New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1917-07-27
FIGHT BATTLES IN
EUROPE; win WAR
IN WASHINGTON
EDITORIAL REVIEW OF
SAMUEL G. BLYTHE'S S
GREAT ARTICLE IN THE
SATURDAY EVENING POST
IN N. M. WAR NEWS

Washiugton the place where thi
war will be won, or lost? Astound
ing to thousands A. the statemen
may be, close analysis brings hom'
the conviction that it IL true-true
not merely in a figurative sense, bu
in an actual, literal way. IL 10 II
Washington, the national capital
that the real preparations for win
nins-or losing-the war will b.
made.
This question 10 treated in an sx
csptionally comprehensive and IL
Illuminating way in an article whicl
Samuel G. Blythe contributed to tn.
Saturday Evening Post for July q
Il 10 an article which every Amsri
can citizen might read with intsres
and profit. For the benefit Of Th.
War News readers who may mol
have the privilege Of reading the
article, the following most signifi'
cant statements are taken:
Fighting Is Abroad.
1t is in the opening paragraph
that Mr.. Blythe makes this state.
msnt which is nothing less thar
startling in effect:
"We shall fight this war in France
in Belgium; in Germany, maybe; o,
even elsewhere. We shall fight II
ON land, on water, under water and
in the air. But we shall win it.
or lose tin Washington.
~Earl Kitchener said in London
in Ausust, 1914, a fortnight or 90
after the war began, to one Of the
few men to whom he talked freely:
Our greatest difficulty 10 not the
raising of an army; we can do that
Our greatest difficulty is not in Fl.
aancing the war; we can do that
Our tremendous, overshadowing task
4 to make and train an orsaniza.
eion that can handle the army ef.
ficiently while we are schoolin, i,
and when Il 10 in the field
He relates that the British army
machine, in July, 1914, was perfect
~ able to handle an army which did
not exceed 100000 men, but that II
was not gsared to take care Of l,000,-
soo men, not even 100000 men. The
United States, called upon suddenly
and swiftly to multiply its army and
navy many times, is in the same
situation. I'VE had ample time to
adjust our machine to our apparent
and forthcoming nesds, but we did
not do it. The result 10 that we
see in Washington at the present
time what those who were there saw
in London in the early months Of
the war. We are trying to impro.
wise machine that should have been
ready and perfect . year and half
ago; and naturally We are making
somewhat Of . moss Of IT,"
Autoeracy For War
...--lt il q bit harsh to our unac.
C. stomed and democratic ears 20 say
ws must have An autoerat, or at
least an autocraey; but that 10 the
fact. none the less, II we are to win
this war;" Il Il solely for the con.
duet Of the war that he declares an
.utocraey is needed.
"Nothing 10 surer than that the
bulk Of THE maehinsry, which was
hastily organized In some Of its
units, and politically organized in
others. will Be scrappsd before We
have been at war . year. Either
the executive authority Of the na.
lisn will attend to that or the Pee.
ple will attend to that for him"
"Our position in this war business
in this: We have an executive head,
chosen In . time Of peace for which
As stood sponsor; we have . sort
of high executive committee, the
Cabinet, chosen when there was no
thought, idea or apprshsnsion Of
war. and chosen for political and
geographical reasons; we have q
board Of dirsctors-the Senate and
the House-composed Of $50 men
with empowering functions vital to
the operation of the executive head;
we have a war machine that never,
except on paper, handled as many as
!. hundred thousand men; we have
= naval machine that, as at present
never fired a gun at an
enemy; we have a system of govern
mental bureaus in various executive
that are tied hand and
foot BY precedent and government.
tai regulations; and we have 4 vast
Of overlapping, underlying,
commissions, committees,
and 50 on, filled with cap.
able men who, mostly, do not under.
stand the way q democracy conducts
10 governmental affairs."
Problems Gigantic and Varied
In regard to the food problem he
,ays: THE President Of the United
States voiced that thought . few
lays before I wrote this. He had
bssn discussing the proposed food
ssislation and its necessity. Great
10 e l. in importanee,' he said, 4
wonder If they do mot realize that It
b only one Of our prohlems-only
Me-
"1n itself the food question is q
uusstion for supsr-nsn, lut with Il
NE ranged ethsrs squsIiy vital in
heir relations 10 the compiler whole.
ceasidsr . shert lises
sMONEY-Bi1lioas ef dellars-aet
ni1lieas - hundrsAs ef nilliens, bet
bS1lionsl
sAfEN-oAliens Of thsn-aee
.hsssanAs o. hu.drsds Of tAeusanas.
~ m1l1Soasl
'SHlPs-sAsssa.ds sf shs.-.st|
Dossas - seorse o. hundreds, bot
sEQU1P11ENf-aoe srainleoas, buel
IAipleaAs, 6saila 1saAs, 0sss lseas