Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1923-01-25

remedy some of the lame places, one
of which is the recall of the army Of
ficers, to their respective post Of duty,
instead of commanding set of part
tally trained civilians, as all the ex-
service men, now in the bureau are
simply American citizens Invested
with all military authority, and it is
not in any sense proper to place civil
ians under the command of West
Point or Annapolis trained men, be-
cause, for the business of tie work of
any Of the Departments, outside the
War and Navy Departments, the
trained military man has no place,
either as commanding officer or
worker, especially in time of peace,
and the act Of Secretary Weeks in re-
calling the officers that had been de-
tailed to the Veterans Bureau, will
add efficiency and progressive work
in tiat bureau.
Soon after the close Of the war, an
army officer was detailed, as the head
of the persinnel, for the reason, that
he had proven successful in ordering
the enlisted men in the works in
France, to the success Of efforts to
organize for labor in the field but
hi smilitary theories demoralized the
men and women in the bureau and
when it came to relying on the SUBJ
ordinates, he failed often to meet the
desired ends, because too many fav-
crate pets were in the very places,
that he had to depend for subordinate
management, and then to carry into
the bureau, his ideas Of military act
ions, he introduced and put into oper-
alton the taking Of "Cyclonomical
tent" with about $1,000 employees at
that time, prior to the days Of COL
Forbes, where about four were en-
gagged in taking these tests, and it
meant the expenditure Of many thous-
ands Of dollars and they were taken
on blanks used in the army. at the
time Of the enlistment Of officers es-
pecially, being army blanks, and this
was done when the very greatest de-
mand was made for and by the sol
diers and their home for the exped-
iting of the work Of getting out the
compensation and insurance claims,
with much of TIE allotment and al
lowan on claims untouched, and an
army officer used up days after days
Of the time that should have been
used in furnishing relief to the men
in the hospitals, at the homes Of ex-
services men. in testing men and wo-
men for military service, as this test
was only fol such service.
Now the army officers have been
recalled and the Veteran Bureau
should be run by the common citi-
zen" and the work should be run by
t common citizen" and the work
should be conducted with view of
reaching the most good to the great
er number of needy, deserving exser-
vice men, and the widows and or
plant Of overseas" men, and with
the Presidents view, of first caring
for those who are in tie hospitals or
suffered lose of limb or is in any way
disabled by reason of the war, and
with a trained set of subordinate Of
ficials, and less supervisor" the de-
serving will have no cause for COM
plant, but do not let it be forgotten
that it was the cold men and girls
and women" that did the work in tt is
War Risk Bureau, as it was then,
when the boys were in the trenches in
France, and that it was work for
"horne and country with them, and
then it might be well to remember
that many of those who are now in
line of clammoring, are the ones, who
enlisted" and was commissioned and
assigned to desk in Washington,
and are to day paradine as one of tie
eyservice men, 50 it is well, to con-
slider was he "over there" or in line
to go "over there" had the war con
tinued.
There are many slips between the
cup and the lip, it is said but there
las been and are yet much to do to
get the Veterans Bureau in the work.
ing of the order of Departments, but
many desirable changes have been
made, and more viii be made, until
those whose service is to be served, /;
will organized bureau.