Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1917-12-28
BACK FROM FRANCE
Congressman Dale Gives to the
People a Stirring Message Urg-
ing America to Wake Up or
We VIII Never Win This War.

After through study OF conditions in
France the Congressional commission has
arrived home and the following message
to Vermonters from Congressman Dale is
taken from the Rutland Herald
Coming from Vimy Ridge, where the
dead bodies still lie prone in the mud,
to the easy-chair atmosphere Of Washing
ton, Congressman Porter H. Dale's mes
sage to the people OF the United States
is:
''For Gods sake wake up and realize
what this war meansp'
American troops without guns, without
enough blankets, without necessary equip
ment and wholly, unprepared for the ter
rifle struggle which they must face is a
situation that sends Mr.. Dale back to
this country with bat one desre-to i'm
press on Washington and Vermont the
tremendous peril and responsibility that
faces this nation.
"Talk about a short war" said Mr.
Dale in New York this week, we shall
be mighty lucky il we get through this
war in two years, at sl:A an expense and
with such loss OF OF men as will ran
into hundreds of thousands.
Il wish | might say to every depart t,
ment. head in Washington: Wake up!
l wish | could take them with me tC
Vimy Ridge, where the guns do not crash
or detonate, but just explode in one con
tinual roar.
II did not 90 to the front line trench
es-Idon't think it is. any place for {
civilan-but | walked among the stark
dead bodies of gallant Englishmen anC
Canadians, some of their faces crushed
into the ooze and some-horribly changed
and ghastly-upturned to the sky.
"Why unburied? Because men are 81
precious and the German aviators so Wig
liant that even bury-party in the oper
is Immediately marked and cut down by
their quick-frng guns
Yes, | wish had some Of those easy
chair Washington department fellows a
Vimy Ridge, men who, after eight months
of war and not enought guns in France
to equip our men, are still telling thu
newspapers that everything is all right
"They seem to think we have don
great things. Let me say that unless w
begin cutting red tape, eliminating los
motion, doing away with incompeten
survivals Of a worn-oIt military system
stopping this foolish talk about shor
war and get busy rushing (l) supplies
guns and munitions to our troops il
France (2) men, more men and mel
by the million, we are not going to vii
this war.
"You can't put the appalling peri tina
confronts this nation too strongly"
At Vimy Ridge the party was so clos
to the firing line that they were require
to wear gas masks and helm Its.
Mr.. Dale showed some signs Of the or
deal of storm and stress that he and tn
other passengers and crew endured o.
the return trip from France.
The city newspapers did not say mucl
about it, as only few passengers wer
aboard and only one seaman was los
in the gale, but the Vermont congressman
says the big liner had her bows stove
in by head-seas-a ragged, gaping hol
being actually torn in the heavy stee
plates by wicked smash from huge
comber-her after -cabin-door stove il
and the smoking-room cabin and every
thing else between decks flooded.
One-half of the bridge was torn ava,
bodily the officer in charge and the wire
less operator being swept from their sta
tions and rescued by the crew almost by
miraele. One seaman was swept over
board in plain sight of everyone before
boat could be launched in the heavy seas
This was the same storm which followec
the Halifax disaster and Mr.. Dale's shil
was then about 500 miles from thes
coasts
The voyage across was uneventful
The congressional party was deeply i'm
pressed with the speed and ability of tn
destroyer, which conveyed the liner.
"Our boat used to be considered fast,
said Mr.. Dale, but the destroyers actu
ally ran rings around. her They ar
tremendously fast-about 30 or 40 mile
an hour belieye-and when they sigh
a submarine they chase her like a hawl
II understand the U-boat crews drea
these speedy, quick-6ring boats NOR
than anything else.
I'VE are maxim; a great effort to tur
out airplanes-a airplanes are great
needed-b IT i' we can build and commi;
sion enought lcstroyers we shall soon ri