Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-12-28
VETERANS SMART
over BOARDS SLUR
HUNDREDS OF REGULAR ARMY
AND GUARD OFFICERS FEEL
AaeRlEvEo.
BRAND OF INEFFIciENcY
CONVEYED eY SLIGHT
Most Notable Omission From List Is
Name Of Col. Theodore Roosevelt
One of Two Iowa Officers Approved
For Staff Duty Saw Little Actual
Service--iowans DoubIy Sighted.
rBy i. G. pnngherty. |

Washington, Dec. 2s.--Hundreds Of
res9lr army officers and hundreds
Of national guard and reserve Off
GERS, whose service in the war was
distinguished by heroic action, are
smartsl.g under the virtual accusa-
ton III "inefficiency" contained in the
report of the special committee se-
lected TO name officers and former
officers eligible for duty with the
army general staff.
Only Two Iowa national guard Of
ficcrs--Col, Mathew A. FINLEY, Of
Council Bluffs. leader Of the famous
! l6sI'i infantry of the Rainbow divi-
sion, and Capt. Ray B. McConlogue,
whose service is understood to have
been confined largely to this coun-
tey-are included In the list, which
contains more than 500 former state
guard officers and emergency or re-
serve officers.
Perhaps the most notable omission
from the list of former soldiers Is the
name OF Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., who
failed to be recommended by the spe-
eial board as sufficiently capable for
general staff duty.
Tho board, which was headed by
General Pershing, and contained only
REGULAR army officers. ruthlessly
sidetracked regular army officers as
we'll as reservists and national
enartlsnen in their selection OF a
total of 612 officers for ultimate SER
vice on the general staff. The most
notable omission among the regulars
Was Gen. Clarence R. Edwards, who
led the New England division in the
war.
The national defense act, which
created the selection board and en-
powered it to name eligibles for gen.
eral staff duty, provided that all d.
vision commanders or commanders OF
higher tactical units in the world war
tor who demonstrated by actual ser.
wee in the world war that they are
sfs1ialifiea for general staff duty. may
lie appointed. Despite this injunction.
e;sisracsous division commanders were
passed over on the theory that they
were not qualified by education,
military experience and character"
which also Is listed as mark Of
eligibility to general staff duty.
The failure tos name more Iowa Of
gire as qualified for staff duty is,
sertain ito be made the basis or
protest by the Hawkeye delegation In
seonsress when details OF the records
If the Town veteran officers are.
s.aced at their disposal It Is ex.
oil 1,o -, III
tho apparent discriminatory actionof
tfe Pershing board in naming poten-
tjal general staff officers is likely to
ensue in congress when important
legislation now before that body has
been disposed of.
Iowa Soldier Out Of Hospital.
Hugo A. Kemman. OF Lowden
iowa, who served as a second leu
tenant in the Seventy fourth engi-
ncers during the world war. has just
been released from Walter Reed
army hospital here as cured. altho he
stiils carries his right arm I'm a sling
s evidence OF the fact that he is not
50 thoroughly Cured" as the army
aoctors adjudged him. Kemman in
tends to take up vocational educa-
trr until his arm is sufficiently
healed to permit him to resume his
civilian status. The right arm OF the
iowa man has been broken and set
four times since April 1919. when he
entered Walter Reed hospital. He
jokingly says that Ne hopes his flu
ture experiences With surgeons will
not be as strenuous as, that while at
the army hospital. He believes IL his
arm Is 'broke'' again, it inay defi-
nftely balk against the treatment Of
the bone members In the army