The Washington herald., 1917-08-01
A Forecast and a Warning.


The American people have been led
UP the rocky cliffs of the mountains,
and have surveyed the golden val
leys lying below. The spectacle has
Iseized their imagination. 1t has be-
come part Of the great national pur-
pose, the great national destiny.
They have turned their backs to
aught else but The great duty to
which they have been called in be-
half Of the defense of civilization.
There may have been two opinions
among, Americans about the wisdom
Of .embaTking on war. There may
still be two opinions on that subject.
But there can be no division Of
opinion over the fact that, having
launched upon she war. there can be
no turning back now. That would
be a moral infirmity which would
make America the butt of the world
Nowhere in the United States can
one find any other conviction but
that we must finish the job that we
have started.
There now appears a prospect-just
the faint shadow of a prospect. TO
be sure, but nevertheless something
to be afraid of-that American mill
tary participation in this war is
going to be something which Ameri-
cans decade hence will not care
to talk about There is a prospect
that we are going to make some
thing Of a disappointing botch of the
business of sending troops oversea
It is amazing that such a fear should
be entertained in responsible quar-
tcrs, to be sure, but nevertheless the
American people ought TO be told
that such a fear is extant among
persons who are in position to
know what they are talking about.
The army is full of gloomy prophe-
cies. The older guard of officers will
tell you the United States will have
only a fragment of an army in
France twelve months from now.
They laugh at the suggestion of n
million men on the western. front
next July. Why? They point TO a
multitude of causes. Lack of ton
mage, of railroad facilities in France,
of an adequate trans Atlantic supply
system. OF a score OF minor defects
in organizations, as reasons why We
will fail in the 1918 job. 1t is amaz-
ing, from the lay point OF view. to
hear them talk this way. Neverthe-
less, the fact remains that this is
exactly what some of them are say
ing.
Picture what this fact means. 1t
means that the richest ana most po-
teutiaIly powerful nation in the
world, boasting Of an industrial or
ganization which is the marvel of
history. is going to make such pitt
full bOtch of its war task that the
Prussians, now sneerng and laughing
at Us as a war-making nation. can
roll back contentedly in th.ir arm
chairs and say, Il told you 50.
1t means a confession OF national i'm
potcnce. 1t means that after a year
of solid, hard war preparation We
have fallen far short of what every
citizen Of the United States expects
his country will be able 10 do.
How are the people going to ac-
ccpt such a situation as this? After
spending between fifteen and twenty
billions in the first year of war. after
submitting to a heavy burden of
taxation and undergoing all manner
of sacrifices. after accepting conscrip-
tion, and being promised that the
force and power of the nation is
such that it cannot fail to be tine
deciding factor in the war-tO find
that, after twelve months, we have
been able to send On.v an insignif-
cant little army Of 2-N.0no or 10000
to the succOr Of France and Belgium.
We need not answer as to how
they will bear with such a humilia
ton. If the War Department feels
there is the slightest chance of such
a catastrophe as that, it should move
heaven and earth to wipe it off the
horizon. Otherwise, there will be
blow up in this country. and some
body-in fact. quite a few persons
are going to be hurt.