Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-07-20
NEXT SPRING.

COinCident with the HOUSE unoAA
nous adoption of the $640.OOO,ooo ap
u preparation fer airplane constructor
comes the declaration by Gen. George
o. Sauier that America will nave
\ thousands of trained aviators IN tne
war zone next spring. And Captain
de la Grange Of the French army, VINO
\ Is in this country to advise with tne
i chief Of our air fighters, says America
h can do more effective war service WIN
\ airplanes than with any other kind OF
war force.
The program as outlined by these
two men Is most ambitious one. II
includes construction of thousands OF
| airplanes and the training OF thous-
ands of flyers in the next eight or nine
! months. Il means that American rae
tories must be pushed night and DAY
for the construction Of motors ana tnat
new factories must be built In france
where the bulky wooden parts OF the
airplanes must be made.
And it means that if these plans are
carried out, next spring will see Amer
ica represented in Europe by the most
formidable fghting force ever organ
lied. =,
Americas army OF 10000 flyers, in
estimation of these experts, will be far
more formidable than Englands navy
Germany's great armies or the armies
which oppose them. They VIII drop
powerful explosives on Germanys Dat
tie fleets and her wonderful keil canal
they will drive her airmen out OF eN'
istence by sheer weight OF NUMBERS !:
they will rob the German artillery OF
It's effectiveness by destroying the
birdmen who are It's eyes and range
finders: they will hover above the Ger
man trenches and drop bombs to des'
| troy whole regiments at once; they
will fly over Germany herself, wreck
Ing her munition plants and gun manu-
factories.
N,f6 mis- prospect opening before
NC Ard added reason for encoura2e-
s,.r,t in the news that Thomas A. Edl-
na,,,s associates believe he has at last
Uncovered an effective weapon to de-
strov the submarine. No formal an
annncement is made. and none could
he expected. But it is significant that
+his report is coincident with myster-
IONS statement by the Westinghouse
interests that they will pay unusually
high salaries to men who Will agree 10
work for ten months "on an Invention
nf great importance to the nation IN
ffe war" and who are asked to sur
render their liberty and the right to
communicate with thes outside world
during the ten months they must re-
main imprisoned within the factory
walls.
The national guard regiments from
<he various states will 20 into training
aeon and may be expected to be at the
front early in 1918. Meanwhile the
couscript army will be whipping itself
into shape for service and next spring
will see the numerous environments
alive with men almost ready Tor ser.
vice overseas.
All of this weight of fighting energy
IL counted upon as Americas contribu-
ton to the war against Germany, next
spring.
n the meantime. while the work Of
preparation goes forward, European
armies must bear the brunt OF the
fighting, with that assistance which
can be given by Pershing's compare
lively small force and Americas navy.
The Russian drive in Galicia and the
internal crisis In Germany will weak
en-may prevent-a determined Ger
man offensive on the western front.
Even IL the British and French armies
make no progress beyond their pres
ent line of battle they may be expect
ed to prevent the Germans from NOV
ing it westward appreciably,
Next spring will see America pre-
pared. with fighting men and new mer-
chant ships to transport army and
supplies to Europe. Possibly 1t will
see the U-boat menace reduced to a
minimum.
Until then, Americas part in the war
must be, in the main, the part PLAYED
by her industries, her farms, her Red
Cross. her money and her loyalty.