore than merely anomalous. Amos \. Fries. corps of engineers. was the chief Of the chemical warfare service of the American .EXpeditionary Forces in France. He was given the rank of hrsadiergoneral. and while in France he organized the sas fled service from tep to bottom and set it working. He Was ordered back to the United States fer conference purposes under an agreement that he soon was to be returned to his foreign duties.
 What hapPened9 Instead of being sent back to France General Fries was denoted to lis old rank in lhe regular ariay, that of lieutenant colonel He is now a lieutenant colonel of engineers and is ranked in the army as 1t exists hy more than one hundred officers in lis own corps. the engineers. who are many years junior fo him.
 Brig Gcn 1oan w Barker went to France in the American EXpedltinnary Forces. He was wounded on the field af actian ue entirely recovered and was sent back to dnty fin Washington where ha found himself discharged from his rau% as hrgadier general to become again q lieutenant colonel with place in the existing army below hundreds of men who in the regular service are his juniors
 Washington Stftt overcrowded.
 Washington k stiH fuH of people. war workers, peace workers, and. un- happily. fl must he said, too many peo- ple who are just hangers on. Members of the new congress are being coa- fraHted with the hard task If finding places fd live.
 The Capital City has lost some thousands of its temporary inhabitants within the Last month or two but still the place is filed to ovoraowing. The wonder is where all of the peo- pie were pacted T. is true that the government put up donuitor.es for mauy If its workers. and 1t Is just as true that some of the workers lived two and three in room when the press was on. tHt the exodus seems to have made comparatively little differ ence in the ITO Let" situation.
 one resalt of this is, of course.