The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1936-03-13

WHICH Sdiu, cryp-
Thunder tically:
OUer Hagood by direction of
the President, Maj.
Gen. Johnson Hagood, U. S. A., Is re-
lieved from assignment to the COM
mand of the Eighth corps area and
further duty at Fort Sam Houston,
Texas. Major General Hagood will
proceed to his home and await Or
ders."
Each day, there comes from the War
department anywhere from two or
three to a couple Of dozen orders by
which army officers are transferred
from one post to another, from one
assignment to another or given new in
structions. 1t is not unusual at all.
That Is why I said at the outset Of this
item that the order respecting General
Hagood was routine. But 1t was
routine only in the language that was
used Otherwise, 1t was significant.
Just how significant it will prove to be
remains as q secret to be unfolded
by the future. Suffice to say that sell
dom has one minor incident Of gov
eminent administration created such a
storm as this army order because it has
become political issue. General Ha-
good Is the third ranking officer in the
United States army. He has been In
the service something like forty years.
His record is generally regarded as
distinguished, but at the same time he
has never been pussyfeot. He has
spoken boldly, sometimes too boldly
and sometimes out of turn, yet think
it is generally agreed that General
Hagood Is sincere.
But, to go back of the routine
army order" by which he was sum-
marily relieved of his command at the
important army post of Fort Sam
Houston, we find record of General
Hagood's testimony before an appro-
priations committee In the house of
representatives. In that testimony,
General Hagood spoke with his usual
bluntness. He apparently offended
somebody when he did it. His testi-
mony has been criticized and COM
mended, the War department and Sec
rotary Dern have been attacked and
defended and even President Roose-
welt has been dragged into the
controversy because somewhere, some
how New Deal opposition has be-
come convinced that President Roose-
welt and Secretary Dern punished Gen.
eral Hagood by removing him from
his post because he dared to point out
flukes and flaws and ridiculous as
poets in New Deal policies of handling
taxpayers money.
General Hagood was called before
the appropriations committee by its
chairman and told
SpeoRs to express his cam
Freely did sentiments, his
honest convictions
and any constructive suggestions he
might have respecting Improvement
of the United States army. The gen.
eral, somewhat blusteringly, related
to the committee that the army must
have additional housing facilities. He
related conditions in many army posts
and asserted that many persons on re-
lief were accorded better places to live
than Uncle Sans soldiers.
That part aroused no particular con-
trOversy but when General Hagood
told the committee of the difficulty the
responsible army authorities have in
getting money with which to provide
better housing for the soldiers, he
stepped on administration toes by say
ing that it was more difficult to get
five cents for a pencil than thou
sand dollars with which to teach Civil
ian Conservation corps boys new hob
bies or boondoggling." He said he
could get hundred dollars to build a
gravel walk and a rose garden but
could not get ten dollars with which
to repair a broken steam pipe in an
army barracks.
The next outburst by the general
brought forth his description that
money being handled by Relief Admin
IotidtOh AAOphiho was oIdSC LuOucy ,
that nothing worth while or of per-
manent character was being done with
that money and the explanation that
he called it stage money because at
is being handed around and you can do
nothing with it in the end" His plea
was that some of these funds which
he said were being otherwise wasted
should be employed to build structures
of concrete and steel shat can be
shown to our grandchildren so years
from now"
In hearing General Hagood's testi-
mony, the committee understood that
the War department had given him
permission to speak freely. Indeed,
such assurance had been passed along
to the committee from the War de-
partment but apparently the War de-
partment did not know what General
Hagopd had on his chest If 1t had
known, it certainly could have ex-
pected exactly such expressions be-
cause General Hagood never has pulled
his punches. He has said each time
what he thought.