Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-06-04
NO RUSH TO EUROPE
IN SIGHT THIS YEAR
Modification Of Passport Rules
Has Comparatively Re-
stricted Effect
ONLY NECESSARY GRANTS
BY a stoS coyespondext

.By a sta6 Coryespondext
Washington, June 4.-There is very
little in the situation in connection
with the modification recently made in
the rules with regard to granting pass
ports to wives or mothers of soldiers
to encourage the belief that more than
q handful will be able to 60 to Europe
to join their soldier husbands or sons
at any time this summer.
The announcement made by Secretary
Baker on May ID that he "had notified
the State Department that on and after
June Is the War Department will in
!. terpose no objections to the granting
Of passports to the wives or mothers Of
American officers and enlisted men who
may wish to 60 to Europe" gave rise to
the almost general belief that the War
Department was going to carry unlim-
tied numbers of mothers and wives Of
American officers and men to France
at government expense and maintain
them while there.
Such is far from the fact. All that
Secretary Baker did was to remove the
specific objection of the War Depart
ment, made early in the war at the
request of the Allies, to permitting
close relatives Of members of the Ameri
can expeditionary force to 90 to Europe.
.cretary Bakers note did not affect
the general policy of the State Depart
ment with regard to granting passports.
In the first place the War Depart
Inent is not going to carry the women
over or bring them back, and they must
pay their own expenses while over there.
No relative of an officer or enlisted
sman who is scheduled for early return
IL to be permitted to 60 over. .-t
Applications from women in this
Country to be permitted to go over will
mot be recognized. The applications
must originate with the soldier serving
abroad and must come to the War De-
partment through the commanding gen.
eral of the American expeditionary force
who must first be assured: (First) That
the officer desires his wife, mother or
other immediate members Of his family
to join him; (Second) That it meets
with the approval of the commanding
general of the American expeditionary
force, and (Third) That the period of
duty to which the officer is assigned will
be sufficient to justify his wife or other
relatives joining him.
The application must also be accom- :
panied by a certifcation that the re-
quest for transportation is for his wife
z or a member of his immediate family
who is dependent on him for support,
and that he is able to provide actommo
dations for her while in France and
care for her without financial assist
ance from the government and that in
event transportation on government
boat is not available, he is prepared to
obtain return passage for her on a COM
mercial liner.
In his first statement on this subject
made Immediately following his return
on his last visit to France Secretary
Baker called attention to the very diff
ficult conditions of living in Europe,
the high cost of food and lodgixe and
the uncertainties of obtaining trans
portation by ship over and back and by
rail in Europe. He also warned that
nobody would be permitted to 90 over
who was unprepared to stay six months.
Secretary Baker also made it very
clear that the War Department is pro-
hibite by law from carrying civilians on
its transports and will be unable to as
sure assistance in the way of trans
portation.