Jackson County journal. (Sylva, N.C.) 19??-19??, 1919-07-25

a chateau, better quarters than two
thirds Of them ever had at home,
is eating at private mess and has
for his meals the choicest viands
the country affords, if he has an en-
listed man or two detailed to shine
his boots, clean his clothes, tidy up
his quarters and fetch his food and
drink (said enlisted man being paid
by the government to do the work
of a soldier) while the men of the
army are sleeping in COW stables,
eating such. as they can get from a
mess kit in the mud and rain of the
French streets, if, | say, that is true
and that is what happened in France
thenthere must be something wrong
with the system. The officers sallies
forth from his quarters, tidied by
somebody else, or not at all, shined
and spurred and booted by his strik-
er, and taking himself for an example
proceeds to inspect the men who
are sleeping in the COW shed, and
eating in the mud, and they must
be as immaculate as he. That has
the appearance of evil. If officers
and enlisted men must stop at diff
ferent hotels and eat at separate
cafes, and there are general orders
issued every once and occasionally
to keep it so, if that is true, and it
is, then where, oh where is our
boosted democracy. If all over
France, everywhere when you see
place that looks as if it might be
respectable there is a sign, For Of
ficers Only how is that to assist
a fellow in retaining self respect? l
once heard a fellow who had seen
that sign until he was exasperated
with it make the remark that he
hoped the next war would be for
Officers only. If the city of France
that is worth seeing, Paris, is practi-
cally turned into an officers club
by a general order forbidding en-
listed men to visit it, where is the
fairness of the army? O, discipline
what crimes have been committed
in thy name! AS a matter of fact
the assumption upon which the
government of our army is based
is that every officer is a gentleman,
and that every enlisted man is a
suspicious character who is to be
watched and bounded by guards,
officers and M. P's. no matter how
good a soldier he may be. no matter
how we'll and faithfully he may
have served his country, no matter
how many medals for bravery and
devotion to duty he may be wear
ing. That is the system and assump-
ton. Is it right? Is it fair? The Court
Martial Manual vests too much
power in the court. 1t is an arbitrary
affair, and most frequently is admin
istered by officers who are thor
oughly ignorant of the practices of
law and the rules of evidence. We
are accustomed in all English speak
ing countries to a trial by a jury of
the peers of the accused. In the
army man is tried by court COM
posed entirely of his recognized and
legal superiors. The result is that
enlisted men are almost always con-
Vlcted and that cases against Off
GERS are usually hushed up, or if
the offense is great it generally re-
suits only in discharge from the
army.
In another issue of The JOURNAL
| stated that we might expect
fight from the officers of the regular
army at any time when a discussion
was started or an attempt to reform
was made. General Wood has assum-
ed the offensive in behalf of the
cohorts of militarism.
HE WAS ALMOST PAST GOING
IT suffered with kiduoxy trouble