The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1917-07-05
OUR ARMY IN FRANCE

JUN f11tAv1 Nv MANU-
The vanguard of the American ar
my is in France. In a short time the
Stars and Stripes will be floating ov-
er a battling force representing the
United tSates on the fighting 'front.' in
the worlds greatest war.
The vanguard of the American navy
under Admiral Sims, has been in Eur
opean waters for sometime and they
have established new principle in
warfare of the seas. Instead of dodg-
ing submarines they are hunting fol
submarines and are causing the sub
marines of the enemy to do the dodg-
ing.
It has ever been the American way
to hunt the enemy instead of waiting
for the enemy to hunt them, and if
General Pershing and his doughty
American soldiery do not inject new
element into European warfare then
the American people will be sorely
disappointed.
The entrance of American fighting
men, in uniform, into the war, marks
an epoch of the most sublime import
ance in the history of men and ma
lions.
In former times American troops
have been landed on foreign shores,
especially our marines, a sin the war
with Tripoli in 1891, and in the Box
er campaign in China, but these were
merely punitive expeditions and when
their object was accomplished they
weer promptly withdrawn, but this is
the first time that an organized Am
erican military force was landed on
European soil with the avowed deter
mination of staying until the results
for which they were entered into the
conflict have been achieved. Obtuse,
indeed, must be the mental vision OF
him who cannot plainly discern that
these men who are now somewhere in
France" are but the advance agents
of millions to follow if such action be-
comes necessary. 1t is notice to
the world that the tremendous resour-
ces of the United States have been
thrown into the war on the side of
humanity; that Uncle Sam has sound
ed forth the bubble that shall never
call retreat-and that his tremendous
army of nephews and neices are back
of their uncle to the ultimate finish in
this great struggle.
The arrival of the American ships
in the war zone and the landing Of
American troops on the shores III
France, under the present conditions
is little short of military marvel,
and, to our mind at least, plainly dem
sonstrates THAT higher than human
power directed the course of those war
ships and troop transports.
Notwithstanding the tremendous eff
forts on the part of the government tc
eliminate espionage the fact remains
that this country is honey-combed with
German spies and there is not the
slightest doubt that the Imperial gov
eminent is informed, by cipher code,
of every naval and military movement
made by the United States practically
as soon as the orders are promulgated.
Beyond preadventure the German
authorities knew the date Of the sail
ing of the American war ships, tor
pedo boat destroyers, and submarine
chasers before they were hundred
miles from the American coast, and
the fact that they arrived at their des-
tination in safety, without the loss OF
single ship or sailor, speaks volumes
for the genius of American seaman
ship.
Outside of governmental circles
probably there is not single citizen
who knows the date Of sailing, the
number Of ships land men who art
now on the fighting front in France
but the man who does not know thai
the German government had all TIL:
iufc, nation, does not realize wha
German efficiency rleans.
The fact that in spite of this knowl
edge, in spite of the fact that thu
German submarines Were withdraw!
from their commerce destroying raid
and given special instructions to hal
the course of the American warship
lie their voyage across the Atlantic
ana to terrorize the shipping of Am
er;can troops by the destruction of tn
troop transports, that every America
wan skip reached it sdestinasion in sal
ETY. and that more than SO troop trans
ports traversed the submarine irfcat
ed ocean, the aeroplane dotted sky, an
Dime covered sea bottoms aid lande
their human freight at their destina
tion without the SIS of single .'h'
or single man, is one Of the wonder