Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1920-01-23

WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. 17--A question
wv which just is causing much pertur-
baton in high army and administration
circles is that of properly assigning general
commanding the armies of the United States"
By grace of an appreciatve congress, this
nation now has an official of that rank and title,
but neither congress nor the army has any work
tor him to do
General Pershing is the highest military dig
nitary in the United States today. He has back
OF him such military experience as las come
to no other But peace-tme organization
provides work for him to do He is a gen.
efal without an army, which is a good deal like
being a carpenter without tools or cowboy
without pony
And a general is some pumpkins in this
country. In the recent war there were three
Americans who ranked as general for the emer-
gency-Pershing, March al. Bliss. Of these
three, congress has made the rank of per-
manent. PerShing alone energies as general
for life. In the Civil war three men attained
this coveted rank They were Grant, Sherman
and Sheridan. Before that but one man in the
nation had ever ranked as general, and that man
was George Washington.
When congress conferred the permanent rank
of general commanding the armies of the United
States on PerShing, it seems to have done so
without taking thought of the situation it would
create. 1t is not the first time that ranks con-
ferred by congress have or ted embarrassment.
There was Major General William L. Sbert, for
instance, who had long career of usefulness
back of him as an engineer officer He built
the Gatun dam, at Panama, and congress- in
appreciation made him major general. II hap
pened that the engineer corps of the army was
so a. ganized that there was no provision in it
for an officer who ranked so high. So SibertS
profession was taken from him and a situation
created that made the utilization of his services
difficult until the war presented the task of
organizing the chemical wartate Servi3e.
Congress made Rear Admiral Dewey, of the
days Of The Spanish-Amercan war, the admiral
Of the navy" This was special post created
in his honor. YET as admiral of the navy this
popular hero found his occupation gone, and
The navy department was at a loss to know
what to do with tn doughty figh>e r. The final
SOLUTION was to make him chief of the general
board Of the navy. an agency which, happily,
came into being at about that time.
When General Pershng came back from
Trance he opened up offices in Washington sna
there held court for a few days, oStensibly COM
plotting the rehabilitation. Then he went onI
a long--deferred vacation. 4 shot deer I'M
the AdirondackS. Returning to Washington, he
went, or was sent, OIL trip OF inspection of all
the posts OF the nation. Most of these posts
had been created since that date in 1917 when
he sailed away to command the American ex-
pcdtionary forces. Pershin4 was to see what
he could of the work done at home in making /
his army 1t is no! known that there is any !
other object II this trip thar to give the gen |
eIal trip. Il was temporary solution a. the |
question q what 10 do witt him. The try is /
di"NirG toward close and the difficulty will |
again be thrust to the fore.
Tn: problem arises chiefly because OF the
present organization of sthe army If thsrc were /
. field army, the general might be placed in )