The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1921-03-17
NEW SECRETARY OF WAR KNOWS
HE MUST ADJUST MATTERS
BETWEEN FACTIONS.
PERSONAL FEELING IS HIGH
Charges Of Favoritism In Promotions
and Of injustice Toward Certain or
heers viii Be Srfted and Wrong
Conditions Corrected.
BY EDWARD @. CLARK.

| cruise Oh which capt. John w. Weeks
has embarked and which probably is
to continue for four years, and the
| captain knows IL. John W. Weeks Is
/ the new secretary of war, but he won
his title of captain while serving AS
sailor la the Spanish.American war
lie is graduate of Annapolis.
Few people perhaps have a keen
| perception Of existing personal con
| ditIOns' IN the war department today
/ The war brought various disagreeable
/ things as its companions, and while
| the war Is gone, 1t has left its com
/ panions quartered, temporarily ut
least, la the rooms Of the War depart
ment. These matters have been dis
! cussed before to some extent, but pur-
| pOScly the Nirulence of personal feel.
/ ing as between factions In the depart
ment has not been dwelt upon. Al
/ the root OF the whole thing are the
/ charges Of favoritism and promotion
and Of the denial to officers Of com
/ manding ability places To which they
/ were said to be entitled, and the sub
/ stitutiun for them Of men of inferior
/ rank and of pethaps less distinguished
I service
Congress today has held up the con
| drmatiun of twenty-five or thirty, or
/ perhaps more. officers who were com
/ missiuuod rs brigadier generals. Most
/ Of these officers were given promotion
/ over the heads Of seniors Of the sery-
/ ice. and the charge Of course is that
| fayortism IN responsible.
Must See That Justice Is Done.
The new secretary of war must Of
necessity make 1t one OF his first du-
/ ties to uud out the truth concerning
every charge OF fayurtism Ia promo
/ ton IN the army. aud must attempt TO
/ deal ont cycn-haudcd justice even II
/ the process shall result In throwing a
| lot OF hriEadirr generals back into the
| colonel rank aud hooStiug lot of col
oncls into the hrigadier ranks. 1t will
be no easy job to get the truth, and no
| pleasant job to deny the men alrendy
named for general rank the right to
wear their stars
Your correspondent can say that for
month al least John W Weeks has
been studying the army situation. lie
has been getting Information from Of
hc,rs who have been connected In any
way with either faction TO the army
/ controversy. There are plenty OF such
officers. for many service men hold po-
stious alouf from the influences Of
| rnctionnlism. Army officers who have
been retired for some time, but who
/ have kept closely In touch with every
thing that has gone on In the war de-
/ partment have been able doubtless To
give some counsel TO the Incoming
secretary.
II seems likely that almost as soon
| rs the new congress assemblies an at
tempt will be- made 20 investigate the
whole matter Of promotions In the
service. Investigation may go deeper
than this.
IA ding to Continue Conferences.
Politicians. according to their view
point praised or poked fun at Presi-
dent llurding's conferences with the
best minds of the country. Some
persons have said that the aggrega-
| lion of ntcllectuals really was such,
and others have said that there was
enough Notwithstanding in the gath
,riups To bring them far below the
hnMc plane In American mentality.
However one may view the new
Presidents many conferences, and the
cupabillties of the numerous ones who
an, called To them, II apparently Is MS
intention almost instantly to start
npain his best mind" conferences, this
time bringing into the conference hall
the leaders of the Republican party In
house and senate TO advise with them
concerning legislation and the meth
DDS 10y which II can be put through
quickly.
During the last week Of the Wilson
administration there were several
members of MIR. Harding's chosen cab
met officials in Washington. They
were lu frequent conference with one
another and with the Republican lead
ers of house aud senate. Mr. Harding
M the very outset of his administers
ton will have In hand certain re-
ports from these cabinet officials Civ
ing advance information concerning
what men like Lodge, Penrose, Ford
ney. Mondell, Mann, McComher, Len
root. Gillett and others think should
be done to expedite legislation and
To satisfy the country"
After the President has had a
chance To study these advance reports
IL is his intention either personally "a
confer with these leaders "in d
bunch" or TO take them one by .one
into conference In ordet that he may
he able without embarrassment 10
either party 10 the conference TO &c,
straight individual opinions concern
ing the legislative course to be pur
sued.
Foreign Relations Difficult.
When II comes to question of dis
,ussiOn concerning foreign relations