Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 May 1917 — PERSHING GIVEN THE FINAL WORD [ARTICLE]

PERSHING GIVEN THE FINAL WORD

Expedition to France Planned at Conference COMMANDER TO BE PROMOTED Head of First American Contingent to Battlefields in Franco Will Be Appointed Lieutenant General. Washington, May 25.—President Wils eon revealed to Major General Persil Ing the plans he has in mind in connection with the service of Am ,‘ricani troops-in France. The general called at the W hitef House by appointment and discussed the entire military situation with that chief executive. All the newspaper* are permitted to print regarding his! movements and these of the division under his command is that the general will precede the soldiers to London and Paris, where he will confer with the! British and French authorities. By the time lhe troops arrive at! their destination General Pershing will! be thoroughly informed on the strategy! of the allied campaign, the plana adopted for the training of his mem before they are on the battle line, and! the part of the line Which will be as-s signed to them when they are regarded! as ready for action. Pershing to Get Secrets. General Pershing will have more tot do, however, than making He will be the high military repre-j sentatlye of the president in Europej He will confer with lhe British and French staffs and with the British and Frencp commanders in chief. He will! be advised as to the entire mllltaryl situation, the steps taken to assure co-i operation of the fronts and the need* of tile allies with reference tn men and] munitions. Up to this time, the president learned the military situation hnd ne-( cessities of Great Britain and France] from the lips of British and French] representatives. These men imve con-4 cealed nothing, but of course they lack! the American viewpoint, and this Ist what General Pershing will supply byj cable.

In the cape of the Pershing divislpnl alone, it will be necessary to supply} him with officers and men to replace] those who may fall ill or be wounded} or killed In action. The wastage In personnel Is conn Ing to be more and more a mathe-i matical calculation. The war depart-, ment, therefore, Is arranging for ai constant stream of troops to join General Pershing and keep his command up to its full strength. Keep War in Europe. In the president’s message recommending that congress declare the existence of a state of war, he said ha would use all the power and all the resources of the United States to (defeat the imperial German government. This can mean only one thing—the dispatch to Europe of all the men necessary to achieve his purpose. “The war must be fought either in Europe or on this side of the Atlantic,” remarked a member of the Cabinet especially in the confidence of the president. He desired by this statement to make clear that failure on the part of this government to act vigorously and promptly might result in German success in Europe and leave the United States to cope alone with the German land and naval forces. If is expected that the president, under the authority granted him in the conscription law, will promote General Pershing to be a lieutenant general and probably a general.