Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1917-06-20
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 comnnunleation-Psrt Of
Regular Army.
BY EDWARD .. CLARK.

BY EDWARD q. CLARK.
Washington.-UncleS Sam will send
regiment of foresters to France, men
hardened to the service of field and
food and representing the best Of
Mother Natures breed.
1t is wholly within the range of pos
sibilities that these trained wOOdsmen
OF the United States may turn the
scale IN some Of the important opera
lions of the war 1t will be the duty
of these experts of the forest service
OF the United States to get out" ma
terial necessary for trenches, bridges,
railroads and other construction
work OF vital Importance not only to
the fighting line. but to the means of
keeping 1t supplied. The foresters will
be as much a 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 net fight. but
they must at times run the dangers of
those who do fight.
Some of the foresters who will go
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 viii be the
duty of the engineering attachments
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 foresters who
go into a wood like that OF Bots lie
Pretre on the west front, which daily
is shell-pounded. will know what 1t is
to risk their lives for the cause of de
mocracy.
French Railroads Have Suffered.
Concerning the condition of the
means Of rail communication In France
at the present time this was written
today;
THE French railroads. Ike 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 Iubricating oils, a
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
got be neglected without seriously en-
dahgering operations against the en-
envy. The engineers, the railway men
and the foresters who will be sent to
France by 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
a few other officers OF the regular es-
Establishment to keep the organization in
military trim and charged with the
military spirit. The men of the regi-
ment win act in cooperation with the
French foresters and all the timber
a manner as to guarantee the perpetu-
alton OF the forests which furnish t.
"coId Steel" In Warfare.
A day OF two ago an order was is
sued, or an lntimation was given that
it was to be issued. that the re-
cruits OF the new American army
would be taught the British bayonet
Irgf a4ss LII,
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 INN nse
amount of hand-to-hand fighting. ave
taught the British that new feints and
cuts and thrusts with the bayonet-
tipped rifle are an essential to success
The war has brought a good many
changes In fighting methods. and the
change 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
allies"
This Is the word frequently spoken
Dy army men In Washington. Oh
course. it takes no thought of the pos
sibtlity of success Of the German sub
marine campaign nor of the posslhil-
ity Of great German naval victory.
for these two results, vital from :he
German point of view, are considered
so remote Of accomplishment that they
do not enter into the military mans
calculations.
6ayonet by No Means Obsolete.
1t was only few years ago that the
military authorities OF the world came
70 think that the bayonet as a weapon
OF 0ffense was becoming obsolete
There has been a complete reversal of
opinion. The British and the French
have won many trench and many
handtO-hand conflict in the open by
the use of the bayOne' Bayonets are
gruesome weapons, but they quickly
put an end to an opponents ambition
to fight If he finds that he is out
pointed by his adversary in the use of
this particular implement Of warfare.
When the present war began an
American who had seen service In the