New-York tribune., 1920-01-14
House Orders
Inquiry Into
Army Medals
Calls on Baker to Give Full
Information After Hear.
ing Charges That Many
Awards We're Improper
New York Tribune
WASHINGTON Bureau

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13.-The House
to-day, by vote of 1873 to l23. adopted
the resolution of Representative Gal
livan' Of Massachusetts, calling upon
secretary of War Baker for complete
Information regarding the awards of
the Distinguished Service Medals. AL
though the author of the resolution is
democrat, most of the support for
MS resolution came from the Republi
can side of the Chamber, and most of
tne Democrats voted against it. Its
adoption was preceded by several hours
OF stormy debate in which Mr.. Gallivan
took the leading part, charging that
the morale of the enlisted men in the
army has been destroyed, that the Off
GERS are dissatisfied with selections for
promotions, and that the General Staff
has bungled the centre military situa-
ton" '''0"
General Peyton c. March, chief of
criticism by the Massachusetts mem. r
per, who in his long speech also re-
ferred in satirical vein to many Of the
offlcers who never saw active service.
put who were given the Distinguished
Service Medal. He called some Of them
lounge lizards, or boulevard shock
troops of Paris, Chaumont and Tours"
Calls General March Autocratic
General March, Mr.. Gallivan said
was the "high priest Of Prussianism."
He recalled the famous phrase at
tributed to the Kaiser. "Me und Gott"
and said General March saw mo rea-
son for including Gott."
The reading of the sum total of the
citations in awarding the D. S. M. to
swivel chair officers of the General
Staff who never left Washington dur
ing the war, if believed" said Mr..
Gallivan, "would certainly impress one
with the fact that the war was fought
with red ink at the mahogany desks
near the shadow Of the Washington
Monument rather than in the Argonne
and the st. Mihiel sectors"
An effort made by Mr.. Gallivan HIM
self to shut off debate on his resolu-
tion at the conclusion of his remarks
failed, both Republicans and Democrats
opposing it, and for two hours Demo
Gratis attacked the Massachusetts, mem
Der and charged that he had no foun-
dation for his assertions.
Representative Bee, Democrat, of
Texas, said that in his eightmonths' SER
vice in the House he hadi found two kinds
of members, constructive and those
who delighted Gin carping criticism"
"The gentleman from Massachusetts"
he said. "is in the latter class. He
belongs in the front row. If he had
been here in 1912 he would have
criticized Andrew Jackson for using
cotton bales at the Battle of New
Orleansg and not finding something
else. If he had been here in 1851
he would have criticized Abraham
Lincoln for not consulting him about
the way to conduct the war"
Representative De Walt, of Penn
sylvana, another Democrat, also at
tackled Mr. Gallivan as a critic, only
Of the men who were at the head Of
the War Department. He declared
General March had high sense of
honor and had shown great efficiency
ard that in fairness he was entitled to
the honor given him. Representatives
Steele of Pennsylvania; Caldwell, of
New York, and Moore, of Virginia, all
Democrats, took the same attitude.
Representative Royal johnson, Re-
publican of South Dakota, who served