The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1917-11-29
Wonderful Camp Dodge
and a Wonderful Army
BY HON. FRANK M. EDDY.

ing camp Dodge thlS Ihoush' ""N
forced home upon us as never before
Where six months ago the PLAN
below was divided up into farmsteads
titled by thrifty Iowa farmers, corn
fields, small grain divisions, pastures
vegetable gardens and blossomine
orchards, now stands a city, not
city of tents, but a city of splendid
frame buildings, equipped with electric
lights, pavements, sewers and all the
paraphenalia of a we'll organized
organized commonwealth. 1t is true
the buildings, with the exceptions OF
the Y. NJ. C. A. buildings, which are
painted green and stand out like GASES
in a desert of brown, are unpainted,
are built of wood and still have the
saw-mill smell lingering about them,
yet they possess all the conveniences
of a modern city residence.
When we stop to think that wonder
full Camp Dodge is only one of Is
environments filled with khaki clad
American lads, fit as a fiddle for SER
vice, we realize what a tremendous
transformation has taken place in the
United States of America in less than
a year.
A year ago the army of the United
States numbered less than one hun
dred thousand men; the navy less than
twenty thousand. To day, including
the army, marines and the navy we
have more than a million and a
quarter of men under arms and in
training with nine million more at the
beck of Uncle Sam ready to don the
uniform and do service. Today we are
better prepared for war than was
England or France after two years of
battle, and as yet we have not even
broken the rim of our supply re-
sources, our men resources or our man
resources.
When we stop to think of the illim-
liable power of the United States in
comparison with the other warning
nations we are staggered by the
result. Drain this country of its man
power to the same extent as England,
France, Austria, Italy and Germany
are drained at the present time, and
there would be over twelve million
men under arms.
England is bonded up to forty per
cent of it's estimated wealth, France
thirty-eight, Italy forty-two and tn
Lord only knows to what extent
Germany and Austria are loaded with
debt to carry on the war.
The average earnings of the Eng
lish worker is eighty cents day and
he contributes thirty-five cents to the
war. The Frenchman earns on an
average sixty-eight cents and he con-
tributes twenty-eight cents to the war;
The average in the other countries at
war is about the same and in some
cases greater. The average wage in
the United States is $1.79 per DAY and
the American worker contributes less
than three cents per day.
Bond the United States to the same
extent that European countries are
bonded and this country would have
in its war chest over one hundred
billion dollars; and tax it to the same
extent as other countries are and we
could pay the war expenses of five
million soldiers every night witt
any bonds, and this too, in view of the
fact that it costs the United StaIe.
seven times as much to smaintain
soldier according to the American
standard as. it does for any other
country to maintain theirs, not taking
into account the tremendous sums do.
mated for the Red Cross, the Y. M.
C. A. and other kindred organizations.
Talk about "giving till it hurts" our
people have not yet given enoup'
give them growing pains, save those
skinf1ints whom it hurts to give a
penny for any purpose.
l have distressed from my subject,
l notice your Camp Dodge Cores
pondent, Grove Wills, said in one of
his articles that didn't know when to
stop and this article will prove that
he was right.
The term draft" and "conscrip-
ton" were irolent' misnomers to the
legislation provided for raising our
army but the term National Army"
applied to the men so organized was
an inspiration for it is National" in
every sense Of the word. 1t is made
'u@1 Of every rank in life. At Camp
Dodge, one could go into the 352nd
regiment, the one in which many of
our Sank Centre boys are found, Or
ganize bank, provide it with capital
and capable officials, build locomo-
tive, organize lyceum and supply it
with lecturers and speakers, start
newspaper, with editors, reporters and
compositors, run barber shop, create
a professional base ball team, main
tain a revival with choir and eyany-
elists, stage a prize fight, with pro-
fessional pugilists, start saloon and
supply it with bai tender. AMI custom
ers, pick mans pock,. or conduct
AnV 9nfprrrISa cord .o+nJ L.