The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-10-07
GREATEST POTENTIAL WAR MACHINE
WORLD HAS EVER SEEN IS EVOLVED
IN UNITED STATES STATES IN IN SIX SIX MONTHS
America Transformed From slnbeng Military Base Into
Co-ordinated Fighting Unit of One Hundred Million
Peopleoongress, Army Navy, Factories Railroads and
Every Resource of the Nation Mustered Into Service

| Washington. October Six months
| OF warfare have transformed the
| United States from q slumbering mil
| itary base into a liberty giantess with
army, navy and industries marshalled
| into the greatest potential war ma
| chine the world has ever seen. Since
| April 8. when war was declared,
| civilians, congress-. commissions and
| committees have been co~ordtnated for
! the war OF liberty.
| Starting with an army that drew
| the contempt Of the autocracv she was
! 10 fight; with navy scarcely strong
| ar than past emergencies demanded:
, with comparatively nothing that is
/ required In warfare as the moderns
( fights tho submarines. no airplanea
no seaplanes. no bombing briEades, no
gas brigades, no service brixades, no
tanks, no machine acknowledgements
has gained momentum that has drawn
forth the admiration even Of the pow
erful allies with whom she has linked
her might.
I Overcoming seemingiy fnsurmount-
= abla obstacles with wonderful ability,
she has organized Just as one OF her
: thousands OF enormous corporations
- pical of the nation would organize
for business
Nation welded into Fighting Unit.
Ore hundred millions ~ people have
been welded into single nghting
unit, How this has been accom- iished
is told in an official resume of the
achievements Of the government since
the declaration Of war ana issued to-
day Try the committee on public In
formation.
Congress, forced into war. broke nil
records in the enactment Of great ap-
preparation bills aud laws bestpwinE
powers upon the chief executive and
hts ass,sta nfs.
without accident ar disaster" SAYS
the reeoue, the war ,iepartrn e1t al
ready has saut large exped'tsonary
force - France Within three months
tha department constructed sixteen
environments. or sixteen ctties, each
capable of accommodating popula-
l!qn 81 10000 The sum II spproxi-
rnateiy $3.50. req nNo was spent for can
Torment construction In these esn-
tonlnents or virtually en- rosts thereto
are today about half ninion men
whom they are trained 6Ehara can be
readily supplied for r3milae training
Tho general staff proatinT by the
reasons In Europe. made nlans for
bringing aur army n1 10 ire new era
IN warfare and substantially revised
thu past organization 20 A. in With
modern methods The general star is
undermining the entire army unit ny
untt. In addition TO ftt,nK out tho
Fershtng expedition along entirclv
new lines
Sa.aoo Officers in Service.
Following the April announce
ruent of the adtutant~ general Of the
establishing Of sfxtseu officers train.
tfsg camps. approximately. r. COO young
officers have received tn- enpive train
ing and ara receiving commissions for
the various branches 81 the services
\ second series OF training camps for
officers has been begun and the third
will begin IN January The a6tutnrt-
generals orfce also procured more
than 50. roo trained specialists for the
enlisted reserve corps. About 10000
OFFICERS IN the reserve corps have been
corur1i ssioned At the beginning 81
the war had approximately 2n.eoo
officers, There are now around SO, no
eT'eprR
development Of tire liberty motor
Is ore of the major achisven.euts Of
the wa department and the air craft
production board This was followed
nv the designing of "a standard milf
tary truck. Then came the letting Of
contracts fer the ss40 900 noe air feet
and tho hurrv5nr ~ work IN $4,000
airn1aues ne this countrv's a~st con
trfhution IN this une-an onn air
planes at the Grst making And threr
years ago If was almost Impossible 10
airrlanes.
come both by the ordnance bureau and