The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-12-01


some new surprises in submarine
warfare. OF course there is always
that eventuality. However, every
thing is at the touch in this present
war game and it is a remarkable
fact that the boys, even though they
face a long hard winter in France,
are anxious to move and would If
orders to the contrary were not
| decidedly strict, welcome with
tremendous cheers the order to
| pack. -a.n
There you have about the limit of
information possible, at least under
the voluntary censorship rules. It
has come to the knowledge of the
officers of the Sunset" division that
men of various commands have writ
ten letters home and misguided par
ents or relatives and unthinking
newspaper men have published them.
OF course all these letters make
interesting reading, Outflow about
the hints, which though largely
guesswork may yet give an linking
of information to the enemy?
1t. is not the press OF the nation
which needs muzzling but the men in
uniform and their unthinking friends
and relatives.
News at Camp Mills is scarce
that is, printable news. The draft
men who come from California and
other western states and who were
distributed among the regiments OF
the Sunset division ara a great
burden. To the casual observer who
called at the camp the other day 1t
appeared to him as though:
THE government has made big
mistake. / don't know anything
about military tactics, but it strikes
me that with splendid organizations
such as your First North Dakota, the
164th, to have it's membership In
creased two-fifths but a lot of nom
descript men, unframed and without
any military knowledge would tend
to lessen the morale, decrease the
efficiency and generally set back the
whole" ~.
Military heads however are taking
the draft men and despite the great
handicap Of conditions at Camp
Mills, are whipping them into shape
as fast as possible. 1t Is evident that
the draft examining boards of some
of the state, especially California,
took men whom they decided might
in the least way be At. Most OF them
are fit-in the least.
One company commander in a GER
tain regiment asked that AZ out Of 81
draft men assigned to him be dis
charged as unfit for military duty.
Perhaps 10 per cent OF these draftees
will be thrown out before the great
trip across"
There are some splendid chaps in
the draft army, men who are adapt
ing themselves to army conditions in
a splendid manner and they will
serve to swing the whole draft into
line eventually.
But time is the thing right now
which counts and every possible
minutes is made use of by every
unit. When will we sail? Yes that
is what we want TO know as well as
you. but which will not be known
until an hour or so before departure
and then well here's hoping nobody
knows other than the men Of the u.
s. A.
Bismarck, N. d., Dec. Capt. A.
b. WEIGH, former commander OF
Company A of the First regiment,
and who raised Company ], Bis
marck's unit in the new Second
North Dakota, writes from Camp
Mills, L. l., telling how his boys en-
joyed Thanksgiving day with John
Hayes Hammond, the million dollar-
a-year mining 6uBll6cEs 1uSOuQF6
Roosevelt and other notables at the
Rocky Mountain club and cafes of
equal exclusiveness In New York
city.
zone man took care Of 5000 boys"
writes Captain WEIGH. Another
splendid eating house looked after
1000. The Rocky Mountain club took
$50; the Long Beach 400; Nassau
hotel ESQ.,; North Shore Country club,
100, and other places away up into
the hundreds. Private homes by the
hundreds took from one To twenty
men. Every man in this division of
more than 2S 900 men was taken care
Of. Incidentally / was made life
member OF the Rocky Mountain club,
one OF the best In the city. known all
over the world-a club made up Of
explorers, hunters and the adventur-
Gus generally. Roosevelt was there.
John Hayes Hammond Is the presi-
dent
1.-THE dinner was such q big UNDER
taking that / was afraid at hfF
could not make good. When I