The Washington herald., 1917-05-13

(By the international News Seryiee.) }
Through its news sources abroad the
International News Service has received
a copy of an important speech delivered
recently before a labor audience by Sir
William Robertson, chief of stan Of tho
British armies. who began life as a long
shoreman. Many lessons can be learned
by Americans from what he says con-
cerning the meaning of the German re-
tirement, the vast increase in the Ger
man army and the purposes Of the war.
BY SIR WILLIAM ROBERTSON,
Chief Of Stan Of the British Army.
1 am a great believer in truth and
publicity. for no war can be fought to a
successful conclusion unless it receives
popular support. and this II cannot do
unless the people are plainly told the
need of support
am in great sympathy with the cause
Of labor. Just as noncommissioned oni-
GERS are the backbone of the army. so the
workingmen, as they are called, are the
backbone of our country. l am a work
ingman myself. l began at the bottom
Of the ladder. served several years in the
ranks, and claim to know how the
workingman looks at these matters.
We were unprepared for this war, as
were all other nations in Europe, except
Germany and France. We had no organ
ization such as continental nations have
for calling up the population and sorting
out men according to their qualifications
for military service, for industries, for
munitions, agriculture and so forth. We
ha no system of universal service, but
hal to call on volunteers-we had to i'm
provise as we went along, and we have
been living from hand to mouth through
out the war. The consequences of i'm
provising is confusion, waste of effort,
friction and injustice. With the best
will in the world these things could not
be avoided
Progress Must BE slow.
Our progress with the war is bound
to be slow, because of the colossal
numbers engaged, and because Germany
derived a great advantage at the start.
1t Is difficult and a long business to
make up for a bed start.
As to the retreat from the Somme, the
pessimists say that Germany is making
fools of US and Is laying traps for US.
We are not in any way disturbed by
her. In all times pessimists may be
classed as towards; in wartime they may
be classed as criminals. Optimists say
that Germany is defeated and therefore
is retreating.
Both these arguments are wrong. Ger
many Is retiring because she dare not
stand up to further punishment in the
positions she occupied. No one retires
in war voluntarily. But she is not yet
beaten. She is going back in the hope
of becoming stronger, and. numerically,
she is stronger now than at any time
during the war.
She has been parparing for war and
moth ing else for years past. and has
recently made extraordinary efforts. She
has now many more divisions in the field
than last year. and has increased the
number Of her soldiers by about a mil
lion.
She has been able to do this by her
domineering, autocratic government, act
ing in total disregard of the most ele-
mentary principles OF humanity and in
ternational law.
Compulsory Emigration Plans.
After overrunning Poland she COM
PEELED thousands of men to emigrate to
Germany and to work in German mines
and munitions factories, thus releasing
large numbers OF Germans for military
service.
Her next method Of obtaining men was
to pass what is called the auxiliary
service law last November, by which all
persons, both male and female. in Ger
many between the ages of II and 80. were
placed at the disposal of the government.
This measure alone has probably set free
for military service considerably over
/, ,0O0, 900 men. She has adopted the sys-
tenn of slave-raiding in Belgium and
Northern France. whereby thousands OF
Belgian and French civilians have been
forcibly removed from their homes and
compelled to work as slaves for their
enemies in Germany, thus releasing still
more Germans for military service.
We must meet this desperate effort the
enemy has made, and to meet 1t we must
have men. have always said that it Is
impossible to put limit to the number
of men needed for the army. because
the task is so huge that we must have
all the men who can be spared from the
navy, the various Industries, agriculture
and other employment essential to the
prosecution of the war. It Is not for
me to say how many men can be got.
or from where they are to come, but
surely it would be possible, seeing the
great reserve OF men still in the coun-
try, and with a proper adjustment of