The Carlisle independent. (Carlisle, Ark.) 1905-current, 1917-12-06
YOUNGER LEADERS
FOR MORE ACTION
SINGLE FRONT, SINGLE ARMY,
SINGLE NATION" PROGRAM
URGED BY AMERICANS.
SEA CAMPAIGN is LIKELY
May Be Determined on by Great coun-
Gil in Paris-Austrian Fleet Could
Sc Driven From PoIa and De-
stroyed.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.


Washington.-Belief is strong in
Washington that the war strategy
board of three generals of the allied
forces which recently has been APP
pointed Will be augmented quickly by
the naming of an American soldier TO
make quartette of what today is a
trio.
There has been q tendency notice
able in Washington to confuse the
strategy board with the great council
which is now opening its sessions at
the French capital, the council Mt
which Col e. NJ House is the chief
civilian American representative. The
council, of course as President Wilson
already has said, will consider means
as to how the war Is to be won.' and
this means that it in large sense will
De military in its nature. The strategic
board rs many call it, Of three ranking
officers of the armies of the allies may
form plan of their own for an all
embracing campaign or they may seek
simply to PIT into effect the plan
which the council outlines, provided
or course military authority sanctions
1t.
Recently Painleve at a luncheon Civ
en- TO David Lloyd George outlined a
program I'm these words-"A single
front, single army. single nation"
Younger Men VIII Rule.
The then French premier may have
known 1t or he may not have known IT,
bnf In epit0mizing this program Of
war he was but echoing words spoken
time after time in the recent past by
American army officers of high rank.
The military end of the war depart
ment probably will have its way. Youth
In the army must be served as 1t is
served elsewhere, and so it can be TAX
en- for granted almost that the old men
who are for prolonged counsel will be
overcome by the Young men who are
for short counsel and short war.
Long ago the young American naval
officers urge.l In such ways as they
could that sea campaign In connec-
ton with the British fleet he under
taken. Younger army officers have
felt from the very beginning that war
should be declared on the allies of Ger
many, and 1t is inconceivahIe that their
view has not been known TO their SUI
perior military and civilian officers.
There Is growing feeling here today
in military and naval circles that fol-
lowing the conference in France some
body. or several somebody's in fact,
will be told to strike hard.
German Fleet May Strike.
Constantly in Washington one hears
that thus far Germany had been sue
cessful on land, but that the allies
have been overwhelmingly successful
on the sea. 1t is apparent that a sea
victory for the Germans would do them
more good than all the land victories
which they could pile up. A sea VIC
tory would open the way to supplies of
all kinds to the control of the seas,
and probably to an actual invasion or
an attempted invasion of England.
Military opinion here therefore holds
cerned, the allies are better off than
the Germans, but the belief is that
some time or other the German fleet
may strike.
There is an Austrian fleet shut I'D
In Poia. There are means if properly
used which would result in driving this
feet out. Some Of the naval strate-
gists believe that the first thing to be
done is to destroy every ship which the
Austrians have and they say that with
France, Italy. Great Britain and Amer
lea I'm this fight there ought to be ships
enough to put the Austrian fleet out Of
commission while still having reserve
supply enough to keep the German
ships bottled up until the time shall
come to go I'm and smash them In the
bottle.
New Army Never Surpassed.
Letters which come to me from
men whom l have known since
school days on that Hudson river
plateau which is Swallowed by Fort
Putnam and Old Grow Nest mountain
contain no military secrets, but they
disclose perhaps better than anything
else can the real spirit of the service
as it is constituted today, the spirit
which if not maintained will make for
defeat.
The letters are from general officers
commanding camps and cantonments
OF the American army in divers places
and they tell the most convincing sto-
ries of the morale and the general ex-
celience of health and spirit of the
new armies of the republic.
Take the letters together and their
contents represent conditions In camps
In which Americans from every sec
ton are quartered. 1t would seem
that the spirit of the soldiers of the
South. the West, the East and the
North is one. The high desire of prop
er service on the part of drafted men
IL one Of the most satisfactory Of the
findings. Some men did not expect
real heart service from some of the
drafted ones.