The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-21
PRESS ON GENERAL PERsHING

q over the average man of emlnence Tn -.-that, while living, he is informed of the ,,.esteem in which he is held, whereas, most others must die before they are eulogized
 The generals retirement, however, Is as
 conclusive as death would be as far as 2 his military record is concerned. What @cever merit he may henceforth achieve as ,vfitizen will be a chapter apart from the s,;truitful portion of his life just ended. zaAnd it is not expected that General ., Pershing's distinguished ability will per
 init itself to decline without finding a
 productive outlet in some direction. The
 SSeneral is man of action, to whom
 rest would be as burdensome as any
 of his past routine could possibly have sbeen. But it is only just and right that 35 henceforth his time should be his own nAnd his services extended only at his own option and by his own choice.
 IT Perhaps the reason for the non-mili- taristic disposition of our foremost gen
 erals is suggested in the remarks of the
 Kansas City Star on Pershing's farewell
 address to his soldiery: "The retiring Commander of the American army was .aaddressing citizens. He. was himself a rtcitizen. No gulf of caste or class sepa- rated him from those of whom he was .4aking leave. Although he had been a soldier for forty-two years, he never had exchanged the thoughts and feelings of an American citizen for those of the pro fessional fighter-the militarist as the type is known in Prussia, where 1t has !perhaps reached it's fullest flower. Let every American remember that he, like his general, is a soldier as well as 4citizen, that the obligations of the citl- Zen involve those of the soldier; then he will understand the meaning, not of e.General Pershing's farewell words alone,
 but of his life, his deeds and the honor
 and distinction he has reflected upon the American army throughout the world" as3: Among those who express regret that | the general has had to retire and who wish that his services might have been
 retained during the remaining years ot
 his physical and mental vigor, is the New Orleans Times-Picayune: General ".Pershing is too fine soldier to complain. We may he sure that he will find further opportunities of service. But ms re- sptirement nonetheless is to be regretted s=Manv Americans will count it not the feast of the blunders of blundering con- Hgress. But all will join in good wishes to the commander who measured up to what were perhaps the heaviest responsi- Utilities ever placed upon the shoulders of ,.an American general, who so acquitted himself, during the greatest international S5,crisis in recorded history, as to justify Iifhe confidence reposed in him and main ~esstain the finest military traditions of the .qrepublic."
 ::r Not only was the general a great sol-
 dier. but, in the words of the Washing eiton Star, "much of the spirit of the American forces overseas, spirit which carried them to such high success in all stheir work, was due to the inspiration zbf General Pershing. His capacity for
 organization was recognized at once by the high command of the allied armies. - Full confidence was felt in him by the
 military chiefs of the other powers. He
 co-operated with them effectively, and he
 brought the American army up to the highest point of efficiency, and when op- sIportunity was given he used his units
 in a series of brilliant successes in the field"
 The view of those who believe that
 action should yet be taken to restore the general to his former position is well expressed by the Washington Post: a"The public protest against the retire
 naent of General Pershing, in the prime
 of his life, is so insistent that congress will be forced to take action. The coun- try is subjected to a great and unneces-
 sary loss by reason of the failure ot
 congress to do justice to General Persh-
 ing. His experience and ability are needed by the nation. It is entitled to
 his services as long as he is in good
 health-not the services of a mere ad- wiser, speaking from the easy-chair of retirement, but the active directing force of a highly trained intellect backed by Official authority" On the other hand, however, if regard for the general enters into the situation, it is probably much .easier and more satisfactory for him to retire when all admit that he is the fttest man for this high duty, than it
 would be for him to retire later when
 all recognize that he is no longer fit. The nation owes Pershing more than :Pershing owes the nation.
 Nor have General Pershing's services been all of war. As the Detroit Free t7Press we'll says: "Since the war, the general has been ardently building up. a > system of national defenses, of whicl