The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1917-06-23
FOR NEW REGIMENT
FoRESTERS ARE TO BE RECRUIT.
ED AND SENT ACROSS TO
HELP FRANCE.
THEIR WORK is IMPORTANT
VIII Give Vital Aid to the Engineers
In Rebuilding and Maintaining the
Lines of Communication-Par of
Regular Army.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.

NaShingtOn.- Sam will send /;
regiment of forrSterS To France. meI
hardened 10 the service of field auc
HOOD and representing the best OF
Mother Natures breed.
1t is wholly within the range of pos.
SlDilltleS that these trained wOodSm"!
ot the United States may turn the
scale in some of the important opera
tons Of the war. Ii will be the duty
of these experts of the forest service
OF the United States Ia get out" ma
terlal necessary for trenches. bridges,
railroads and other construction
WORK of vital Importance not only Ia
the lighting line, but to the means of
Keeping ii supplied. The foreSterS will
he as much Il part of the military force
of the United States as any other unit
that we send save only that the men
Will be armed with the implements of
their calling. They will not fight. but
they must ut times run the dangers of
those who do fight.
Some of the foreStGrS who will 90
are engineers. but the actual work of
| rebuilding the railroads which feed
the fighting lines and the bridges
which make the advances over rapid
running streams possible will be the
! duty of the engineering detachments
of the United States army. The forest
erS. however, will get out and supply
the tested material for the use of their
! engineer brethren. The forpStcrS who
! 90 into a wood like that of Bots le
/ Pretre on the west front. which daily
is Shell-pOunded, will know what it is
10 risk their lives for the cause of de
mOcracy.
French Railroads Have Suffered.
Concerning the condition of the
means of rail communication in France
mt the present time this was written
today:
The French railroads, like those of
Germany, have suffered terribly from
the neglect imposed by the use of men
on the firing lines. The German rail
roads have suffered most. perhaps be-
cause of the lack of lubricating oils, Il
want of which has played havoc with
their rolling stock.
However this may be, the French
cannot properly care for their rail-
ways without taking men who are Vi
tally necessary for the defense of the
country. The railroads which provide
important avenues of communication
between the base and the front for the
movement of troops and supplies can
not be neglected without seriously en-
dangering operations against the en-
envy. The engineers. the railway men |
and the fOresters who will be sent to |
France Ey Uncle Sam will solve the |
gravest problem which has confronted
the battling republic
The new forestry regiment will be |
commanded probably by a colonel of
the regular army, or by junior of the
service promoted temporarily To the
rank of colonel who will have with him
few other officers of the regular es-
Enlistment to keep the organization in
military trim and charged with the
military spirit. The men of the regi-
ment will act in cooperation with the
French fOresterS and all the timber
that is to be cut will be taken in such
manner as TO guarantee the perpetu-
alton of the forests which furnish il,
"CoId Steel" in Warfare.
a day or two ago AN order was is
sued. or an intimation was given that
1t was to be issued. that the re-
cruits of the new American army
would be taught the British bayonet
drill instead OF that which has been
in use in the American armies for a
GOOD many years. The reason is quite
plain.
The lessons of the present war. in
which there has been an immense
amount of hand-tO-hand fighting. have
taught the British that new feintS and
cuts and thrusts with the bayOnet-
tipped rifle are an essential to success.
The war has brought Il good many
changes in fighting methods. and the
,hange in the use of the bayonet has
not been the least of them.
Field guns and the bayonet will
win the war for America and for its ,
lilies"
This is the word frequently spoken !
~ army men in Washington. OF .
curse, it takes no thought of the pos :
ability of success of the German sub ,
marine campaign, nor of the POSSIBLE y
~ of a great German naval victory, \
or these two results, vital from the
ierman point of view. are considered r
o remote of accomplishment that they +
10 not enter into the military mans q
Bayonet by No Means Obsolete. q
1t was only few years ago that the g
Military authorities of the world came G
think that the bayonet as weapon G
I offense was becoming obsolete. II
here has been complete reversal of II
pinion. The British and the French "
ave won many Il trench and many Il @
and-tO-hand conflict in the omen BY I,
he use of the bayonet. Bayonets are
rueSome weapons, but they quickly
Ut an end 10 an opponents ambition
fight if he finds that he is out if
ointed by his adversary in the use of IL
liS