The Washington times., 1920-07-25
RESENTSFICHT
ON ARMY MEN
Attack in "Reclassiticationist'
is Answered by Miss Wood
for War Risk Employees.

Resentment at an attack by the
Rec la ssi sincationist on the employ
meat of an army offcer in a civilian
position in the War Risk Bureau
was strongly voiced yesterday after
noon by several thousand employees In
the bureau.
The Recls clsssincstionist. the official
publication OF the joint conference on
lassiacstion, last week printed an
al Iticle which attracted wide stien-
ton. under the title, THE Boots and
Spurs OF Miiitsrism in the Treasury
Department"
This article declared that under re-
there would be specific
provision for the position OF personnel
officer In the Bureau OF War Risk
Insurance, and there could then be
no pretext for assigning an officer OF
the army TO such duty"
Ii continued by stating that the
employment OF army officers In a
civilian position lis destructive OF
democratic ideals; that the boots and
spurs OF militsrism should thus md
place OF authority in a purely civil
establishment of the Government"
In communication signed by
Debora E Wood. AS "a disinterested
a
Insurance who Is promptly solely by
sense OF fairness" such statemen mt
is bitterly asssiled. The statement Of
Miss Wood, which is said TO be shared
by many other employees in the
bureau. follows:
MISS WOODS STATEMENT.
The result OF all criticism Is either
constructive or destructive. The re-
~
Bureau OF War Risk Insurance in the
Hitherto. it has helped the employees
and officials to attain a higher degree
OF efficiency; II has keyed up each
empioye TO the highest pitch OF in
dividual endeavor. Thus. in a sense,
IL has helped the bureau to accomplish
the splendid results in regard to bet
ter public service, more efficient
business management. and more sound
organization which have been achiev-
ed during the past eight months.
There is no escaping the throes of
birth even for our Government itself
when it attempts to create and per
feet business of the bureaus magni-
tude. Mistakes have necessarily been
made during the development OF ac-
tivities in the Bureau OF War Risk
tHSufdHCc. 1TlttClsN. 10 some eNt~Ht,
has been justified in the past. But
the public has been kept so well In
formed of the Bureaus struggle for
efficiency by the steady volley of
abuse and adverse criticism from time
to time that there IL danger now OF
its entirely overlooking the bureaus
remarkable achievements.
Although the result OF adverse
criticism of bureau activities in the
past has been constructive, the day
has arrived when such criticism is
no longer justifiable, and. therefore.
the result in future may be destruc-
tive. Attention 10 directed to this
danger in regard to the criticism of
the loan OF certain officials to the
Bureau OF War Risk Insurance which
Is printed in an article published by
The Reclassificationist' on July II,
1920, should be the statements set
forth therein be taken seriously.
mot VOICE OF ENPLOYEs.-
"The Voice Of the Joint Conference
on Reconsideration is evidently not
the voice of the 1000 employees Of the
Bureau of War Risk Insurance. 1t
resembles the voice OF the prophets
or old inasmuch as IL deals largely
in parallels. The world has progress
ed very much since the days of the
Pharisee, and today, fortunately.
straightforward facts and sound logic,
rather than par ables, are affecting mod
ern business administration. This is
true of the Bureau OF War; Risk Insur-
ance. which has finally attained a hig h
degree OF efficiency achieved by the
most modern and improved business
methods. a considerable share OF the
bureaus Improvement can be traced
directly to personnel activities. There
fore, while the employees OF the bu-
reau are heartily in favor OF rsclas-
sification. their voice is not the voice
of the joint conference on reclassifi-
cation as set forth in the article un-
der discussion. The 1000 employees in
the Bureau of War Risk Insurance
protest against that voice" reflect
ing. as it were, the old-fashioned log ic
of parable days. should the article
be taken seriously It might not only
stifle all future progress along Ger
tain limos in the bureau itself, but
might also tend to raise the
military above the civil' in the minds
OF the readers. which, unless the su.
thor is misjudged. was not the in
tention.
THE civilian officials and emp' ,yes
of the Government departments have
right to resent the assertion. and
all similar statements, made in the
Reclassifcationist' to the effect that
the sssig gnment OF an army officer to
such o position as official in q depart
ment cast discredit upon the army,
because II shows that the members Of
military profession, while uph olding &
superior accomplishments, etc. are
not averse to occupying positions
whose duties negative tho claim and
reduce 1t to pretense.' The people
OF this republic object to such a state