El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-02-28
WHAT Il WE Do
With PERSHING?

WASHINGTON. ID. c.. Feb 2s.-A
question which now is causing much
I perturbation in high army and ad-
lministration circles is that Of properly
assigning a general commanding the
armies OF the United states.
BY grace OF an appreciatiTe congress
this nation now has an official OF
I that rank and title, but neither con-
gress nor the army has any work for
Gen Pershing is the highest mill
tary diguitary in the United states
He has back Of him such a military
experience as has come to no other
nan. But a peace time organization
provides no work for him TO do. de
is a general without an army, which
Is q good deal like being a carpenter
without tools or a cowboy without
History Of the Rank.
And O general is some pumpkins
in this country. In the recent war
there were three Americans who
ranked as general FOR the emergency
-Pershings March and Bliss OF
these three congress has made the
rank Of one permanent Pershing
alone emerges as general for life. In
the civil war three men attained this
coveted rank. They were Grant. Sher-
man 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 per-
maneut rank OF general commanding
the armies OF the United States on
Pershing, Il seems 10 have done so
without taking thought Of the situa-
tiOn IL would create It Is not the
first time that ranks conferred by
congress have created embarrassment
Congress made commodore Dewey,
OF the days Of the Spanish american
war, the admiral Of the navy" This
-
honor. Yet as admiral of the navy
this popular hero found his occupa-
tion gone, and the navy departm ent
was at q loss 10 know what 20 do
with the doughty fighter. The final
solution was 10 make him chief OF the
general board OF tie navy. an agency
which, happily, came into being At
about that time.
When Gen Pershing came back
from France he opened up offices in
Washington and there held court for
a few days, ostensibly completing the
rehabilitation Then he went on a
long deferred vacation. and shot a
deer In the Adirondack. Returning
10 Washington he went. or was sent,
on a trip OF inspection Of all the
posts OF the nation
WhutFu We 10 About lit
The problem OF what 20 do with
him arises chiefly because Of the
present organization OF the army. If
there were LlelQ army the general
might be placed In command, but tho
army l. divided into departments. The
commanders Of the different depart
ments are OF equal rank There Is no
individual who exercises authority
over them all The departments are
directed from Washington by the
commander in chief. who is president
Of the United States he works
through r secretary OF war. The
secretary OF war has a chief OF staff
appointed By the president He is
the immediate advisor OF the secretary
OF war on all matters relating 20 the
military establishment, and is charged
by the secretary OF war with the
planning, development and execution
OF the army program. According 70
the old regulations he takes rank and
precedence over all OF the other Of
Ulcers OF the army.
This job OF chief OF staff seems TO
be ne only berth that would suit
the rank OF general Quite naturally
Pershing Is mentioned for H. Il IS
already snugly held down however.
by Cen Peyton c. March, who Is six
feet three In height March has