Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-04-14

and leaQlng Dattle trey SnOulu nave
$500 trained officers.
The building of the Panama Canal
was the greatest piece Of construction
of modern times. Its machinery for
the sheltering, feeding, sanitation and
care of it's force is regarded as the
model for doing business on large
scale. Experts devised it and time and
| experience tested it. No effort or ex-
pense was spared in making it perfect.
There was nothing to Interfere with
the working of this machinery or to
create confusion for those who had it
in charge. At the height of it's work
the Panama Canal employed about
10000 men, one-twenty- fifth of one
million volunteers.
The President has issued the call to
arms. AT any moment the enemy may
be battering at our doors. Before you
reach your work the War Department
is giving every post-and station in the
United States the order to concentrate
at points designated by the General
Staff.
To the Adjutants General of every
state calling upon item to assemble
the National Guard, to leave their
homes for mobilization camps as soon
as possible. While you are opening
your mail kilograms are flying to the
Governors of each state telling them
the number of volunteers they will be
expected to furnish as their share of
the million men. Before night tie
Governors of the different states will
be preparing the drag net that is to
gather in the quota for their states.
Before you go to lunch thousands of
purchasing officers EMO agents all over
the country will be making ready to
order millions and millions of dollars
worth Of supplies. Train after train
will be backing into sidings for loads
which they are to rush to mobilization
camps.
Today all over the country members
of the National Guard are rushing
business in a frantic effort to close up
their affairs before DOMINIC their uni
forms and leaving for the front.
Tonight when you go to bed 10000
0C0 men will be giving serious thought
to the question of answering the call.
Just think of this talk that our
friends. peace at any price, make
about 100000 men springing to arms
at days notice. They picture them
leaving the pillow, the shop and: the
country to rally on the firing line in
their country's defense.
! Do you know what it would mean if
such thing was possible? For one
thing it would mean organizing, equip
ping and training ten armies each the
r1ro
cally it would mean something closely
akin to national paralysis if one mil
lion men should abanGon their work in
a single day. If these million men
stood in line at the recruiting offices it
would take more than ten days to en- i.
roll and enlist them. 1t would take a
thousand men working day and night
to put up tents for them, requiring
$4,000 tents covering an area of more
than 5000 acres, an area five times the
size of Poughkeepsie, N. Y. Assuming
that everything was ready and waiting
it would be the work of another week
to uniform and equip them-a grand
total of at least three weeks before
they could be ready tc learn the name
of the rifle with which they were to
fight.
The million men are gathering slow
ly to the colors. They are being trans
ferred into fighting men but into
fighting machines as fast as human eff
fort can do it.
Every day men are leaving their
homes to respond to the call. A va
cant desk, an idle machine. an empty
chair tells the story of another citizen
soldier who has held up his hand and
has sworn to serve for the period of
the war. Every train in the country
bears it's toll of volunteers. Every
laboring freight carries it's share of
the supplies for their USE All over
the land thousands Of factories are
working double shifts in the frantic
effort to turn out the things needed to
make the fighting man. Every morn i.
ing as you turn over for your second
nap 5000 bugles will be waking the
growing roll Of one million volunteers
for another days work. AS you browse
they will be swallowing hasty break
fast and preparing for the long weari-
some hours ahead Of them.
Perhaps three months from now YOU
will begin to learn something of what
has been going on around you. The
first grist from the military mill will
be marching through your streets on
their way to the front. You will hear
their music and behold their flag. You
will see them swinging on their way,
awkwardly perhaps and without the
stride Of the trained soldier but brown
and strong with the toll Of honest hard
! Continued on Page 8-column p