Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 94, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 February 1919 — ARGONNE BATTLE WONSTRONG LINE [ARTICLE]

ARGONNE BATTLE WONSTRONG LINE

Losses In Winning Great Victory Not “Needless Sacrifice" Says General. DENIES ALLEN’S CHARGES • Declares Kansas Governor and Other Y. M. C. A. Workers Were Sent to the Rear So as to Guard Secrets of dperatlon. Washington, Feb. 21.—Mat Gen.* Peter E. 'J'raub, who commanded the Thirty-fifth division in the ha'tie of the Argonne, denied before the house rules committee the charge of Governor Allen of Kansas thut she men of the division were sacrificed by failure of artillery support. . “We were up against three crack Bocbe divisions,” said the general.' “but we advanced twelve and r. half, kilometers (about eight miles) on » two or three kilometer front and held IL In the first three hours of the bat- ( tie we had taken what the French had been up against for four years. The Germans had been preparing for the defense for four years and they had everything conceivable in the art of defense.”

Reports of lack of equipment nnd supplies were declared unfounded. The general said the artlllery'support never fulled. * Cites Cold Harbor Casualties. Recalling General Grant’s attack on Cold Harbor In the Civil war,-General Traub compared the casuultlpi there with those of the Thirty-fifth division* saying "General Grunt lost 10,000 meu and accomplished nothing." ■ The general told a dramatic story of the battle. Ho described how the Germans wasted 300 shells in a vain effort to hit him when he was moving along ghe front lines. “What the American public ought to be doing,” he declared, “Is singing peans to the Amcfrtcan soldiers, who brought the Boche power to the dust, and there la no question that the American soldier did It. It was wonderful work, marvelously well done by the wonderful men our country sent over there.

"Marvefcus Piece of Work." "It was a most stupendous task,' and one that our country was not prepared for. The way it was handled by General Pershing and his staff will be a marvel of all future time. Surely, it was a marvelous piece of work, marvelously well done by all concerned. "Our mission was to win the war and we did the Job,” continued General Traub when he was Interrupted by ; Representative Cantrill of Kentucky, who said that criticism had pome from civilians for “political purposes.” General Traub said he did not object to criticism, except that "it must make the parents of the dead and wounded and the sick think the suffering that their dead ones underwent was needless.”

All Done That Could Be Done. "Everything in God’s world that could be done was done," the general added. Representative Campbell of Kansas pointed out that criticism had no. been made of the officers or men, but of the lack of material. “That is not well founded,” answered the general. Several days before the beginning of the battle, General Traub said, be had sent the Y. M. C. A. workers, including Governor Allen, to the rear Sb as to guard the secrets of the operation.