Ashland weekly tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1919-1924, 1919-10-08
Soldier of Fortune
A Menace TO Peace
By Percy M. Sarl,

(United Press Staff Correspondent
LONDoN.-(By Mail. 1.-THE SOL
der OF fortune" once regarded as
such a picturesque figure-a dare
devil who organized revolutions in
Central and South America, the Bal
kans, and the wilds Of Turkestan-
10 at discount. There are too
many Of him, and far from being
considered picturesque, he is now
voted a general nuisance. The Sun
day Express" recently went farther,
and voted him "a renegade, an en-
emy Of civilization, and an interna-
tional criminal" deserving Of short
shrift and no ceremony in suppress
sion.
Thoughtful statesmen and leaders Of
public opinion recognize that one OF
the greatest dangers to the preser-
vation of world peace is the vast
horde Of adventures turned loose
on q world trying to turn from de-
struction to reconstruction. The
break up of the Central Empires, and
the compulsory reduction Of their
hugea rmies, has flooded Europe with
an army of jobless officers whose
only profession is that Of the sword.
Russia, Germany and Austria are
the principal contributors, but Eng
land, France, Italy, Turkey, and the
Balkan states, now officially demob-
ilizing, may also be held guilty Of
"contributory negligence"
What are these soldiers of fortune
to do? II they were numbered in
tens they could probably get con-
genial job in Mexico. But even the
French Foreign Legion could not
take a fraction of their number. As
It is they are carrying on" and are
more largely responsible than states
men and policies for the continu-
ance Of the three-and-twenty or SO
wars still raging in Europe.
The recent real war naturally at
tracted all the original soldiers Of
fortune from all parts Of the world.
You can't legislate born adventurer
to the fireside and when the armis-
tice was signed last November, many
of these enthusiasts found another
opening in the extraordinary crop Of
campaigns being waged in Russia
and the Baltic provinces. When the
British war office called for volun-
teers to rescue the marooned Arch
angel and Murmansk forces, 1t easily
obtained all the men 1t wanted. The
number of officers and ex-officers
applying was remarkable. They
were OF the old adventurer type, and
were so determined to get back to
war that they resigned commissions
wholesale and enlisted in the ranks.
All the units of the relief force had
punches of privates who had COM
manded battalions, batteries and
companies in France and elsewhere.
Were they content to stay in such
units there would not be too much
harm done, and they could doubtless
obtain their fill of fighting. but the
soldier of fortune abhors routine,
and the ex-officer hungers for COM
mand. He usually obtains it in ina
tive levies" who can be brought to
efficiency by his experience and
methods of instruction. The new ma
tions, like the Esthonians, Let's. Ii
humans, Czecho-Slovaks, Jugo-
Slavs, Silesians, Ukrainians and 9TH
ers who had not hitherto had much
opportunity of fighting as independ-
ent peoples, were flattered by the
invasion OF military instructors, men
who had won fame on the field Of
Armageddon, and once the soldier
of fortune obtained footing, he
soon found openings for men OF his
own kidney.
But the profession has become
overcrowded, and already the world,
tired of war, is objecting. In the
Australian parliament recently,
members protested against the pres
ence Of Australian soldiers in the
British North Russian force, and the
minister of defense had to promise
to endeavor to secure their return.
The London Daily Herald" protested
against the attempt of the Lithuanian
military mission in Paris to recruit
q brigade of 5000 Americans for
service against Germans and Boil
shevists alike. Incidentally the
Lithuanians are said to have secured
many American and British volun-
teers, but there is a strong move
ment afoot for international action
to prevent this armed Intervention
in the affairs of other nations by
international would-be Napoleons.
The Sunday Express" said "These
individuals are irresponsible, their
own native countries have no con-
troll or authority over them, and
they are a perpetual menace to the
maintenance of peace. They are the
enemies Of civilization, and civiliza-
tion will have to concert measures
to deal with the adventurer as an in
ternational criminal"
There is a fine chance for the
League OF Nations to draw up new
and drastic list Of penalties for vio-
lators of an international Foreign
enlistment law"
LONDON-In 1918 thirty-five new
ian0uaRea were added to the publi-