Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-11-13
Editors Letter Box
viii Some One Please Explain?

~ the Editor Daily journal:
During the last presidential cam
paign many claimed that President
Wilson should be reelected, because
he had kept us out of war" 1t is true
that the United States was not q war
with any nation but it would not be
IN easy matter for any intelligent,
J fair minded person 10 state just HOW
Z he kept us out OF war.
| President Wilson was reelected.
and somewhat singuarly almost as
soon as he was reinagurated (within
five or six weeks) a state OF war was
/ declared as existing between the
\ United States and Germany; and this
had been expected for some time. for
( this country could not possibly have
/ taken any other course, under existing
/ conditions; and every citizen should,
and every loyal citizen will. do all in
their power to support the President
/ in carrying on this war to successful
and early termination.
! Many have claimed that if Roose
velt had been elected FIVE years ago
| instead of Wilson. this country would
E! have been engaged in this terrible war
almost at it's very beginning, they evil
I IDENTITY failing to realize the fact that
the President of the United States
cannot declare war against any nation
F., unless authorized to do so by Con-
gress, a Congress made up of members
/ elected by the people, to represent the
people. But there was good reason
( why war should have been declared
much sooner than it was, in fact after
the sinking of the IuSitania, when
hundreds of men, women and innocent
/ children, people of a neutral and
friendly nation We're cruelty muir
I dered, But this country was not pre-
pared for war at that time, was not
prepared last April, and but poorly
prepared even now.
There are many things about this
war that many Of us-the common
people-do not fully understand. and
one thing is regarding geogra phical
conditions in Europe.
y Our government is having built. and
going to have built in the near future,
| hundreds of ships to carry supplies;
food stuffs and munitions of war, to
the allies. Many such ships have
been sunk and many more will be
! simply targets for German submarines
Food stuffs that are sent to England
and France, and that never reach
their destinations, do not feed the
allies. IT is said that the class of
naval vessels known as torpedo boat
! deStroyers, very effectual in disposing
Of German submarines. and that the
! government is having. or going to
have, several built in the near future.
But 7 submit to every intelligent
reader of the Journal that it would be
the part of wisdom if the government
would hold UP on the construction of
ships for CARRYING supplies to the
allies and speed up the building Of
destroyers; that these should be used
| in conjunction with English destroy
ers TO CONVOY ships already available,
and to sink every submarine possible
i would certainly be much better to
send 10 ships with supplies and have
, them reach their destination. than to
send ) and have of them sunk by
submarines and we would hear much
| less about food conservation.
II is claimed that England has the
| most powerful navy in the world. and
that France. Russia and italy also
have powerful navies: and We too,
claim that the United States has a
fairly good navy. but we read practi-
| cally nothing Of any naval engage
IIltiitS III titS war. III is conceded tn9f
4 Germany has q powerful navy. but IT
| Is CLAIMED that the Germany navy is
! bottled up" 90 somewfrerco ? and
that the English navy is watching as a
cat would watch for mouse. so that
, it may not become "unhottled," but it
was stated through the press on Oct
14th that, THE German forces were
landed on Oesel island in the Gulf Of
| RICO under If lie
which would seem 10 prove that the
/ German navy had not been very Sc
/ curely bottled mp" as has been
claimed and another statement has
/ been made, An unofficial report from
| Stockholm says that the Germans have
| gathered large number Of sub
| marines and destrOyers in the waters
| around eastern Denmark in anticipa-
! ton Of an attempt by an Entente fleet
to force its way into the Baltic to aid
| the Russians"
The United States has declared war
| against Germany talone) and why do
not the combined navies-or a part OF
| each-take this war home to GERMANY
! sink any submarine possible. DESTROY
the submarine bases, and ship building
! plants. in fact everything that can be
reached by naval gun fire? For GER
tainly in no other way can Germany be
conquered so quickly and thorouhglv.
Evidently Germany is thoroughly
posted regarding conditions on the
different battle fronts, and Is taking
advantage of every weak spot; this
is shown within a few days rega riding
the Italian situation. and never before
since the war began has Italy been so
greatly in need OF help from the other
allied nations; and the same is true of
| Russia.
Thousands Of our boys" have en-
listed for service in this terrible war:
thousands have been drafted. and some
are somewhere in France" and also
England: but thousands are encamped
in our own country, and we frequent
| " read Of what is to be done next
wear But does it require six TO eight
months to equip and drill our soldiers
to fit them for service? or are they be-
ing kept here because OF unfayorable
weather conditions in Europe during
the winter season? Evidently the al
lies have the Germans more nearly ION
the run" than at any time before
since the war began, and it seems as il