Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-09-14

IF there had been on the scene
more formidable force of destr0yers
when German submersiBles engaged
fleet of allied merchant ships OH
France a few days age chances are
that instead of one underwater yes
seI having been sunk the entire ar
mazda would have been sent down and
the original story circulated about the
encounter made come true and Ameri-
cans not been made TO experience the
sore disappointment that was theirs
when subsequent announcement from
Washington carried the information
that the statement that q half dozen
of the German divers had been lost
was a typographical error.
The dearth of destroyer in Euro
pean waters. and the latest illU=tra-
ton of the gostiness OF their absence,
proves the wisdom Of the recommen-
1 dation Of Secretary Daniels that there
be Immediately constructed am euor-
nous number of these sea bartiers.
The chaser has been proved failure
in combating the submarine. Tt was
introduced 5y the British and when IL
was believed TO be displaying a meas
urc of effectiveness I'm discouraging
the U-boat menace the United states
followed The example of it's ally and
provided q great many Of chose little
craft. butt id was not long in discov-
oring that they we're practically use
less. with the result shat they were
abandoned for the purposes they were
primarily intended.
The destroyer has been found no
be the one weapon that can success
fully hold The submarine in check.
We have adequate confirmation OF
this i'm the fact that not a ship or
soldier has been lost by Canada dur
ing the transportation of forces from
that country to France. Ali of Can
ada's troop ships have been conveyed
by destr0yers The same is true of
the American forces that have been
sent across there having not been
reported q single instance where
submarine has got close enough TO
lnlict damage, due TO the presence Of
the destroyers. 1T would seem that
the American government could af-
ford to curtaU shipping production in
other directions 1T need be in order
10 speed up building of destrOyers
enlarging its fleet Of this type Of
fighter now in European waters to the
greatest extent possible for there is
no direction I'm which the allies can
strike that viii more surely quicken
the ending of the war than against
the U-boat. for IL lis upon this weapon
that the German military is DEPEND
ing to bring defeat to France and
England The sub has eXacted a ter
rife toll ia shipping, bug the totals
have fallen far short of the Berlin
predictions, the number of vessels
wrecked last week having been
among the smallest recorded for q
similar period since the introduction
of ruthIessness upon the seas A
probable explanation for this lies in
6he increase in the number OF Ameri-
can destroyers iii The U-baat zone.
While il has been assumed that
American ingenuity eventually would
solve the submarine menace. it would
have been TOO dangerous and eXpen-
siye TO have sat idly by ana waited
upon the inventors They have been
Iaboriug industrially in their work
shops. They have flooded the navy
department with their devices, bat
they have not yet brought forward
an instrument that wifi deal with the
submarine in the fashion that it must
be dealt with il it is to be eliminated
as commerce destroyer In the
meantime the destroyer has come To
the fore as the weapon most feared
by the submarine commander and ifs
usefulness in keeping che sea lanes
clear OF the enemy is growing daily.
The submarine has not been pur out
OF commission by any means, but il
has n0ticeabIy checked its holiness
and abandon in recent months. with
the arminr OF American merchant
vessels it began TO show greater dis
erection in advancing upon enemy yes
sells. This has been perc8publy in
creased with the patrofline Of the
European lanes by American DESTROY
eFs
The United states should fiji the
waters Of Europe with destroyers and
the skies over Belgium and France
with airplanes. Thaxs the quickest
and surest way of wringing acceptable
peace prnposals from tie kaEEar