The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1917-08-16


ita Yoakum Fosdick at spectacle
given for the benefit of the Red Cross
at Newport, r. /.
naturally would with men like Theo-
dore N. Vail, head of the Bell Tele-
phone system; Wallace D. Simmons,
head of the largest hardware company
in the United States, and others on
the list, all actively engaged in the
councils work. There are men who
are on the committees who leave i'm
pOrtant work to go to Washington
and unravel knotty questions on trans
portation, food and kindred subjects.
Most of the big railroad men in the
country are doing what they can to
aid the big financiers are joining In.
so are the manufacturers. Although
they have accomplished wonders since
their organization a few months ago,
If we could but ascertain the real ex-
tent Of their efforts, of which only a
few leak out now and then, it would
deserve properly to be classed above
twentieth century miracles.
Merging the Railroads.
1t is rather much of an old story
now to tell of the merging Of all the
railroads in the United States into one
continental system, doing away withi
competition for the sake of maximum
national efficiency in transportation.
But it illustrates to what extent the
business men have gone and how,
willing they are to use their power
to aid the government.
Railroads have not been alone I'M
their sacrifices many lines of BUSH
ness have done something SIMILAR
Every move of this kind on the part
of the business interests has shown.
the more clearly how vital their aid
Is and how much less the govern;
men could do without it, proving,
it Is business mans war.
In this connection, Grosvenor B.
Clarkson, secretary of the council of
national defense and of the advisory
commission, said:
"Moderh war means that battles
are won not alone by fighting men
but by fighting industries. War has
ceased to be a profession in which
military men alone are called. On
the contrary, it enlists the specialists
Of every industry and every science
from the firing line clear back to the
first line Of defense.
'Tn the words of Howard Coffin,
who started the movement for mobil-
izing the industrial forces Of Amer
lea, twentieth century conflict de-
mands that the blood Of the soldier
must be mingled with from three to
five parts of the sweat of the man in
the mills, mines and factories of the
nation in arms"
This sentiment of Mr.. Clarkson
crystalizes the thought as to the
great change in conducting warfare.
1t applies equally as well in both
Great Britain and the United States
and, perhaps the other allies, but
British and American business men,
more than those of France, Italy and
Russia, are prosecuting the war, be-
cause upon them lies the task for
financing the struggle. England
helped her allies financially during
the early days of the war, and now
the United States has taken over the
Job for virtually the entire world.
They not only give money, but save
it without being parsimonious, for,
had it not been for their united sup
port both governments-Britis and
American-would have been hundreds
of millions of dollars worse off.
The injection Of business men as
directors Of the war is novel, but 1t
has achieved results that could not
have been obtained under the older
form of things.