Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-09-03
POLITICAL NET
SET TO ENMESH
GEN. PERSHING
Is He Democrat or Repub-
lican? = Expectancy
Thrills Both Camps.
By DAVID LAWRENCE.

W dSutBSjODr H. a., sept 5.-JeD-
I eral Pershing's departure from
+ France, the victorious commander
of the greatest expeditionary force
in American history has put thrills
/ of expectancy into the political
camp here-and for reasons that
( present an amusing paradox.
The Democrats are hoping Gen
( eral Pershing will come back in a
! fighting mood and expose what
| they COnStrue as a picayune effort
/ TO find fault with the war depart
ment's war enterprise in France
Many Republicans hope General
/ Pershing's political complexion
which has this far remainded
vague and imperceptibIe may take
4 on a Republican color and whether
+ or not he is the candidate of the
Republican party for president.
there may be derived at least the
pleasant advantage of pointing
! with pride" to the COmmander-in-
chief of Americas biggest army as
Republican.
VIII Want to Know All.
/ But if General Pershing has any
political ambitions, he must ac-
accomplishment in F'rance-and
( just now many committees of the
| Republican congress are busiIy
engaged in Investigations designed
I to prove that the Democratic ad-
ministration made more or less Of
a fizZle of everything connected
with the war Also there are many
| in congress who want to see the
whole American venture in France
exposed, not merely as to matters
financial but matters military,
particularly as to the advance Of
American troops ordered a couple
of hours before the armistice Also
group will want to know from
General Pershing all about courts
martial and the brutaIities, aileg-
ed. imaginary and real. which have
been detailed in connection with
the AnselI-CrOwder controversy.
His Politics in Doubt.
We're it not for the fact that the
father-in-law Of General Pershing
is Senator Warren of Wyoming.
Republican. there would not be
any ground at all for supposing
that the general is a Republican.
Indeed his intimacy with Secretary
Baker and the liking which Pres
ident Wilson himself has for the
general might have been sufficient
to disqualify him for membership
in the Republican fold as member
ship is reckO1ed heTeabouts. So
scarce is information on the sub
ject of General PerShing's political
predictions that sundry Demo
crats have wondered whether. ii he
were attacked by the committees
of the Republican congress, there
might not be an opportunity to re
ceive him into the nominating arms
of the Democratic brethren.
But the underlying belief is that
General Pershing is a Republican
And that if he were to be a candi-
date al all, il would be on the Re
fact that much rivalry exists be
tween General March, chief of
staff. who ran things at the war de-
partment and the overseas COM
mander and the possibilities of still
blaming the Democratic war de
partment exaIuing the Republican
commander in the field are not
deemed in the least absurd by the
congressional or political mind III
search for candidates for 1920
viii Defend 4. +. Z.
OF one thing, however, congress
has already an indicatiOn-and that
is General Pershing's determina-
ton to stand up for the A. +. f. all
along the line, mistakes and all. He
didn't relish the idea of testifyirg
before committee in France
headed by man who voted
against war, then enlisted, and now
heads an inquiry into the conduct
of the war itself Nor will the
general relish other investigations
into decisions that had to be made
on the field of battle and in hours
of great uncertainty when the sac
ritice of men as well as money
were not considered in the intense
desire to gain victory.
Soldier Candidate Not Popular!
From such letters as the general
has written to friends here. it is
gathered that he believes the Amer
ican people cannot be fully in
formed as to what took place in
France or they would not be in
sympathy with inquisitoria1 efforts
based upon the demands of party
politics. Moreover, the general is
said TO be prepared to defend the
court martial system as essential
to discipline. His trip across the
country which probably will be in
the nature of a triumphant return
has in it political possibilities for
an emotionaIly inclined people,
only the wiseheads in both political
parties believe America has had a
sUrfeit of emotion and that soldier
candidates would not be popular.
Certainly General Woods boom
which has in it a note of censura
for the Democrats because they
didn't let him go overseas has a
bearing on General Pershing's
chances. The Wood supporters
claim Pershing was a party to the
conspiracy whereby General Wood
was kept at home
The first thing he probably will