Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-01-04
CONGRESSMAN MOOREyS LETTER
Former Governor Stone Rival of PennypackW
liam Pa,,ons Graceful Way of Saying "NTenson Between
the Regular .4rmy Officers and the Drafted Men

through all those trying times retaining
the good will Of the elders and the political
leaders alike. Nor do the thousands of
passengers who daily walk under the Ar
cade on Fifteenth street or cross the bridge
at Market street, to avoid tho death
curve" from the City Hall and Fifteenth
street to Broad Street Station, know how
much they owe to William A. Patton for
putting those two improvements across"
1t was City Councils and the signature of
Mayor Ashbridge that made the thing eff.
fective, but William A. Patton probably
never worked more industriously on any.
thing than he did to obtain their sanction.
MUCH more than appears upon the sur
AVA face is involved in tho reports Of a
row between the reserve officers and those
in the regular establishment. The new
men who went into the service as volun
teers or through the draft have been held
to pretty strict accounting, and have done
a fair share of the fighting, while promo
tions have seemed to go elsewhere. Among
the rank and file-the s30.a.month men
there is also much complaining because Of
the alleged arbitrariness Of certain of the
officers. In the matter of discharges there
is great deal of dissatisfaction. Some
men are put to unnecessary annoyance
and expense to ascertain their status. This
is due to the department rulings that no
applications for promotion, transfer or dis.
charge will be considered except upon ap-
proval Of the immediate commanding off,
Ger. The immediate commanding officer
sometimes proves to be more Of a martinez
than the circumstances warrant and much
injustice is done. In Washington the prin.
cipal army officers, from Secretary Baker
down, appear to be overwhelmed with
the task ahead Of them, and as CORE
spondence is falling behind, the tension
between them and Congress is increasing.
nELAY in the payment of soldiers al
~ lotments is distressing enough, but one
of the worst Of the War Department lapses
Is the failure promptly 10 notify relatives
of the death of soldiers. The suspense in
such cases is unmerited, and tends to ag.
gravate even the most forbearing and pa.
triotic citizen Take the case of Norton
Downs, Jr., brave young lieutenant, who
enlisted in the aviation section at Essing.
ton, on the Delaware, in June, 1917. After
a course Of training at Cornell University
he was sent to Foggia. Italy, for field
training, after which he went to the Italian
front and engaged in a raid on Pola, Aus.
tria- He displayed such fighting qualities
that he was sent to Ford Junction Aero.
drome, Sussex County, England, as an in.
structor, and while there met his death.
His young widow, the daughter of Henry
c. Thompson. Jr, of Merton, was apprised
by letter, signed by Captain Brakeman, and
dated Sussex, October 26, but the Washing.
ton officials did not confirm the sad news
until December 20. The death of the lieu.
tenant appears TO have been due to fall
in the ocean caused by engine trouble
while flying in foggy weather.
TNHE suggestion that the United States
- Shall consent to the destruction of the
German ships to avoid international com.
plicatons does not appeal to John j. Hen.
derson, the Philadelphia banker To thus
make way with perfectly good and useful
property that we need TO bring our Ameri.
can troops home. and which should be of
service to commerce. strikes Mr.. Hender.
son as being little short of sabotage. He
says It reminds him of the Pennsylvania
Dutchman, whose prospective heirs gave
him so much trouble about his property
that he finally raffled it off to get rid of his
troubles. Not a bad illustration when you
think it over.