The Mena weekly star., 1919-02-06

ly consummated his great task, while confusion was universal turnout the other parts of the War Department. March Refused to Change Record.
 "An appeal has been made to Gen. eral March to wipe the blemish from the record. He has refused. The reprimand will become indelible. It will operate against General Crow der's promotion, and at the end of the war he will revert to his rank as a brigadier
 "Is it any wonder that General Crowder contemplates retiring from the army altogether, while General March is contemplating the prospect of being made full permanent gen. eral, a rank held only by Washing ton, Grant, Sherman, and on his deathbed by Sheridan?"
 Airs National Guard Grievances.
 The other end of the row was aired in the House yesterday afternoon when Representative Gallivan, Demo crat, of Massachusetts reiterated his charge that the American soldiers in France were compelled to contend against a miIitarism in the ranks be- hind them as autocratic as that they were fighting in Germany and that this power came from the Leaven- worth clique.
 In a sensational speech Mr. Galli- van took the part of the national guardsmen and reseryist officers and men, who, he asserted, had been the victims of Huns in their rear.' He also cited the case of Maj Gen. Leon- ard Wood, whom he praised highly, reading letter signed by returning officers that when Wood was in France "he was treated no better than German spy By whose or ders he did not say.
 Mir. Gallivan, who is a Democrat, demanded an investigation of the charges against the war department, to be conducted by the Democratic majority in Congress. He warned his colleagues that the Democrats must not evade the issue that will be pre- scented to them.
 Calls It An Army Autocracy.
 "The party that attempts to pro- tect these men will go down in igno- minlous defeat" he shouted q am trying to save the Democratic party. The men of New England who are coming back are unit in their criti- cisms of the methods of the men re- sponsible for these injustices. They found in our ranks the autocracy they had gone over to destroy. We are proud of our returning soldiers. h. vestigate and you will find that they are telling the truth
 When asked what he meant by his reference during his speech, to the high command, Mir Gallivan replied "the general staff" He denied that he was attacking General Pershing But he added that Pershing's staff was controlled by the influences he had in mind.
 The reference to General Wood was in letter, read by Mir. Gallivan, which, he stated, bore the signatures of forty-nine officers, who had been wounded and who now were at a base hospital in this country. He withheld the names of these officers. The letter reads:
 Dared Not Criticise."
 1t has been impossible for anyone to criticize. If you did that here you would be 'pro-German;' if you said anything over there you were sent home in disgrace. The czar in his palmiest days never enjoyed the au- toeratic power the staff enjoyed here and abroad. It can be proven on in- vestigation that medical officers were premptorily ordered (and dared not disobey) to find officers unfit when it was not desirable from the staff standpoint to send them overseas.
 When General Wood visited our front he was treated more like Ger man spy than an officer of the United States. We have the word of several eolonels, who knew him well, for this He was hurried thru his visit and or dered back home without allowing him to visit the Italian front or re- turning thru England, as he was in- vited to do by Lloyd George. General Wood was the idol of the army, off cers and men alike, was one of our most efficient officers, yet he was kept in a corner at home Who did not ?"