14 APRIL 1917, Page 2

We have dealt elsewhere with the ardent desire felt by

so many friends of America that the United States should at once be repre- sented at the front by at least a brigade. Here we wish to meet one more objection to the despatch of an American contingent. We have heard it said that this cannot be done because any unit less than a division would be put under the orders of a British officer, and that the American troops could not possibly fight under conditions so little consistent with their dignity. That, we venture to say, is a civilian's, not a soldier's, idea. If, however, it is considered essential, it can easily be overcome. The brigade might very well bo treated as a separate unit and assigned some special duty, though as a matter of fact we believe that officers and men in reality would much prefer to work in proper co-operation and as part of a great army organization.