The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-05-04
0LCOMB CURES CRITICISMS OF ADMINISTRATION Were All. for the Presi- dent in Connecticut" He 8 Tells Governors. WORDS OF WILSON
 CAUSED CONVERSION Nutmeg State Executive Re-
 turns to Stir Up War
 Preparations.


 mighty big job on their hands" said Gov. Holcomb today, in speaking of the national council of defense, the conferences of which he attended irs Washington. "They are working away at preparedness and everybody knows this county was totally unpre- pared for war. It is very serious bus fness. I don't believe one-quarter of the people of our state know the shape we are in or what it means to be in war. They have got to wake up. It means a great deal more than most of them think. Gov. Holcornb and Judge Lucien F. Burpee, chairman of the state military emergency board, returned today from Washington. Gov. Holcomb said he did not meet the British and French envoys, although Congressman Loner- gan, with appreciated courtesy, pro- cured tickets to the gallery for the governor and Judge Burpee when the envoys appeared before the national House of Representatives.
 Gov. Holcomb said that at the Monday night meeting there was voic- ed some criticism of the national ad- ministration.
 ''I stood that about as long as l could and then talked to them for about IS minutes. I told them we hadn't been an administration crowd up in our state, and had been opposed to the administration until President Wilson delivered his great war mes sage to congress and since that mMn- ute we had all been with the admiris- tration and you could not find a man up in Connecticut who was not boost- E. tn- -tsf-- q fn4~ "A, fy1 this war.
 T, told them we had not asked the administration to help us. We did not want the federal government to look after our food supply as we had our own food supply committee; we did not ask the federal government to protect us as we had gone to work and raised a home guard of 5000 men, but we were going to do every bit we could to help the administra- ton win this war. When got through talking the meeting adjourned, with out any more criticism.
 1T hope this war will not come to the United States, but you don't know. It may If we don't win we will have to pay almost the entire cost of the European war for all the other coun- tries.''
 Judge Burpee, in referring to the conference, said:
 ttIt was pretty well demonstrated that unless the United States marshals all her resources both military and in- dustrial and does it immediately, there is great probability that we shall see German troops in this country within a year.
 sIs had never believed" continued Judge Burpee, "this' to be probable or even possible, but the facts presented by the government officials were con- vincing and those from the English l and French officials visiting this coun- try make 1t plain that the situation in England and France is desperate both economically and in respect to nai1i- l tary matters. Germany has a throttle hold on England and if that cannot be loosened both countries will be 1 thrott1ed."
 l Judge Burpee.said the, trip was very 1 interesting and that government of
 6cia1s of this country from President
 Wilson down took great pains to ex- l plnin the situation.