Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-01-02

! not, they cannot obtain capital except
at ruinous rates, the payment OF
which will leave them impoverished.
sPOudNG THE DECORATIONS.
The decoration awarded by a gov
eminent for especially meritorious
service i usually regarded as a prec-
ious thing. beyond price, and to be
considered on a basis entirely differ
ent from that appropriate to the or
binary compensations. 1t Is not un-
usual to read of the veteran who is
found in hunger and rags who has
lost his grip N life and its material
possessions, who has lost his money,
goods and friends, who yet clings to
the faded ribbon or the bit Of tarnish-
ed metal which is the symbol OF his
country's recognition Of work we'll
done, OF service worthily performed.
It is that sentiment which gives to
the decoration its value, and it Il es-
sential that il 1t shall continue to be
held In honor, it shall be bestowed
freely and spontaneously, unsousht
and unbargained for.
1t is a matter OF profound regret
that there has arisen a controversy
over tho awarding Of American naval
decorations which, II It does not ut
teriy destroy the value Of those en-
hlems,- tends to cheaper them, both
in the eyes of those to whom they
are awarded and of the general pub
nc
The secretary of the navy and the
admiral in command are not in &C
cord as to the basis on which honor
should be conferred. 1t Is not strange
that there should be differences of
opinion. 1t would be strange II there
were none, for it is not to be expect,
ed that the judgment Of any two men
will be exactly alike on such matters.
But it ought to have been possible
to harmonic these differences with
out advertising their existence to the
world and thus arousing the partisan
ship which is the inevitable accom-
p%anin1ent Of such q controversy.
But the controversy does not stop
with the two men who ought to be
competent to settle It.. Other admi-
rats, supporting their superior, are
refusing their decorations, and in
some cases because the honors ten
dered are held to be inadequate. At
least two ~admirals have written in
this strain, setting forth the charac-
ter OF their services. and arguing that
the faithful performance Of these ser
vices entities them to higher awards
than had bee proposed for them.
One OF these officers, Admiral Decker,
asserts that it was he who, at a crit
teal time, prevented Spain from en-
tering the war as the ally of Germany.
Aside from its bearing in other re-
spects the publication of such an as
sertion is a particularly unfortunate
blunder which may quite conceivably
bring from the Spanish government
a request for explanations, and which.
in any event, is not likely to contrib
ute to good feeling between the two
nations. If it is a fact hat Spain was
inclined to join Germany. and that
any man representing the American
government in any capacity was in
strumental in ~dissuading her, the
proper place for the record of that
fact is in the secret archives Of our
government until. in the judgment Of
those in charge of our foreign rela-
tons, the public interest demands
that it be disclosed.
This decidedly unfortunate diplo-,
matte feature is aside from the dec
Grafton controversy itself. If it is
permissible for admirals to set forth
the reasons why they should be high
ly honored, the same privilege should
be extended to their subordinate Of
dce1s and to the enlisted sailors. The
logical sequence would be the inaugu-
ration of campaigns for the decora-
ton of this or that favorite, with the
result that the man who could frame
up the strongest campaign would get
the highes, decoration.
There is, however, one element that
would put an end to such an unseem-
ly contest. Decorations won in such
a manner would speedily lose their
value. Material value they have
none. and when the sentiment that
surrounds them is destroyed there is
nothing left to struggle for.
The best thing that can be done
now-if it is not too late-is to choke
off all the debaters and bottle IN all
the controversy. and If there are any
differences to be adjusted, let them
be adjusted behind closed doors. 80
that when decorations are given we
shall still have a feeling that they
mean something.
TRICKS OF THE TYPES.