Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-12-20

FIovd Gibbons, ''The Tribune's"
staff correspondent at the front IN
France, has addressed letter to Fed
eral Judge Lands. The letter was
written after Mr.. Gibbons had re-
ceived letter from Reed Lands, the
iurist's son. The letter is in the ma
ture of a word to all Americans. 1t
follows:
Paris, France, Nov. 20.
To Judge Kenesaw Mountain Lands,
Chicago, U. S. A.
Dear Judge Landis:-I received a
letter some time ago from your son
Reed, who is training in a United
States flying school in England. He
is forging ahead with great success
and hopes to become proficient and be
among the first to get into air grips
with the Germans. He has that Won
derful American spirit which old Eu
rope is coming into contact with for
the first time.
Old Europe is surprised and feels
inclined to look back into her history
books and figure out just what it was
she lost when those early pioneers left
her shores and carried ambitions
burning lights to the new world. Old
Europe is just beginning to realize
that it was her best blood and brains
and spirit that left her so many years
ago and went out to find fortune in
young, INFESTED West.
Spirit Inspires Weary Europe
| am writing this to you because
you, as the proud father of patri-
otto, fighting son, will understand how
this American fighting spirit is begin
ming to size up the world situation as
it becomes closer and closer in touch
with it each day. These young fight
ting Americans, who also think, have
been landing on these shores in some
small and some big parties ever since
June. l have watched them land from
the first.
The great optimism and enthusi-
asm have been inspiring to poor old
war weary Europe. Her head has
been aching with an awful pain for
over three years now, and the appear
ance of these fresh youngsters with
great things toward bucking every
body up and making prospects look
brighter
Thoughts Serious Now
But how ] see these young Ameri-
cans, and old ones, too, for that mat
ter after they have been here long
enough to get agrasp on the situa-
ton and with only few expectations
their more mature observations are
not quite so roseate as their first
ones. They appreciate Frances Won
derful fighting and wonderful sacri-
fices; they have learned to respect the
great military machine that Britain
has put into the field after three
years effort; they know that our en-
try into the war has strengthened the
allied cause all around with a clari-
fication of the financial situation and
a Strengthening out of the matter of
supplies But, frankly, these think
ing Americans are far from satisfied
with the way things are going. Re
member, though, that there is not
single knocker among them, not a
gutter in the lot, and none who even
would want to risk the danger of in
terfering with the present conduct of
affairs by even so much as criticizing
them.
But they feel that almost nothing
has been done yet as compared with
what they see has yet to be done if
the war, is going to be pushed to a
successful conclusion. These young
sters aren't talking so much about
making the world safe for democracy
now-they are really and seriously
interested in making the United
States safe to live in, because these
men over here have some idea of what
living in the United States is going
to mean if Germany wins the war.
Will We Beat Germany
1t sounds almost reasonable from
a patriotic standpoint to write any
sentence that would include the
phrase, IF Germany Wins the War"
Everybody has been thinking for a
long time that Germany was licked, or
that she was just about to be licked,
or that she is going to be licked some
how, some time, if the allies just get
together and do it.
To thousands of Americans a IA
vorable outcome has been based simp-
ly on a question of time.
''How long do you think it is going
to take us to lick Germany?" has been
the oft repeated question. But now,
Judge Lands, | want you to know
that there are a number of these think
ing Americans over here who are be-
ginning to ask the question in more
simplifed form, namely, Are we 60
ing to lick Germany?
Here is the way present day world
matters look to some analysts of tho
situation: Russia is "kaput", and
from all a0DearaDcaS If looks like she