The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1942-01-29

engineer in Washington then, and
saw lot of Macarthur.
Praising MacArthur's energy 'and
"uncanny judgment" recently Gen.
Brown added: 1T makes me feel
bad to see him exposed III such a
helpless position. If Macarthur
were ordered to leave his men TO
save himself, he probably wouldn't
do it. He'c just the kind of man
to disobey that kind of order. His
troops will stay with him to the
last man. If they die, then he'll
die with them"
MarArthur inherited an Amer
lean army at its Goth Century low.
The combination of world peace
and depression had riddled army
appropr: lions.
Foreseeing with uncanny accur-
acy blitzkreig warfare ("mobile,
highly trained, very powerful,
though comewhat smaller, fOrma-
tions'D, he worked indefatigably to
Gift the army above the danger
line"
Pacing endlessly Gas is his habit
before the long, blue black Grapes
that are standard equipment in The
! Chief of Stats Office, smoking con-
tinuously through the 1O-inch- long
carved cigarette holders he i'm
ported from the Orient, Macarthur
pleaded, warned, threatened. His
purple oratory painted dark pictures
of Americas future II the army were
not expanded.
II have Inundated myself .
have almost licked the boots of
some gentlemen to get funds for
the motorization and mechanical
ton of the army. Unless we move
quickly, we will be a beaten ma
ton, paying huge indemnities after
the next war;" he warned. THE
army is below the danger line
Pass this bill and give the Amer
lean army a chance in the next
fight it wages for the life OF the
country"
While he was pleading he was
also working. He instituted the
Four-Army system, established a
unified CHG Air Force, increased
the size of the army and of West
Point. Most important of all, he
laid the groundwork for the motori-
cation and meachanization of the
army. He plugged for the Garand
rifle, calling it the worlds best"
So vast was the scope of this re-
organization that even Macarthur
could not complete it in fuor years.
At Secretary of War Dern's assis-
lance, President Roosevelt held him
on for a year. When his job was
completed, he was awarded an Oak
Leaf cluster, a signal peacetime
honor.
"A Chief Of Staff it fell to Mac
Arthur to evict the Bonus, Army
from Washington. The Victory of
Anacgostia Flats" heaped abuse on
the generals head. He has never
bothered to answer the criticism :
criticism that he foresaW and could
easily have escaped. He was given
orders to clear the Bonus Army out.
He could easily have delegated The
Job to a subordinate. But Mac
Arthur doesn't work that way.
Fully aware of the scorn that
would be heaped on him. MacAr-
thur, mounted on white horse,
| personally led his troops. He or
dered out not a handful Of men,
but a force SO overwhelming that
resistance would obviously be fu-
tile. His troops did not need to
fire a single shot.
HE WAS ANXIOUS
TO AID PHILIPPINES
In the fall of 1895, President
Quenzon of the Philippines APP
preached Macarthur with the idea
of colnii 6 to the islands as mill
tary advisor. Characterised it
took the General only five minutes
to make up his mind. His Philip
pine heritage, his love of the Fill
zinc people, and his high opinion Of
the Importance of the Stands de-
fo,,cac fo tha bi,,,