The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-08-01
CrOker'S Views
On The War
palm Beach POst)

she must find an effective means OF
combating the submarine menace and
must direct the aircraft into bonn
bardment of the Krupps works in
Germany that will not cease until ev.
cry munitions plant is blown to atoms
and despair is written deep on the
hearts of the German people"
Seated on the broad veranda OF
"The Wigwam,' his beautiful estate
in Palm Beach, Richard Croker, ex-
chief of Tammany Hall and one OF
the keenest men of thed ay, thus ex-
pressed himself yesterday on the
possibilities of American intervention
winning the war.
"The war will be won under sea
and in the air." said Mr.. Croker,
land the greatest good America can
do the cause of democracy is to cir
cumvent the submarine and furnish
the Allies with food and funds.
Let Dollars Do Fighting
Americas cue now is to let her
money do her fighting. A hundred
billion dollar loan could be fioated
with little trouble, for every person
in the United States would be willing
TO subscribed when he learned that
American eagles instead of American
men were to fight in the trenches
England herself has said that the
Allies greatest need today is food
and money. America can furnish
both She has already taken steps
in food conservation that has put new
hope into the Entente nations who
were beginning to feel the pangs of
hunger, but the loans that have been
advanced and arranged for are only
drops in the bucket towards what
will be needed.
America has entered the war to
fight until peace is assured and dem
ocracy made safe. Conservation is
necessary if she would accomplish
s-conservation, not only of food
and fuel, but of men-the greatest Of
all the nations resources.
Keep Army At Home
why should America send her
army abroad now? 1t certainly is
not trained nor ready for service in
a foreign field, and why risk the men
on the high seas when no adequate
protection has been provided for
their transportation? | believe the
army should be sent to France only
as a last resort and then submarine
transports equipped with mine sweep
ers should be provided that at least
would remove the smack of absolute
murder from the undertaking. But
why send men to the front now? One
airplane is worth $4,000 men and if
merica would really win the war, let
her furnish the Allies with funds to
buid great air fleet that will assure
victory. To be sure America should
stand back of the Allies with every
ounce of her resources but let her
send her precious manhood only in
the last extremity.
"Freight-carrying submarines built
on the order of the Deutschland is
the solution of the war if the Allies
do not unbottle their navies soon and
strike a death blow at Kiel, the stra-
getic German submarine base," said
Mr.. Croker.
Build Submarine Freighters
"lt would be only waste of money
to build small submarines for destruc
tion purposes when the Central pow
ers have practically no shipping or
the seas to destroy, and it certainly
would not counteract the submarine
campaign that the Germans are wag
ing. Submarines that will carry meT
and provisions across the waters are
the ships that are needed now /
! the Germans can build and success
fully operate a submarine freighte
like the Deutchland, which made tw,
trips across the Atlantic in safety
then American ingenuity, American
wits and American money make pos
sible an entire fleet.
Congress has voted 1854, 1000 90
to build airships for use at the front