Evening star., 1925-10-18
DWIGHT DAVIS, WAR HERO,
ATHLETE AND STATESMAN
New Secretary of War Was Famous Ten.
mis- PLAYER, Twice Cited in France and
Leader i'm Civic Movements.

! service there in 1903 as chairman of
the public baths commission. In addi-
| ton To providing free public baths for
the poor. the commission undertook
/ to see that the children had better
! conditions for play in the tenement
! districts. where a large percentage of
/ the adult population was foreign born.
/ Gradually community centerS We're
established under the enthuSia site
! leadership of the youthful chairman.
! where the children gathered for play
under the direction. OF trained super
| visors. They We're Taught To he clean,
! and to know something of America
and its standards. Band stands were
! erected. where music was given and
/ sometimes lectures.
! Mr.. Davis was also n member of The
/ public recreation commission. Of the
! city planning commission and finally
I of the park commission. When he
! completed his work as park commits
I sioner. Mr.. Davis had succeeded in
! giving st. Louis the best Fairgrounds
/ and free bath system in the United
States. with swimming pools in MANY
of the parks. When he became park
commissioner. Mr.. Davis tore down
the keep off the grass signs. As he
put it,
4 If we can't have both people and
grass in the parks. we will have the
people.
He made a special effort to estab-
| lish Fairgrounds for the children of
T the poor who had only the streets
in which 10 play and for small parks
| within easy walking distance Of their
| homes.
Experience Useful.
As Secretary of War Mr.. Davis has
! wide authority over the park system
of the National Capital, and his eX-
perience in St. Louis doubtless will be
of great value TO Washington. where
one of the acute problems today is To
provide public bathing beaches.
Along with his civic work. MIR. Da-
Wis mixed in business and politics.
lie was elected in 1907 a member OF
the House Of Delegates Of St Louis
from the twenty eighth ward. when a
gang" controlled and there We're
more Saloonkeepers than society men
in the city government. Mr.. Davis
! fought the gang" and supported
! every progressive measure that came
up for consideration. He was a mem
! her of the board OF fleeholders from
/ 1909 to 1911. and president for several
! years OF the Twenty Eighth Ward Re
! publican Club.
In 1916 Mr.. Davis quit his civic jobs
I in st. Louis and entered war relief
I work. He was engaged especially in
the relief Of war prisoners in England
and the neutral Scandinavian coun
tries Norway. Sweden and Denmark.
When the United States entered the
war he was in England. He caught
the first vessel he could for home. and
on his arrival in this country imme-
dateIy volunteered for service in the
Army. Prior to going to Europe for
war relief work he had attended the
military training camp at Plattsburg,
" Y. fostered by Col. Theodore
Roosevelt and Gen. Leonard Wood.
He helped to raise and organize the
5th Missouri Regiment of Infantry.
volunteer organization in which he
was commissioned captain. Later this
regiment was known as the l3Sth In
| fantry. He and the regiment trained
at Camp Doniphan. Mr.. Davis was
promoted from captain to assistant
chief of staff and then to ma jor. He
| and the regiment sailed for France
I III 1918.
Cited for Gallantry.
During his service in France. Secre
tary Davis was twice cited for gal
lantry in action in divisional orders
and was awarded the Distinguished
Service Cross. The citation for this
honor is we'll worth repeating and
reads:
Dwight f. Davis. lieutenant colo
mel Infantry. then ma jor. General
/ staff Corps assistant chief OF staff
35th Division. For extraordinary
herOism in action between Baulny and
I Chaudron Farm. France. September
29-3a. 1918. After exposure t" severe
shellnC and machine gun fire for
three days. during which time he dis
played rare courage and devotion to
y il, 10 81, ,,,t,, l,
| Infantry Brigade. voluntarily and in
the face of intense enemy machine
gun and artillery fire. proceeded to
various points in his brigade sector.
assisted in .reOrCa niZing positions and
in replacing units of the brigade. this
self-impOsed duty neceSSitating con
tinuouS exposure to concentrated en-
envy fire September 80. 1918. learn
ing that strong counter attack had
been launched by the enemy against
Baulny Ridge and was progressing
successfully. he voluntarily organized
such special duty men as could be
found and with them rushed forward
to reinforce the line under attack. ex
posing himself with such cOolneSs ana
great courage that his conduct in
spired the troops In this crisis and en-
abled them To hold on in the face of
vastly superior numbers.
After being mustered out of the
| service, Col. Davis returned to his
home in st. Louis. He participated in
the organizat ton Of the American
Legion and was elected first post com
mander. st. Louis Post, No. 4. Of that
/ orga niZation. He resigned this Office
| when he announced his candidacy for
/ the Republican nomination for Sena-
tor in 1920 in opposition To the late
! Senator Spencer. He entered the race
for the nomination late. too late to
make much of q canvass. But he
rolled up a very considerable vote in
the primaries. thereby establishing
! himself as a potential political factor
f., of no small Importance.
! Named BY Harding.
President Harding brought Mr.. Da
! Wis to Washington first in 1921 as u
! director of the War Finance Corpora
/ tion. which was engaged in the work
of aiding the economic readjustment
of agriculture and industry during the
| postwar period. In 1923. when the
| office of Assistant Secretary Of War
/ became vacant. President Harding
picked Mr.. Davis for the place. and
| former Representative Mondell of
Montana succeeded him as a director
of the War Finance Corporation
! AS Assistant Secretary of War, Mr..
Davis gave particular attention to the
development of the plan for the mobil-
! ization of industry in this country to
meet war emergencies. He has ac-
complished a great deal along this
| line and it Is expected that this work
| will be continued vigorously. He
| is not expected to deviate greatly from
| the policies with regard to the War
| Department and the Army laid down
! under Secretary Weeks. He will in
| sist upon economy and efficiency how
/ ever and "A buSineSSlike administra