The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-03-24
WANTS AMERICA
TO SEND ARMY
TO FRENCH SOIL
Paris Official Asserts Yam
KEGS Would Be Moral
Stimulus to Allies.

Paris, March 24.-An official in
conversation with the New York
Times correspondent discusses the po-
litical and military situation. He
says:
1T is impossible as yet to foretell
what will be the extent of changes in
Russia. Inasmuch as the movement
aims at sitting noxious influences
which from the beginning have tend
ed to hamper Russian military effort
and doing away with the abuses Of the
old regime. We welcome the revolu-
tionary movement, especially as the
prime object of the new Government
is to pursue the war relentlessly to a
victorious end. There is, however, a
class in Russia which has no political
experience whatever to temper the
revolutionary ardor. Therefore it may
be tempted to employ too radical
methods.
Regarding American participation
in the war, it is often said Americas
role must necessarily be confined to
material and financial aid to the AL
lies with certain naval cooperation,
but that the actual participation of
American military forces in Europe is
out of the question. Personally, I do
not agree with this view. One hundred
and thirty years ago when transport
facilities were very primitive compar-
ed with the present, France was able
to send an army across the Atlantic
to fight for American independence.
All the more reason that America to-
day should be able to send her troops
to France. Indeed, I hope we shall
soon be able to welcome American
soldiers on French soil. You have a
proverb that blood is thicker than
water. This will be borne out when
American soldiers have fought side by
side with French and Allied troops
and shed their blod in the same cause.
The moral factor involved is even
more important than the material aid
of American troops. The present war
in it's last phase appears more than
ever as a struggle of all the liberal
progressive nations to overthrow re-
dictionary effete governmental sys-
tenn as represented by the Central
Powers France, ENGLAND, and Italy
are the three great liberal powers of
Europe, and Russia is about to be-
come one. Germany and Austria alone
stand for old orders. It is of the high
est moral Importance that the United
States, the most progressive power in
the world, should be represented in
this new army Of crusaders"
The conversation then turning to
military topics, the following COM
ments were made on the allied ad-
vance:
LAS we do not know what the Ger
man strategic plan is it is impossible
to say how far the advance will con-
tinue under present conditions. But
we know this Already two depart
ments have been liberated, which has
been accomplished with practically no
losses We know we should recover
these territories but feared it would
be at the cost of many thousands of
French lives. We have, therefore, ev-
cry reason to be satisfied with the
German stategic plan SO far. AS re-
CARDS this much vaunted plan, it must
be remembered that strategy Is a
game at which two can play, and If
Germany has strategists, we have
some excellent ones, too, who will not
be slow to let the enemy realize this
fact AS for shortening the German
lines to liberate more troops, If this
holds good for the Germans it also
holds god for us. So we stand to gain
as much as the enemy by this move.
Gin conclusion, let me say a word
regarding the recent Ministerial crisis
We have a new Government, it is true,
but this by no means signifies that
we have adopted a new system. The
objects pursued by the preceding gov
eminent are those we shall continue
to pursue. The recent Cabinet changes
therefore, should be regarded rather
as regrounding of the heads Of gov
ernmental departments than as cri-
sis in the government