Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1923-07-05
ALL AWARDS OF HoNoRs BY
u. S. FOR SERVICES IN WORLD
WAR HAVE BEEN MADE.
THEY NUMBER NEARLY 10000
Many Americans Have Received For
eign Decorations, but Hereafter Per-
mission for Their Acceptance Must
Be Obtained From Congress.
AZ EDWARD 3. CLARK

closed down on comforting Of honors.
A board of officers spent four years
going over the citations for valor and
fol-. services generally, and now all the
medals have been pinned on"
Nearly ten thousand medals, crosses
and stars have been conferred on
American soldiers for individual acts
of heroism or for general devotion to
duty. 1t is possible that in the fu-
ture some few cases which have been
overlooked or which have been mis-
understood will be given considera-
ton, and that few men who have
been denied the right to wear honors
which they have deserved will get
them, but for the main part the medal
and cross giving is over.
Thousands of Americans who served
in the great wax have been given for
eign decorations. There seems to be
a general public belief that most of
these foreign medals and crosses were
given to ranking officers Of the Ameri-
can army and to high officials of this
government who did war work in civil
ian capacity. The pellet is not well
founded; the great majority of for
eign decorations were given to Junior
officers Of the armed service and to
.'non-coms' and enlisted men.
French Honored Many Soldiers.
The French were particularly active
in their endeavors to reward with
honors the acts of soldiers who were
serving in subordinate capacities. The
French always acted quickly. There
are cases il which the French pinned
medals for heroism on the breasts of
American soldiers within a few hours
after the act was performed which
won the decoration. The United
States gov eminent has been much
more deliberate, and in many cases
years passed before heroic act, al
ready recognized by the foreigner, was
given recognition by the government
Of the man who performed the deed.
Today men in the service of the
United States must receive special
permission of their government before
they can receive any foreign decora-
ton In wartime the regulation was
relaxed
Years ago it took the shah of Per
STA two years to get permission to
give snuffbox to Richmond Pearson,
who It that time was American min
lister at Teheran The khedive of
Egypt in an elder day petitioned for
I. 10 oh1 RI GO
cure permission to bestow on an
American, Ethelbert Watts, the deco
ration of the Order of the Osmanlik.
Congress Often Hesitant.
When Lieut.. Gen. Adna r. Chaffee
and some other American army Off
GERS with him went to France about
twenty years ago to witness the
French army maneuvers the French
government desired to give the deco
ration of the Order of the Legion of
Honor to the general, and minor deco
ratiOns to the other American officers.
The desire to honor Chaffee was based
on his fine military record as an Off
Ger of the American army, but in part
unquestionably because the general
had written some things about the
general excellence of the French ma
neuvers and of the French military
system generally.
1t is possible if France had not
been republic the. congress of the
United States would have declined to
grant the necessary permission to the
American officers to receive the deco
rations. Permission finally was given.
King Edward VII of England tried
five times before he finally was sue
cessful to secure permission from con-
gress to give a silver inkstand to an
American who had been this coun-
try's consul at Kingston, Jamaica. At
that time King Edward also wanted to
present a silver writing-set to Arthur
NJ. Beaupre and several coronation
medals, a sword or two and several
silver watches to various Americans
who at one time or another had served
their country in Jamaica or who had
been visitors at the island in their
capacity of army and navy officials.
Edward stuck to his job and finally
congress allowed the Americans to
take the expressions of his good will.
House Radicals of Former Days.
Holding membership in the senate
and house today are some men whom
even the most moderate of the CON
servatives, the progressive conserv-
atives, let them be called, hold to be
fanatically radical, communistic, red,
and a lot of other things perhaps not
even so nice by half.
These things seemingly are all in
the viewpoint. Some men think, but,
Of course, do not hope, that the radical
ism of today may be the conservatism
Of the future. There is an attempt be-
ing made today by organizations of
various kinds throughout the country
to offset the tide @of radicalism which
they see setting in. The attempt may
be successful and it may not be so,
but it is fairly certain that some of
the so-called advanced ideas which are
hoino nvnloited TODAY never will roach