Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-05-13
PLEADS FOR MORE men
TO FIGHT FOR BRITAIN
Sir William Robertson Declares
There Is Need for All Who
Can BE Spared.
ENEMY NOW IS DESPERATE
One and All Must Be Willing to Sub
ordinate Personal Liberty and Will
to That of the State in War
Against German DcspotiSm.

Through its news sources abroad
the international News Service has re-
ceivcd Il copy OF an important speech
delivered recently before a Labor au-
dience by Sir william Robertson, the
brilliant chief of staff of the British
armies. who began life as n l~ongshorc-
man. Many lessons ca be learned by
Americans from what he says concern
ing the meaning of the German retire
mcnt, tho vast increase in the German
army and the purposes of the war.l
BI SIR WILLIAM ROBERTSON,
Chief of StnT OF the British Army.
am Il great believer in truth and
publicity, for no war can be fought to
ii successful conclusion unless it re-
ceives popular support. and this it
cannot do unless the people arc plainly
told the need OF
| am in great sympathy with the
cause Of labor. lust as noncommis-
stoned officers are the backbone of the
army, so tho w~oriinEmer. as they are
called, are the backbone of our coun-
try. I am a workinGman myself. l
began at the bottom OF the ladder.
served several years in the ranks. and
! claim To know how tho workingman
looks at these matters.
~ Wv ~ 'lst :" " III wal,
as were all other nations in Europe.
except Germany and France. We had
II" organization such as Continental
nations have for calling up the popu-
lation and sorting out men according
to their qualifications for military ser
vice, for industries. for munitions. agri-
culture and so forth. We had no SyS-
tenn Of universal service, but had to
call on v"luntccrs-wc had to improvisc
as we went along. and VIC have been
living from hand To mouth throughout
tho war. The consequence OF imDro-
viSinS is confuSion, waste of effort,
friction and injustice. with the best
will in the world, these things could
not be avoided.
Gun progress with tho war is bound
to lie slow, because of the colossal
numbers engaged. and because Ger
many derived II great advantage at the
start. II is "a difficult and IL long bus
mess to make up for "a bad start.
As to tho retreat from the Somme,
the pcssimists say that is
making fools of us and is laying traps
for us. We are not in any way dis
turbcd by her. In all times pcssimists
may be classcd as cowards; i'm war
time they may be classcd as criminals.
pptinists say that Germany is de-
fcatcd and, therefore. is rctrcatinE.
GERMANY RETIRING.
BuT NOT YET HEATEN
Eoth these arguments are wrong.
Germany is retiring because she dare
not stand M to further punishment I'm
the positions she occupied. No one
%rctircs in war voluntarily. But she
Is not yet beaten. She is going back
in the hope OF becoming stronger. and.
numerically. she Is stronger now than
at any time during the war.
She has been preparing for war and
nothing else for years past. and has
recently made extraordinary efforts.
She has now many more divisions I'm
the field than last year, and has in
creased the umbc OF her soldiers by
about Il million.
She has been able to do this by her
uomiheering, autocratic government,
acting in total disregard of the most
elementary principles OF mani and
international law.
After ovcrrunning Poland she COM
PEELED thousands or men to cmirrate
To Germany and to work in German
mines and munition factories, thus re-
leasing large numbers of Germans for
military service.
Her next method OF obtaIninp mor
was to pass what Is called the auxiliary
service law last November, by which
All persons. both male and female, In
Continued on Tenth Page.)