The Washington herald., 1919-01-18

n. :. BISHOP.
Of the evening. The dinner was ar
ranged by a committee of which r.
$. Bishop was chairman.
Other speakers at the dinner in
cluded Gen. Marshall, Benedict
Crowell, Assistant Secretary of War;
and Capt. Henry G. Gilliland. of the
Loyal North Lancashire Regiment.
who spent two years in a German
prison camp and escaped on the day
that the United States declared war
against Germany.
A rising ovation and three cheers
were given both Gen. Marshall and
Col. 1. W. Littell, first chief of the
division, when their names were mem
toned by the toastmaster.
Praises CroweII and Baker.
In presenting Secretary Crower, the
toa astmaster stated that there had
been heard of late some criticism
of the War Department, but that
so far as he knew there are only
three people who never make mis-
takes-the dead. liars and those who
do nothing
We do know. Mr.. Secretary" he
declared, that the War Department
did its duty and what it did made
the winning of the war possible. When
the history OF the war is written
there will be two names that rank
high i'm its annals-Newton d. Baker
and Benedict CrowelI. There is only
one other who would be received with
/ more enthusiasm than these two, ana
he is 5.OOO miles overseas.
The dinner was featured by an
unusually attractive program Of
songs, acts and skits. while war
time melodies sung to orchestral
accompaniment by the diners them
selves included such favorites as
Pack Up Your Troubles" Smiles. -
"Hindustan." The Star Spangled
, Banner" and AUD Lang Syne."
\ special trio of singers from the
Villa Loghey, Bessie Sanford and
| Frances Scherzer were given many
encOres in appreciation of their
wonderful singing. Mrs. Julian
Brylawski also sang several solos
and distributed roses at the speak
ers' table. These acts and an
Army Skit," written by Capt. Van
BlarkOm, were put on under the
direction of c. w. O'Connor. of the
War Service Commission.
Receives Humorous TeIegrams.
+ During the course of the dinner
Gen. Marshall and his officers were
kept busy reading humorous ''tele-
grams concerning construction
quartermasters as to the progress
or lack Of same on projects in vari-
Gus sections of the country.
Mr.. Mehren's address in part fol-
lows:
To do honor to the Construction
Division as a whole and to its off,
GERS; to- celebrate their achievement
in building the cantonments in
ninety days, and in building. sub
sequently. warehouses. munitions
and explosives plants, hospitals, en-
barkation ports, etc, totalling $780,
100000 in cost; TO bear tribute to
the efficiency and economy OF their
work, and to their attitude of fair
ness to contractors and manufac-
turers, at the same time guarding
scrupulously the interests of the
government; to express appreciation
of the courtesy and confidence in
which negotiations were always car
ried on; to testify to the esteem in
which the officers as individuals are
held by their friends, and, finally,
as their great work draws to a close,
to bid them farewell and God speed
in the activities to which they re-
turn-these are the objects OF the
dinner tonight.
Never has a body of engineers and
n1 do 81
tremendous a job. Never were the
conditions more unfavorable for sue
cess. The material that was in hand
had to be used, rather than that
which was most suited to the work,
transportation facilities were terribly
congested, labor was frequently ineffi-
cient.
| With these bad conditions were COM
bined the enormous size of the job
and the terrific speed with which
every part of it had to be put through.
Had there been in waiting a fully
prepared organization, composed OF
| trained men who had long worked
| together, the job would have been hard
enough.
But there was no organization.
Thirty men constituted the available
| force in April, 1917. In a few months,
however, the big job was running
smoothly. By selecting the ablest
construction men the country afforded
and uniting them under an intelligent,
| OPEN minded leadership it has been
possible not merely to master the job,
but to do it with a brilliance that
has attracted attention Throughout the
country.
An Organization of 5000.
'It is fitting. therefore, that those
who have seen the organization at
close range, and watched it expand
from the original band of thirty to
smoothly functioning organlzatio
of 5000, should join in a public trib-
ute to those who have written the
name Of the construction division so