The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1918-10-04
PROLONGING The war
THIS Is SOLDIERS VIEW OF NON
PARTISAN LEAGUE OR
GANIZATTON.

Mitchell, Oct. Capt. E. B.
RowIey, of the One Hundred and
Sixteenth supply train, in a letter to
a friend here, tells of some of the
thrills in getting ammunition up to
the men behind the guns In France.
The work Is done at night, with no
other light than hostile shells OF the
big caliber and star variety. Capt.
Rowley also tells what he and his
comrades think of the non-partisan
leagues work in South Dakota. Fol-
lowing is the letter:
This finds me on the line hauling
ammunition to the big guns. / have
my company with me. 1t is quite
different work than we have been
doing and very interesting. AS the
work Is done mostly at night and
without lights, of course, it is not the
most easy task in the world. You
might imagine some of the difficult
ties of keeping together and deliver
ing from 80 to 40 truck loads Of am
munition over roads you have never
travelled before, and some you never
care to see again. You are very
lucky III you make the trip without
humping a radiator or putting a
truck in the ditch. Thirty-five
trucks cover a distance of about one
and o~ne-fourth miles when strung
out. The only light that we have is
what comes from the bursts of shells
or the star shells that are sent up.
hen you hear one burst just yer
the hill or in the ravine a quarter Of
a mile way Ii makes you wonder
Just where the next will land. How
ever, we feel now more like we we're
doing our bit than when we were
back there 200 miles from the line.
i haven't seen the Mitchell boys for
about three weeks. Have only one
with me. Ernest Bryant, OF Garden
City. "
Il have an auto to conduct my
convoy with. However. the other
night / discovered that 1t would not
do the work OF a tank. as the chauf-
feur tried to crush a tree as we pass
ed the convoy. with the result that
the car has a bent axle and / a skin
ned nose caused by contact with the
top of the windshield. Showed 1t to
one side and proceeded. 1t came
limping into camp next morning
about Q o'clock.
THE rest OF the One Hundred and
Sixteenth supply train. except Com
pany b, of Redfield. Is at the same
place. Company b is with me.
II am sorry to note in the paper:
that so many of our good people
Farmers especially r working
with the non-partisan league. Every
soldier over here who has studied
the league and Its methods feels thaI
the leaders and promoters are either
knowingly or innocently doing things
which arc bound to prolong this wal
and therefore sacrifice more lives.
hive heard the soldiers hero talk Of
the leaders in strong terms and liker
them to traitors. You may know
that as we see our best pals give vi
their lives or are crippled for life ant
think of any one back there VIII
would lift up his hand to hinder IL
the least the efforts we are making
to bring this awful war to a success
full conclusion, We do not have tn,
kindest regards for such. You ma.
say to anyone who might ask yo,
what we think about the league
J leaders and everything they do, tina
we condemn all and for the sake o
our boys over here stay away from o.
draw out of the non-partisan League
in everything in which 1t is connect
! ed. 1 understand they are enterinl
into politics and organizing to defea
good patriotic men who have beef
I tried and made good in the publ
service. We plead with the voters T
a stay by the loyalty party.
: I'VE hope to finish this thing b,
I July i next year and have most o
the men home for Christmas. 1918
OF course there must be great sacri
flee in the meantime. Yours yer
? truly,
&c. B. Rowley."