The Wilmington morning star., 1946-02-01
Fair Enough

Copyright, 1916, by King Features syndica

Copyright, 1916, by King Features Syndicate
The terrible danger of the mutinies in Eu-
rope. in Honolulu, the Philippines and Japan
and even close by Washington was that the
great American Army should become an enc
nv Of the American government and carry
out the destruction undertaken by the Nazls,
the Japanese and the American communists.
The grievances of the soldiers, too complex
for complete understanding by civilians, are
due in large part to honest human Limitations
and to commitments in our TO n policy.
The number Of men in all the ces was
equal in size to the Belgian matte and ABOUT
one quarter Of the population OF France.
This enormous nation within our nation was
organized and improvised quickly and largely
bv inexperienced men. 1t operated unoer laws
unfamiliar and oppressive to the millions who
were so recently free civilians. Any human
mass Of such size inevitably has its poll
ticians, incompetents, grafters and swine.
These defects Of magnitude built IN naste
were inevitable in the Army and Navy.
The American soldier who thinks he is ag-
grieved has a right to take his complaint to
the commanding general and eventually to
the White House. But he is mutineer when
he acts in concert with one or more others
to present demands to his superiors. He then
becomes menace to his government, to MS
family at home and to his own liberties. An
Army out Of control and houting military law
is even more dangerous than the picket MODS
OF the CLIO. because its members wear ual-
forms which the people have trustingly re-
garded as the apparel Of their friends and
protectors, not their enemies. There is no
force that can be called upon to protect the
government Of nation from its own Army IN
mutiny. The Army, itself, is the ultimate
force. When 1t rebels against the generals.
the War Department and Congress 1t rebels
against the government Of the United States.
In that tragic case, loyal regiments might be
called on to fight them with the same weapons
that they lately used against the external
enemies but that would be civil war and
disaster.
Revolution would sweep the United States
and up-start Adventures, including both COM
n1unists and fascists, would gather about them
bands Of armed looters to prey on the country
which so recently they preserved from terror
and pillage at the hands Of two of the great
est fighting machines in history. Government
by elected authority would vanish before the
guns and clubs OF former American soldiers.
The American soldier in practical effect I'M
doubted1y did lose much Of his right as an
individual to carry his gripes to the highest
authority. It is 40 consolation to him to say
that this had to be in so great a force be-
cause units were shifting from place to place
and continent to continent and commanding
officers were here today and gone tomorrow.
There was precedent for this denial, how.
ever, In the calm arrogance Of the United
States Supreme Court these days in refusing,
without word Of explanation, to hear ap-
peals OF citizens who believe they have been
refused justice. And there has been notorious
example In the White House and the Roose-
welt Cabinet and family circle for the most
luxurious extravaganza, exploitation Of po-
sition Tor personal benefit and the hagran.
sef-indulgeace that complaining soldiers have
attributed to the 'big brass"
Do air force colonies fly to football games
while soldiers and their wives and children
crawl across the country on sooty trains? If
so, didn't Henry Morgenthau ear-mark a
Coast Guard ship for his personal own during
the worst shortages and use enlisted and com
missioned men, paid by the taxpayers, to
commute between Washington and his
Duchess county estate? Is it wonder that
young major, having fought combat war,
selects pleasant chateau and hires a dozen
servants in inflated currency, when Presi-
dent, not content with the White House and
his own baronial mansion, prepares for him
self secret retreat in the Cumberlands for
his precious seclusion and repose? II colonel
wastes the rice1ess months Of enlisted
soldiers at odd and fruitless tasks is that a
worse offense than the assignment Of 300 men
and full complement Of officers to patrol
the woods and roads and gulleys Of Hyde
Park Tor more than two years?
The nnutinies-and they were real mutinies
seem to have subsidized and the complaints
and criticisms and the actual injustices should
pay off in permanent reforms. 1t remains to
be seen whether President Roosevelt really
spoke for the American people in making
commitments which would keep a million,
more or less, American men abroad as soldier
re IN T,A
supply the men the program must be re.
pudiated. Then, if another war comes, this
generation, like the last one, will be blamed
by propagandsts for selfish default of duty
to preserve the peace. as though it were a
demonstrate fact that peace could be main
; tanned by the suppression of millions.