Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-12-10
FROM PEACE TO WAR IN
COMPARATIVELY FEW DAYS

washington, Dec. Sin his annua.
nov, published today, Secretary
no in Enthusiastically striking
Eases. portrays the transition of q
.ceful democracy into a nation or
,,,ed for war. Possession Of re-
,rces alone he warns the country
w. not win wars and recounting the
.sorn,ous progress made on every hand
..clares the physical stores of the
S-nited States are almost completely al
onmmand Of the worlds needs.
What can you do to serve me-
,o,es the Secretary. ITO that cues
s,ar each individual and each depart
:, the Government must give answer
~hs answer of this department is tina,
!. has put every agency and activity
-hich it has at the service of those de-
,,r,rents more directly concerned
9TH war making. Our men Of scien-
,4c knowledge -metallurgists, chem
ists engineers, topographers-have
I.,und new work at their hands. The
homesteaders and the miners on the
,,hlic lands have been released from
heir obligations if they go into the
,,my or show themselves to be OF
GREATER service off their lands than or
hem. The Reclamation Service on g
,,Ilon and a quarter acres of irrigat
End and the Indians on n hundred
raservations Joined in the campaign fol
mare meat and more wheat. The Pa.
tent Office has been searched for new
devices that could be brought into use
e kill the submarine or limit its de-
| Effectiveness, for the plans of hereto
fore unused lethal weapons, and 70,
me formulate of improved or unknown
sources Of power. Before war actually
came this department had compiled the
fdsta which showed the power of the
sources, Our possible needs. and how
&they could lie met at home or where
{abload Prepared lists of those mer
| Who had special knowledge or were OF
skill along the lines of our own actiy-
! tiles enabled US to expand as the cal
Twas made.
Under the imperative mandate OF
fwar that ali things shall become sub.
fjsct to a new classification according
no their usefulness in carrying on the
ENatons struggle, certain phases Of oul
#work have fallen into the BACKGROUND
Ewhile others have been brought into
#the high light of national importance
But the making of war today is ia,
fmore than test of primal resources,
HI tests the full powers of the Natior
/ in every resource and capacity and es.
Specially along lines of scientific
| knowledge And here again we fine
Ethat the ways Of peace have giver
something i'll the way of preparation
[for war. The scientific bureaus of the
Government found themselves con.
Eerted over night into adiuncts an(
[auXlllarles IN the great internationa
contest Men who had regarded them.
[seves as modestly useful only in tn,
discovering and revealing of new
Sources OF material strength found tina,
[ihclf years Of experience in the noun.
PANS and on the desert, in laboratorie.
|aHa III mines, called them at once
PIT" tn" thick Of the European struggle
war forces nation to an intensive
|Study OF what it can do. Thought anf
|W"Tk-these are the answers to the
problems of material insufficiencv. w.
|oi america have had little to boast O.
|hfough the quick century of GU,
|mafch across continent. And with
|out doubt our ability to stand alone
|dependinG on ourselves for the thing
|,hat make a modern industrial nation
|is something of which we may b.
proud, not so much because we hay
Pms land as because we have foun,
put Its worth and made it ours by put
|'lng 1t to use. But we soon reaiz
when thrown into such struggle a
ms war. how far removed from entir
Independence we are.
\ democracy making war is neye
I'm agreeable sight, for it is not in it
|hormal line of life. And those VIII
|sheer or jeer because it does not pla,
|'he game as we'll as might be, pay al
unconscious compliment to the merit
III free institutions. 1t takes time {,
|p'rustom men to the short. hard word
L" command. and to the surrender o
personal Judgment. 1t is not easy
|ether' for nation to turn it's back up
" ne conception Of world wher,
Nu'e works out its ends by uuie
processes. and in its stead come to tn,
'"rh oehef that the ultimate court il
halie hrld. SO if there is wrench
~ ana side slipping and confusion
mere should be no surprise. The sur
Pulse to me has been with what com
'ara'ivc ease the transition has beer
N"d' aud how much unconsciou,
preparation for the new work had beer
ready made.
Now that our problem is to produc,
''' IMAM ever before, it is clearl,
ne S''n that the physical resource.
w" lultcd States are today almos
'u'r"'"iN a. the command of thu
worlds needs. It. indeed, for the pas
''''F years The Nation had been plan.