Omaha daily bee., 1917-11-28
Congressional
PARTY RETURNS y
FROM WAR ZONE
After Trip to BattIefieIds OF
Flanders and Belgium, Rep
resentative Stephens Ar
riveS in Washington.
(From a Staff Correspondent

Washington, D. c., Nov. H.-(Spe-
cial Telegram, l-Representative Dan
". Stephens returned to Washington
last night in company with other
congressman from the battleields of
Flanders and Belgium. This morn
ing Mr.. Stephens received a group OF
newspaper men and described
graphically the sights he had wit
messed during II days spent i'll and
about the first line trenches in north
ern France and Belgium.
During his stay in Europe he and
his colleagues, who were shown ev-
cry courtesy on the part of British,
French and American officers and
permitted to get first hand informa-
ton of the tremendous fields of car
mage now in the highlights of Europe,
rode 1,500 miles in automobiles and
tramped many weary hours through
rain and mud looking upon scenes
that are indescribable.
Cannot Wipe Out Stain.
"There are not enough years i'll all
eternity to wipe out the stain that
the German army has put upon
France and Belgium and the atrocities
committed in the name of the un-
speakable Hun will never all be told.
Ny admiration for the French, the
Belgian and the British soldier has
increased a thousandfold. The
countless thousands of men whom |
saw in the eleven days spent upon the
battleh'elds of France and Belgium
represented dogged determination to
drive the Boche back upon his own
country and even, if possible, to
thunder at the very gates OF Berlin.
There is not reparatlon enough
that can be done on the part of Ger
many to wipe out the awful deeds
which the German government,
through its military, has committed,
and when l looked at the order and
the discipline erected by General Per-
shing and the officers under him my
veins seemed to burst with patriotic
forever, for where | expected a good
deal of confusion about general head
quarters, found complete co-ordina-
ton and complete unity and as an
American to look upon the splendid
army which Pershing has already in
Europe touched me as | never have
been touched before.
Praises Spirit of Army.
II cannot help but speak in the
most extravagant words of praise of
the spirit of our army in France and
IFS morale and the health of our boys
over there is perfectly splendid. We
may we'll be proud of the vanguard
of the thousands who will be called
upon to do their part in forever ex-
tinguishing the impossible Hun. |
cannot find language descriptive
enough to tell of the cruelty to non
complaints, old men, women and
children, and the dismemhered arms
and torsos, legs and sculls which |
saw uncovered by the rains as they
washed down the hillsides tore at my
heartstrings."
Mr.. Stephens looks very tired. The
congressional party encountered
rough weather, both going and COM
ing, being eight and half days out
on their return trip. Mr.. Stephens
stated in the course of nearly two
hours interview that the United
States army had II division headquar-
ters in France and he believed that
there were in that country between
25O,O00 and 275,000 soldiers of all
arms OF the service and more going
every day Mr.. Stephens leaves for
his home in Fremont tonight to spend
Thanksgiving with his family. He
does not expect to return to Wash
ington until after the Christmas holi-
days. Ross Hammond, who accom-
panied Mr.. Stephens on his visit to
France and Belgium, returned at the
same time with Mr.. Stephens and will
go to his home in Fremont from New
York.