The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-01-31
Stood Inspection After Week
OF Hardest of Fighting. :
Then Irregular" Raps Guards
for Condition of Division.
MARION LAWYER BRINGS WORD
Red Cross Worker Had Copy of
the "OfficiaI Report"
He says the 35th Should Be
Brought Home at Once.

Washington, Jan. Slater fight
ing for six days and five nights in the
Argonne forest and losing nearly 25
per cent of their strength in dead or
wounded, the 35th division was put
up against an inspection the very
next day by a lieutenant colonel of
the rec liars who, in an official re-
port, criticised the division in stringent
fashion for 'laXity'' in saluting, dirty
uniforms and undue familiarity of
the officers with their men"
This statement was made by Col.
w. H. Carpenter. a prominent Demo-
cratic lawyer of Marion, Kan, who
has been doing Red Cross work in
France He described the inspection
report as one of the most outrageous
and reprehensible documents that had
ever been written" He had brought a
copy of it home with him and read
excerpts of it to the Kansas members
of congress. He charged that it was
ii sample of the continual disparage-
ment of the work of the national
guard troops by the regular army. He
said every Kansan would resent it
when the facts were known.
Were Dog Tired Then.
THE division was just coming out
of the worst battle of the war" Colo
mel Carpenter said. They had fought
for six days and five nights con-
were catnaps on the ground, with
shells bursting around and screaming
overhead continuously. They left the
battle area October 1. October 2, as
they were marching back to. the rest
area, dog tired, many wounded, a big
limousine drove up and a spick and
span lieutenant colonel from the in
spector generals department, who
hadn't been under fire or in the bat.
tie, stepped out and began the inspec-
ton. The report on the division COW
ers the way it marched into camp and
the next few days, while they were
! trying to rest their nerve racked
bodies. My God, what an awful crime
it was that the officers should show
undue familiarity with the men with
whom they had been thru that hell
together! How could they expect their
uniforms and their rolling kitchens to
be clean after going thru a battle the
| like of which they had just won. And
the laXity in saluting after what they
had just been thru
Colonel Carpenter read one para
graph of the inspection report to the
which, he said, he particularly resent
ed. 1t said:
Hits National Guard
'Most of the organizations inspected
! showed all the earmarks of national
guard units, which they are. Captains
and neutenants were continually no
| ticed (the report covered the period
; october to 3, Immediately after the
! battle) on most familiar terms with
enlisted men. Most of the orders that
L heard given were in a more or less
apologize and familiar tone and me
results were what could be expected"
The report went on to say that the
regim entail officers continually had to
call the enlisted men to stand atten-
! ton and salute the inspector as he
made his rounds of inspection.
IA And all this was just after they
had got out of battle?' one member
/ asked.
! 1.-The very next day." Colonel Car
! penter replied.
Tells OF 35th Losses,
/ Col. W. H. Carpenter substantiated
in many particulars the charges made
| by Governor Henry Allen of the losses
| of the Thirty-fifth division and its lack
of artillery support during the last