Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-09-09
The RELATION IN FRANCE OF
CAP. INDUSTRY TO THE WAR

constitutes an obstacle almost impos-
sible to be taken. Infantry. hoping to
take it at a charge. will leave before
such an obstacle every man, though
they be innumerable-for one machine
gun. give it time and sufficient to feed
it. will NOV down a thousand men as
easily as a hundred, and ten thous-
and if necessary. as easily as a thous-
and.
But, on the other hand this thread
like obstacle. dug in the ground, furn-
ishes only a very reduced target for
artillery fire. To hit it, it is not
enough simply to spend projectiles-
they have got to be wasted to demol-
ish the terrain under a veritabe hell
of devastating explosives, under a
deluge of shrapnel.
That is why the consumption of
munitions, and especially artillery
munitions has exceeded anything that
| was ever conceived in time of peace.
And the farther it goes. as the forth
| fications of the battlefelds daily be-
come more complete and more difficult
| to reach, the use of projectiles must be
more widely foreseen.
Moreover this intensive firing itself
wears out the guns, made only to fire
some thousands of rounds, and there
| is therefore the necessity of replacing
them INCREASINGLY. From this it is
easy to see the enormous effort which
must be required Of the factories to
keep on supplying guns and munitions
i The group of belligerents who will
win this war is that which, thanks to
| its industry, will have been able to
push the production of firearms, pro-
| jectiles and explosives to the highest
point and maintain it there.
Il have heard that a German Of
ficer speaking to one Of your COM
patriots, boosted that the troops Of the
Kaiser would take Calais whenever
they willed-by paying the price
which he set at $4,000 killed. This
boast is silly. Simply spending men
will not give results. The Germans
can paw our terrible three-inch guns
a bloody price Of fifty or five hundred
thousand men if they please. without
getting anywhere But the day
when, duly provisioned for that pur-
pose we scatter along their lines the
| tempests of iron and fire that we are
preparing for them, they will have to
abandon their burrows, and our in
fantry will occupy the ground gained,
their guns on their shoulders, without
| losing a man.
I have confidence in the final vic
tory-a victory perhaps less distant
than is beieved-of France and her
Allies The advantage which the
German heavy artillery had over us
can only be temporary. The indus
trial strength of the peoples leagued
together for the defence of right far
surpasses that of the enemies of hui
mainly: and the freedom of the seas
permits us to profit of the labors of
that great America whose sympathies,
as we know, go out to the cause of the
| independence of peoples.
France. in any case. has had. for
! centuries the genius of artillery:
once more she has given proof of
this in her marvellous tree-inch guns.
! which no German cannon anywhere
near approaches in perfection. When
she shall have completed her arma
ments in heavy artillery, we shall
show that we fear Germany in no
field, and that her pretended superior
ity is merely presumptuous.
| (Signed)
CHARLES HUMBERT.
Senator of the Meuse.'