FRB - The Pop Valve, Journal publié par les soldats américains installés à Vauzelles, près de Nevers (Nièvre), item 14

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Page 2. THE POP-VALVE May 10, 1919.

THE POP-VALVE

Published by and for

The 19TH GRAND DIVISION TRANSPORTATION CORPS

AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES

Camp Stephenson - Nevers (Nièvre), France.

Major C.E. Lester, Engrs., U.S.A.

Commanding the Grand Division.

Managing Editor...........Mr. Engr. John J. Rule, Hqrs.

Art Editor...................Sgt. Lee R. Gummersell, Hqrs.

Business Mgr. & Treas..........Sgt. J.S. Winfrey, "119"

Shop Manager...............Mr. Engr. Otto Hehn, Hqrs.

Press Supervisor..........Pvt. 1/cl. C. G Martini, "116"

COMPANY REPRESENTATIVES

Headquarters Det..................Sgt. Larry Gill.

Band No.5. A.S.C.....................Mr. Engr. Thos. McFarlane.

Medical Det..............................Pvt. 1/cl. N.A. Feidler.

Company 109...........................Corp. George Harris.

Company 110...........................Corp. Leon H.A. Weaver.

Company 116...........................Sgt. J.A. Keshlear.

Company 117...........................Sgt. F.H Squire.

Company 118...........................Corp. D.C. Sperry.

Company 119...........................Pvt. 1/cl. R.B. Loomis.

Company 120...........................Pvt. 1/cl. J. McC. Frazier.

Company 121...........................Pvt. W.H. Morrow.

P.W.E. Co. 240..........................Corp. Ben Cherenson.

SATURDAY MAY 10, 1919.

Weekly Circulation..................3000 Copies.

There are several possible explanations for

the enthusiastic reception given the second

number of The Pop-Valve and chief among

them is the photographic section of the paper

which will be a regular feature hereafter. The

staff is able to procure camp and shop views

which the average man in camp cannot get -- at

least not without the expenditure of numerous

francs -- and each week the paper will contain

a full page of the best we can get hold of.

It is the intention to publish a complete series

of Camp and Shop scenes and the number of

photographs in the series is large enough to

keep us going for quite some time: in the event

of our having to put out the farewell number

earlier than we expect, it will contain all he

views we have not previously used.

The road is still a little rocky but the recept-

ion last week's number received has cheered us

up wonderfully.

Now that we have had another day or two of

spring weather, it is hoped that the camp poets

will come out of their caves and submit some of

their good stuff. The Battle of Nevers has not

been done in printable verse yet and a large

number of other deserving subjects will pass

away un-poemed unless the local bards get on

the job. Short poems will suit us best, but if we

get hold of something good in a large size, we'll

have one of our artists doll it up with decorat-

ions and give it a whole page. Come on you

poets, by the numbers!

One of the company representatives turned

in with his company news for this week, a

letter to the Editor, "calling his hand" on the

independence of our sheet in a somewhat insult-

ing manner. Attached to the latter was an

article, complaining against the custom of reserv-

ing seats in the YMCA Auditorium for the

officers of the camp, which the letter dared the

editor to print. The letter explains that the article

and letter are the the results of a heated argu-

ment which took place in the barracks of the

company. Our first impulse was to publish the

letter and article in full -- to "show these

guys" -- but sober, second throught prompted

the holding of the article until we are sure that

the sentiments expressed are really the sentim-

ents of this particuliar company and of the camp,

not the ravings of a Bolsheviki group or the

child of the representatives vivid imagination.

"Washing the family linen" in public is one

of the habits that good families have grown out

of and we are one of the good families of the

A.E.F. To publish this item in its present form

would be to insult the very officers of the camp

who are the best friends the men have, and

without doing a bit of good. We realize that

there are some few officers who take privileges

they are not entitled to; when this paper was

in the mimeograph stage, it took a rap at cer-

tain officers who "jumped in ahead" in the

barber shop, and will take a rap at any officer

or man who takes any unfair advantage of his

fellow soldiers. Until this -- sectional -- com-

plaint came in, weo had regarded the custom of

reserving four rows of seats for the officers as

a courtesy extended then by the men for whom

and by whom the YMCA was built. It is our

opinion that most companies have at least suf-

ficient regard for their officers to extend them

this courtesy gladly. However, if the men of

the camp are sufficiently interested to give the

paper their opinion in fairly respectful language,

they will be assured of some action in the matter.

One of the advantages this paper gives the

men of the camp is a new channel for their

grievances which can be submitted direct, if

signed, or through the company representatives.

All such communications will be held strictly

confidential and the matters cantained in them

will be investigated. If we can find conditions

unjust or unfair, they will be brough to the

attention of the proper superior. If he refuses

to act, then we can publish matter concerning

the grievance with a clear conscience. The

officers commanding companies and larger units

have a great many things to look after; being

human men, they make mistakes, and being

busy men, things often happen that they never

hear of or do not see. When they are informed

of unfair conditions they generally act prompt-

ly. It would be just as unfair for this paper

to publish "roasts" on the officers as it would

be to condemn any man without a hearing. Not

that we expect to judge our superiors, but we

do expect to inform them of things that are

unfair to the men of the camp, and we are posi-

tive that such conditions will be promptly

remedied.

The enlisted men who run this paper have sat

around arguing in the barracks just as often

and as loudly as any man in camp. They have

made the same brave remarks that are always

made in such arguments, and if they had been

called on to make them before "higher author-

ity" they'd have had the same -- feeling -- in

their necks that the men behind this article

would have if the paper published it and called

on them to back it up.

The Pop-Valve will gladly use what little

influence it has to better conditions for the men

of the camp, but it absolutely refuses to be the

mouthpiece of the barracks socialists, because

those very same men would desert us like rats

deserts a sinking ship, if we got into trouble

over their "sentiments" or the ravings of other

"debating societes".

A persistant rumor, concerning an item sup-

posed to have appeared in a Philadelphia news-

paper, and which stated that the "Old Nine-

teenth" and the 19th Grand Division was all

home, excepting the men who were A. W. O. L.

and venereals, has been circulating around the

camp for several weeks. We ran it down and

finally found a Top Sergeant who claimed to

have read the item and who promised to get it

for us. He failed to produce it however, and

it is impossible to answer the charge without

some facts to go on.

This paper wants the men of the camp to give

it every clipping of this kind they run into.

We have a supply of asbestos paper and a lot of

red ink; if the items are furnished, the C. O.

will see that the misguided newspapers are in-

formed of their errors, over his personal signa-

ture. Don't let anybody get away with stuff that

reflects on you or on the camp. Everybody here

knows that the members of the "Old Nine-

teenth," still in France, are either men who

were on D.S. when their outfits moved, or else

stayed to help along at the shop. Not one

venereal or A. W. O. L is in the handful of them

still here, and the "Old" 49th and 50th are

practically all here.

When you hear the fellows, around camp,

referring to the "Marines," they don't mean the

"fighting devils" or the M. P.'s, who once made

Paris a city of horrors they mean the Camp

Guard! Tell it to the Marines!"

IN MEMORIAM

Company 109 and Camp Stephenson sus-

tained a great loss in the death of Private

First Class Joseph Carlos Swayze, one of the

most popular men in the camp who died on

Friday, May 2, at Camp Hospital 28, from

a complication of ailments, after a several

weeks illness.

Private Swayze was 23 years of age and

had been in France for 12 months. Pre-

vious to his illness and death, he was Car

Record Clerk in Warehouse 3 of the Trans-

portation Storage Depot where he gave

splendid service and had the friendship of

all his fellow workers. He was buried on

Monday afternoon with full military honors.

A picked squad from Co. 109 were the body

bearers, a firing squad from the Guard,

an escort of honor from all the units in

camp and every member of Company 109

who could be spared from duty, followed the

body to the American Cemetery, Nevers,

where religious services were conducted by

Chaplain White

To the mother of our deceased friend,

Mrs. Jane Swayze, of Ashley, Pennsylvania,

and to his relatives and friends in the

states, we offer the heart felt sympathy and

condolonces of the Camp. Private Swayze

was not given the opportunity of laying

down his life on the fields of battle, but he

gave his best where the fortunes of war

placed him. He gave service without spar-

ing himself and is to be counted among

the Nation's great heroes.

OFICERS OF THE

DIVISION PROMOTED

Seven Officers of the 19th Grand Division were

given a pleasant surprise on Monday evening

when they learned that they had been promo-

ted to a higher rank. So we now have three

new Captains and four new First Lieutenants.

1st Lt. D. B. McCarthy, Engineer Officer; 1st

Lt. J. S. Hearons, Erecting Shop Foreman; and

1st Lt. H. H Hamscher, Ass't Chief of Storage

Depot, were made Captains in the Transporta-

tion Corps. Seconds Lieutenants C. T. Benn,

G. A. Edwards, F. E. Markey and E. D. Nelson

were made 1st Lieutenants in the Transporta-

tion Corps.

The congratulations of the Camp go to these

officers on their promotions which were surely

deserved. We'll still adress the junior officers

as Lieutenant, but its going to be hard to

remember the Captain part of it in addressing

the officers who get the extra bar; the habit of

a years standing cannot be gotten out of easily.

A TRIBUTE

I've been kissed by first lieutenants

And by captains wearing bars;

I've been kissed by portly majors

And by Generals sporting stars.

By men of the dashing cavalry

And the field artillery too;

By submarine commanders

And naval aviators true.

By the quartermaster shavetail

Who sports a dainty moustache;

By the lieut. with a decoration,

Who thinks he's such a mash.

By men whose domes of ivory

Were a shiny, arid waste;

By men whose fuzzy shiskers

Had a prehistoric taste.

By men who were gloomy and silent,

By some with the gift of gab;

But for real fire and action

Give me a private in olive drab.

M.E. Cole, in Jean-of-the-A.G.O's NICE POEMS.