The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1917-05-02
|SUBS Menace
WHOLE WORLD
BY WRECK|NG
100000 TONS
Situation Becomes Alarming
to United States, Secretary
Lane Tells Conference of
Governors.
INVENTIONS PUSHED

WASHINGTON, May 2.-SecTetary
Lane told the governors. conferring
here today with the council OF national
defense on the part state governments
will take in the war. that the Federal
government had heard 100000 tons Of
shipping had been sunk In the last
week by German submarines.
The destruction. Secretary Lane
said, was not only threatening the
existence Of England and France but
was alarming the United States. Study
Of inventions to combat the submarine
menace is being diligently pursued in
the interior department he said.
Secretary Lane declared he believ-
ed the war would last several years
and that every resource Of the country
must be brought into play to bring it
to successful conclusion.
Germany 10 Well Supplied.
MANY persons thought" said Secre-
tary Lane, that all we had to do was
to issue bonds and that Germany
would bow her head in submission
Nothing could be farther from the
truth. We do not know when this war
will end. 1t may not be a one year
war. Personally. / believe it will last
several years. Herbert C. Hoover has
informed this government that Ger
many has food enough to last two
years, perhaps longer.
Germany has put up the greatest
fight of history and she has the ad-
vantage Of now fighting a defensive
warfare. Don't go back home and in
spire your people with the thought
that immediate action can bring this
war to an immediate end. Your peo-
pie must look to this years crop and
next years crop and the next after
that.
U. S. Can Not Fail Now
I'VE can't afford to fail in this war
Every man in this country is evolved
in this work and every man in the
country is soldier. The French hope
to break down the moral of the Ger
man armies. Our concern is to see il
that our own moral arises.
Besides Secretary Lane the state
representatives heard Secretary Baker
and Daniels. Adjutant General Nc
Kahn and Judge Advocate General
Crowder of the army. Later they
were received by President Wilson
The three secretaries declared the
one need Of America and the allies is
ships. st
Asks Criticisms Of Facts
Secretary Lane warned his hearers
against discomfort and tax on this
government. Always. he said, there
was dissatisfaction with those who are
directing q war and he urged his
hearers to base their criticism on
facts and not on rumor.
Secretary Baker asked the stste
to cooperate with the
government in putting into operation
the army draft law. He told Of mill
tary and industrial preparations and
described difficulties the government
faces.
I'm obtaining supplies for the army"
said Secretary Baker. I'VE are having
to organize through the council OF
defense and through 1t all the
way back to our raw material re-
DO not grow impatient n It ap-
pears that things are moving slowly.
he said. I'VE are In great need Of
supplies and so are the allies. We
cannot pre-empt all our supplies for
our own army and navy, but must
care also for the allies needs The
army needs guns and so does the
navy, but the allies need them as
much. We shall have to do some very
grave thinking to determine the pri-
ority Of supplies"
Secretary Baker said nothing di
rectly concerning an early expedition
ary force abroad but declared that the
American military policy was subject
to change at short notice.