Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-03-09
Edwards to Get
Deserved Promotion

""oiiiiiS loL' MAI. Cine lnlOen-
tial friends that Brig. Gen. Clarence
r. Edwards has in the new admins
tratlon make it virtually certain that
the ranking brigadier of the army
will be one of the first named by
President Harding for promotion to
the permanent rank of major general
The failure to promote him was a
moving reason for the refusal of the
Senate to confirm the last batch of
nominations of major generals sent
in by President Wilson.
Mr. Harding is known to have a
high regard for Gen. Edwards as an
officer of achievement, and there is
the additional consideration that Gen.
Edwards is also an Ohioan, a fact
that Mr.. Harding recalled in private
conversation before his Inauguration.
At least two high members of the
administration may be said to be
sympathetic towards the Edwards
side of tn army controversy that re-
suited in his name being eliminated
from the list of officers nominated for
promoting to ma jor- general.
Vice Prcs;dent Coolidge, while Gov
crnor of Massachusetts,, was the head
of national guard units that served
in the goth division overseas, and it
is charged by New Englanders that
Gen. Edwards was removed from his
command of the division shortly be-
fore the armisticc because he insisted
on taking the national guard side of a
controversy with higher officers in
France. The fact that Secretary of
War Weeks is familiar with the re-
sentiment in New England against the
treatment of Gen. Edwards is held to
have an important bearing upon Gen.
Edwards chances of being slated for
carly promotion,
Gen. Edwards has many loyal
friends in New England who have
frequently charged that he has been
deliberately overlooked by the war
department. Both in Congress and
in efforts to reach the Wilson adj
ministration they have protested
against his having been jumped for
mpromotion by Junior officers. His
name was not on the list of 33 off,
GERS recommended for promotion
which the Senate refused to confirm
last month. and New England sena-
tors, notably Senator Lodge, took the
lead in opposition to the army nomi-
nations When the new administra-
ton is ready to submit another list
of army nominations, Gen. Edwards
name. it is believed, will be included
among those recommended for pro-
motion.
Now that the regular army has
been reduced to $4,000 men, it APP
pears to be the policy of the new
administration to develop the nation
al guard. Under the army reorgani-
cation scheme, civilian officers from
the reserve and national guard will
be placed in temporary places Of re-
sponsibility.
These considerations serve to indi-
cate that the war department seeks
closer relations with the national
guard, and it is thought likely that
Gen. Edwards friends will urge his
promotion on the ground that it
would help to eliminate the resent
ment of national guard officers with
grievances against the regular army
arising out Of the war.
Gen. Edwards has been jumped
for promotion since the war by 10
general officers, some of whom were
lieutenant colonies while he was
still q brigadier. Gen. Pershing
and Mai. Gems. Leonard Wood. and
William s. Sharpe are the only off,
GERS who were promoted to brjga-
der general before Gen. Edwards,
who has retained. the same perma-
nent rank since 1912.--Special to
Boston Herald. ", -