The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1921-04-28
JUSTICE PLANNED
FOR CEN. EDWARDS
ne is SOON TO BE APPOINTED
AND CoNFIRMED-As MAJOR
GENERAL IN THE ARMY.
NAY OPEN BIG CONTROVERSY
Senate Likely to Discuss Fully Cases
of Others Said to Have Been Un-
fairly. Treated and to Uncover the
Facts
BY EDWARD q. CLARK.

MISUNDERSTANDING from what iS
heard in Washington, there seems to
be countrywide interest in the case
Of Brig. Gen. Clarence r. Edwards,
who, it virtually has been announced,
is to be appointed and confirmed as a
major general of the regular army as
soon as congress cOnveneS and the
president and the senate can act
This Edwards case is one of several
eases of general officers of the Ameri-
can army who were sent back from
France with no reason assigned for
the orders returning them to home
| duty. Every one of the cases has
caused comment, some of it caustic,
and not few charges have been made
that injustices were done in several
instances.
Edwards has long been figure in
the regular army. For years he was
the chief of the bureau of insular af-
fairs, a position which is held by a
regular army officer with brigadier
generals rank. Edwards who is an
Ohio man by birth and by bringing up,
was made a brigadier general in the
regular army by President Taft. AL
most as soon as the United States en-
tered the war he was made q major
general Of the national army and sent
to New England where he trained
New England troops, and later led
them across the sea.
Sent Home Without Explanation.
At the time that he was made a
major general, Edwards was the
| ranking brigadier gene al in the regu-
lar army. He commanded his divi-
sion in several fights on the other side,
| and then suddenly and without ex-
PLANTATION was sent back to the Uni
ted States. New England proceeded
to protest and it has been protestin&
ever since. Not long ago many junior
officers in the regular army were made
major generals, every one of whom
was jumped over Edwards head.
This raised more of row, especially
| in New England where the Ohioan
soldiers genius for getting at the
hearts of his men and making every
enlisted man feel that he personally
was known to his chic, had endeared
him to every man who served under
i him.
The administration which conducted
| the war, and the administration Of the
| army, that is, the general staff,
knew-for it must have sensed the
fact-that as soon as the new admin
istratiOn came in something would be
done for Edwards. Now it Is known
that he Is to be nominated as a major
general Of the regular army, is to be
confirmed by the senate and is to be
sent to command one Of the most i'm
portant posts Of the United States,
that Of the Pacific coast.
Washington is wondering it, when
Edwards name comes up for cOnfirma-
ton in the senate, the whole contrO-
versy over the removal of major gen.
erals Of the American army from
command in France while the fighting
was going on will be opened up for
discussion, and IL the truth In each
case will be forthcoming. If so, there
will be some mighty interesting read
ing, and a perfect mess Of charges
and counterchargeS
The Case Of General Shanks.
Brig. Gen. David G. Shanks is the
officer who commanded at the port Of
embarkation at HobOken, N. J. He
shipped two Or three millions Of
men, and the commissary and quarter
master only know how many tons Of
supplies, overseas without a hitch.
Shanks wanted to command a division
in the field, but they kept him at
Hoboken until late in the fall of 1918
and then gave him a division, but he
got across, virtually, only as visitor.
General Shanks was nominated re-
Gently as a major general in the reg
ular army. With others he was not
confirmed, and now he is a brigadier
general again. While he was still a
major general he was sent TO super
sede Edwards in the command in New
England, for Edwards had been
shipped over TO New Jersey to serve
under former Junior. Shanks took
a leave while he was stationed in BCs-s
ton, and it was while he was on leave
that the senate failed to confirm his
appointment as major general. So to-
day he finds himself in a peculiar posi-
ton. If he goes back to Boston where
he served as major general he will
go back as brigadier general, and
actually Junior in rank to the briga-
der general who was assisting him
in command in the New England serv-
ice. There are many cases like this
I'm the army today.
John w Weeks is trying to work
out this promotion problem. 1t eau
be said today that several Of the men
whose names were sent TO the senate
for promotion TO the rank OF major
general. and several more who were
named as brigadier generals. will not
be renamed for the places. Who they
are nobody knows. but the country
probably will hope, with the army,
that justice will be done, that the
truth will come out and that reward
VIII go where it ought to go.