The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1940-10-03
CAPTAIN ELLIOTT

Except that the third-termers seem
disposed to parade it, and Mrs. Roose-
welt, who is taking an increasing part
in the third-term campaign, mentions
it in her column, it is likely the secur-
ing Of a captaincy for himself in the
Army Air Corps Specialists Reserve
by Elliott Roosevelt, second son of the
President, might have gotten by with
out adverse criticism-though it rath-
er seems to invite it.
But the publicity of this event was
somewhat overdone and it was in
evitable that certain things should be
said The fact is, they should be said
even though it again brings down
upon the head of the sayer the
dreadful accusation that he is max
ing dastardly attack upon the Presi-
dents family. The first and most OBJ
vious thing, of course, to say is that
Elliott could not have secured a cap
taincy in any such way and with any
such speed but for the fact that his
father is in the White House. Nothing
he has said in his own behalf since his
appointment, and nothing that has
been said for him, alters that fact
Here is man well within the draft
age, utterly lacking in any sort of mil
itary training, experience or special
equipment, who simply makes an ap-
plication and Immediately is made a
captain in the Army, assigned to the
procurement service, which is an
office job.
The Presidents eldest son, James
Roosevelt, the big insurance and
moving-picture man, holds cap
tain's commission in the United States
Marines, and Franklin, Jr., is an en-
sign in the United States Navy. The
latter, it is fair to state, did take the
R. 0. T. c. training course at Harvard
and thus qualified in regular way
to hold commission. But that is not
true Of either Elliott or James. Neither
of them underwent any training nor
has either of them had any experience
of kind to qualify him as an officer
of the Army. At the time Of the pas
sage of the CONSUMPTION Act, Mrs.
Roosevelt wrote that young men like
her sons should be among the very
first to be called out for service.
That seemed very noble and demo-
cratic; indeed, but it does not quite
fit in with these easily secured COM
missions, obtained for the asking and
without going through the months of
training in the officers training camps
which are required of the ordinary
young man who wants to be an Of
ficer.
1t would be unjust, of course, to sug-
gest that Elliott secured his cap
taincy in order to avoid the draft.
Nevertheless the fact remains that he
and his brother have now become ex-
empt from the draft. They have be-
come officers without the time, trou-
BILE and toll to fit themselves for Of |
Ulcers required of other young men
OF their age. Under the circumstan-
ces, it is perhaps natural that there
should be certain amount of resent
ment among thousands of young men
soon to be drafted as privates at the
thought OF the Roosevelt boys becom-
ing officers without going through the
officers training period-merely be-
cause they wanted to be officers.
Every drafted boy, of course, would
like to be captain if he could, but
how many of them can become cap
talns with the ease, celebrity and grace
OF the Roosevelt boys? The answer.
Of coure, is none-not one.
Considering these things, it might