Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-06-06
LIFE AND DEATH REASONS
FOR URGING MORE SPEED
Even Now United States Faces Fact
OF Actual Warfare on Its
Own Shores
National Chamber Of Commerce Asks
Wilson TO Appoint Special War
Commission to Investigate and
Wake Country Up With Truth.


Commission to Investigate and
Wake Country Up With Truth.
the United states is fast approa aching
crisis where any day We may see actual
warfare brought 20 its own shores. the
Chamber of Commerce OF tho United
states. representing all the chambers
OF commerce in America. to-day scut TO
President Wilson resolution asking
him to name "a special commission TO
investigate tho war. give tho people
the truth and arouse them TO a sense
Z Of their danger
The resolution which is sent out
! under the signature Of Joseph II DC.
frees. Of Chicago. chairman Of the
chamber, sums up the country's peril
thus:
Aside from the question Of shorten
inE tho war there are life and death
reasons why the United States should
speed preparations for the great con
fict There arc possible and even
probable contingencies which might
cause the United states To bear the
brunt of the nshtini on her own shores
They are
u RUSSIA Snou!n collapse
IL the English fec, be overcome.
~ tho food situation should bring
our allies TO their knees.
If great reversals should be met on
the western front
III the submarine menace bc not
checked"
CHAMBER CONSIDERS
SIT, ATI0> ACUTE
The chamber. made up OF big bust
ness men all over the country. CON
siders the situation so acute that the
executive committee, after drawing up
the resolution. requested Geographic
I approval by its members This was
granted. and to-day the contents OF
the resolution, which actually was
PASSED on May "a, were made public
President Wilson. " is understood,
viii name war commission entirely
independent of all other bureaus The
National Security League, il is
nounced. VIII send 1000 speakers
throughout tho country soon as the
new commission can get under way
The chamber saws that the main OBJ
s,ruction Of speed is the failure of the
people TO appreciate the fact that We
are Al war"
! for precisely the same Kind OF cam
paign of national education and in.
formation as that conducted by Eng
land when II came TO the realization
OF what war really meant.
SEVEN URGENT MATTERS
MUST HE MADE CLEAR
Seven urgent matters, in the opinion
Of the chamber, must he made clear
to the people:
L. That the banks cannot take care
OF the bonds. The bonds must he
bought by individuals.
=. That CONSUMPTION does not carry
with it anything OF disgrace. 1t is
as patriotic and much more effective
than tho medieval system of voiun-
| tcerinc.
! 8 That labor must be rcadjusted on
"a large scale. IL must be made more
productive. and its varied problems
carefully considered.
! T. The food administration viii nee
I essarily be repressive but it is in the
/ interest of all.
i. That there is false and proper
/ national economy. Business in war
! time lis not as usual"
! e. That the intelligent cooperation
! of woman in both direct and Indirect
! branches Of war effort is absolutely
/ essential
I I. That there should he a centralized
/ control for the systematic support OF
! the families OF those who go to war.
! This should be through the Intelligent
| cooperation Of the government. local
organizations and employers
! The chamber emphasizes that the
| contingencies of war arc likely TO hap
| pen a any time.
The impossible has happened so
! often in this war" reads the resolu-
| ton, that any one Of these contin-
! Gcncics is not impossible. The Ger
| mans should have gotten through at
/ the Marine and captured Paris and
| Calais and established control Of the
! channel The English fleet should
have annihilated the German feet at
| Jutland. The central powers should
| have been starved before tho last har-
! vest"
| GREAT BATTLES MAY BE:
| TRANSFERRED TO orr SHORES
| Turning to the question of the sub
marine, the association again finds II
! necessary to emphasize the fact that
we may have the scene Of great bat
! ties transferred to our own shores:
| The submarine campaign has re-
suited in the destruction Of 1900 900
tons Of shipping during the months Of
February, March and April Coinci-