Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 May 1917 — AN ARMY ABROAD [ARTICLE]

AN ARMY ABROAD

Now that the . United States has become associated with the allies fighting against German tyranny, haste in sending an army to the fighting line seems to be the uppermost aim of some of our most eminent citizens, yet that such haste might be ultimate waste Is evidenced by a recent article written by Lord Northcliffe, owner and editor of the London Times and one Of the foremost newspaper men of the world. Lord Northcliffe is heartily in favor of the United States rendering every assistance within its power to the allies, even to sending an army abroad. But before he would have us take this step he would have us become acquainted with every detail therein. That these details are not trivial can best fie emphasized by quoting Lord Northcliffe: If you bring an army to France cA Belgium, you realize, I suppose, that you will have to bring with it half the of, let us say, a> town like Bridgeport, to carry out the necessary construction repairs. You will have to take qver whole French towns for their residence, or build miles of huts for them. The . army behind the army in modern war is an army in itself. The fine American lad who will swing down your New York streets on his way "to the transport will probably cost you, apart from his pay, at least $.50 a week. Ours, who are operating near home, cost Us j'rom S3O to $35. / But the. boy with his rifle and hi- uniform ; ml his enthusiasm is. only tile beginning of him; the rest <|iNhim is : somew.Hms of : stuff that has to do with him. 1 will enumerate ' some of a the tonnage he requires. ' . Let rite talk first about, his food: .1 imagim tl.American soldier, like the Brill li . .1 the Canadian, will not be coiiie: ■ to exist upon the bread, cheete.lmeat and red wine of the- Frenchman. ' 1 think . he will '.want; inf. addition, almost unlimited bct-r, -pfirk, ’bread and biscuit. -Alj these things will have to bes iirought from homo, for we in y. , e have <mly : just eno.igh for oui: . If vou bring mules and horste. you will need to bring hay also, for we have got none for you; and the amount of hay your boy’s horse will consume ", will surprise . you. ■ : A Lord Northcliffe continues to enumerate a large quantity of supplies that must accompany the American Soldier, machine guns, rifles, revolvers, ammunition, steel helmet and protective armor, boots, boot-making and boot-repairing machinery, spades, pick axes, tons of barbed-wire and corrugated iron for roofs of their huts, and complete hospital supplies and equipment. Thus it can be seen at a glance that the sending of an expeditionary force to Europe is no small undertaking nor v one that should be prepared hastily. It is truly as Lord Northcliffe said: “Even at the cost of some delay you will save thousands of lives and millions of dollars’ worth of material by carefully exmining where we went wrong.” The views of Lord Northcliffe are perhaps not greatly at variance •with those of the great French soldier, Marshal, Joffre, at present in this country conferring With the United States government officials. It is Marshal Joffre’s opinion that we should send one American unit at a time to France rather than wait for the complete equipment of a big army, because of transportation problems. Among other things Marshal Joffre said: A . . France, which has long recognized the valor of the American soldier, cherishes the confident hope that the flag of the United States will soon be unfurled on our fighting line. This is what Germany dreads. _

France and America will see with pride and joy the day when their sons are once more fighting shoulder to shoulder in the ’defense of liberty. The victories Which they will certainly win ’will hasten the end of the war, and will tighten the links or affection amb esteem which have ever united France and the United States.