Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-04-17


-.xarus hfII nv a unanimous vote in the House
which assures fits approval by the senate, Is one
Of the major events Of American history anu
= decisive event in the world war There Is notn-
A.. - al the records of national or international
finance tn compare with this stupendous grant
Nona of the belligerent Powers, not even Great
Britain the mighty banker OF the Allies, has nred
al much into the struggle at single shot Ana
this is Americas first shot! Seven billion dollars
In twice as much the total national wealth. Oh
Turkey and Bulgaria combined; 1t is considerably
more than one-fourth Of Ausria-Hungary ma
tionaI wealth, and approximately one-twelftn OF
Germany's as their accounts stood at the begin
ming of the war At stride, and Its first Stride
the United States swings into the conflict with the
weight and strength OF a living colossus
These seven billions OF dollars represent a vast
deal more than mere money mere purchasing
power. They represent peoples conviction and
purpose They bespeak our loyalty to the repub-
Itc's bIood-seaIed faith and resolution to fight
tor that faith, side by side with the democracies
of Europe until the Hohenzollern tyrants are
overthrown and the worlds peace and freedom
made secure II Germany imagined that we were
entering the war half-handed or half-hearted she
Ia distIIusioned. OF the seven billion fund the
House has voted, three billion will go loan to
the Entente alliance and four billion will be ex-
pended for our own prosecution of the war. If
the Kaiser and the Junkers have eyes that see and
ears that hear they will understand that the United
States having plunged far at the outset, will
never turn back and pause until its goal
II
Gigantic a. It Il, this budget is but one item in
the Governments war plans Not only financial
power but Industrial power, agricultural power
ana man power as we'll will be poured into the bal
ance as freely and as long cause requires.
Preparations are under way for the construction
of fleet of a thousand supply ships, to be in
creased at the end OF a year By two thousand more
IL needful, for carrying food and munitions and
other necessarfes to England and France. So
vast an enterprise IN shipbuilding and
ry1ng was never before undertaken, If indeed it
was ever dreamed Of. The plan is nothing less
than to bridge the Atlantic with cargo vessels
and maintain steady, stupendous flow OF the
supplies which Germany is trying to blockade with
her U-boat campaign.
Furthermore, preparing TO muster and
train an army that will number eventually three
million men and as many million as the war
should Il be prolonged, may demand. An expe-
dictionary force OF considerable size may be sent
to the battle front within the next six months if
IL is possible do without interfering with
larger plans crippling transport service. But
even II a year or longer eIapses before the first
American troops reach the front, the preparations
we make IL they wisely made and the poten-
tfaI force they represent will have instant effect.
Germany will know that, fight and endure she
may, there is army OF three million Americans
mastering to the cause of democracy which her
despots sought to trample down. She will know
that all the man power as we'll all the industrial
and financial power OF this nation of more than
hundred million people is being recruited against
the HohenzoIleTns. She will know that this giant
democracy OF the west, which flung billions
of dollars into the as the mere beginning OF
Its efforts, will wade the Atlantic and if need be-
smash fits way the Rhine to put an end to
tyranny and establish freedom and justice among
ms