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

to what they have in way they have
learned to do quite successfully in the
three years they have been doing it.
Germany Moves Millions
Russia's collapse means that Ger
many and Austria can release some
$50 Neutrality-suspicious. from the east
ern front Reducing the Italian front
to a small sector, deeply entrenched,
the central allies will be able to with
draw probably another fifty divisions
that they have used on that front for
invasion purposes. There are approx
imately 200 divisions of 10000 men
each. That amounts to over 100000
men. This represents 100000 men
more that can be thrown on the west
ern front. Now then, if Germany
without those 100000 men, has been
able to hold France and England on
the western front, what will Germany
be able to do when she gets this ad-
ditional 100000 men on the line?
Where are the allies going to get
men to oppose this additional weight?
This is not German propaganda I am
presenting; this is simply an analysis
that [ am making, so that far seeing
Americans may better realize the
greater effort that has to be made to
save the United States from an I'M
lroh oil RI
being beaten in this war.
America Needs Alarming
This view of the present conditions
in Europe is alarming, and, in my
opinion, it ought to be alarming. 1t is
necessary that America be alarmed
America is doing more than the allies
expected she could in the time she
had to do it. She has done more than
she harself expected she could do in
that America has done to date, multi
ply it by ten, and then add some, and
then he will be getting somewhere
closer to the idea of how much there
is yet to be done to save America and
the world from defeat and reduction
before the most ruthless military or
ganization the world has ever seen.
England had to sound the alarm toe
sin to awaken herself. It is now time
for it to sound under the windows of
American homes. The fact is that the
Hun is at the gate, and now it is the
American gate, our gate.
Maybe from this distance we are in
clined to be poor judges of the great
national effort being put forth back
home. Over here, in our talks with
one another, we try to discount that
feeling by giving credit for all that is
being done; but after paying due rec
OgnitiOn to present efforts we only
arrive at one conclusion, and that is
that, whatever is being done, if it re
mains insufficient, it leaves the country
with the following alternatives:
Do more, or suffer defeat.
Eliminate The Red Tape
We must not only do more but from
our system of doing there must be
eliminated the cumbersome mess of
peace time machinery.
Particularly does this apply to the
army. The "file counters" should be
among the first to be prevented from
interfering with the advancement of
merit and talent for the good of the
whole. [ mean by this that the resur-
rection from civil life of superannu-
ated army officers who for years have
been enjoying a justified and we'll de
served retirement on the basis of old
age, and the endowment of these old
men with positions of high command.
particularly in branches of the service
which demand highly perfected mod
ern technical knowledge, is going to
work for the exact opposite of prog
gress. 1t is not going to be for the
best if old time civil war methods of
political manipulation of commands
and promotions prevail.
Merit, Not Seniority, Needed
Our fighting men at the front
should not be made to worry about
the connivings of political jealousy
and political chickering's back home
that might at any time return them in
disgrace. Seniority is a good means
of advancement in peace time, but
there are other methods more practi-
cable on the battlefield
Eevery time there is a shipping
board controversy, every time there is
a tie-up of production on account Of
differences between labor and the
government, or between capital and
the government, there is just that
much loss Of time and effort and just
that much detraction from the real
big effort that must be made Ameri-
ca is not going to win the war simply
| because America has come into the
war. America has got to really and
truly appreciate what the war is be-
fore she can demand the exertion of
Americas greatest, winning effort
Anything short of positively her
greatest effort is going to mean de-
feat