New-York tribune., 1918-03-30
Official Propaganda Reprinted from The Independent
America irst
Year Of Wa
The Seventh Message from the United States Gov
eminent to the American People
Presented Every Week in The Independent" by
George Creel Chairman of Committee on Public
Information Appointed by President Wilson

Il gressions of the Teutonic allies as
constituting state Of war. Devoted
to peace, unarmed and not unfriendly, we
sought with determined patience to avoid
the quarrel. We tried, by every worthy
means, to appeal to their reason and their
interest; and in order that acts might
not give the lie to words we neces-
sarily avoided even the appearance of hos
tile measures while we offered peace. We
waited until every fairminded citizen Of our
peace loving democracy was aware that
peace was impossible before reluctantly
began to prepare to defend ourselves.
When war was declared we had the first
great preparation of a self-governing ma
ton entering war; we had at last
united people, a people ready to turn from
the pursuits of peace that had been our
great pride and our sole ambition, and
eager in the interests of national defence
to surrender property, comfort. even life
itself. But we had still to recruit whole
nation to arms, convert it to unaccustomed
pursuits, train it in alien industries and
find not only the tools of war but the ma
chinery to make those tools and the work
men to direct that machinery.
The record Of the first year Of proves
that the unparalleled demands of the tre
mendous emergency have been met in
manner to justify our faith in the driving
genius Of America. 1t is not claimed that
everything has been done that should have
been done, that every task has been dis
charged with precision and perfection, but
it is claimed that our achievement is with
out parallel in history and that every
American citizen has a right to pride and
faith and confidence
1t is significant indeed that no criticism
has come from the representatives Of the
Allies, who have watched our programme
from the first. 1t is even more significant
that domestic criticism has not vet estab-
lished a single conclusive case of incom-
potency dishonesty. Errors have been
made, but no error has been repeated
This claim of honest and successful eff
fort may be made without suspicion Of par
tisanship, for to the great work have been
called men of all parties, and in the doing
of the work all partisanship has been for
gotten.
When the scandals and shames of 1898
are recalled, the waste and graft and GRIM
inal neglects, it is we'll to be proud of 1918
with this showing of clean achievement
The navy, our first line of defence. has
leaped from personnel of $4,000 to
fighting strength of 35O,OOO. Over 1000 war
vessels are now in commission, whereas
there were only 800 in the early days of
1917. Contracts have been placed for $50
vessels. More than 700 privately owned
vessels have been purchased or chartered
The seized German ships, supposedly dam
aged for the duration of the war; were
quickly repaired by navy engineers, and
within five months were again in commits
sion under the American flag.
But the navy has done more than merely
expand 1t has been engaged day after day
IN the actual business Of naval warfare. 1t
has sunk submarines. 1t has conveyed hun
dreds of merchant ships and transports
across the Atlantic. 1t has lost only two
naval vessels to the submarines the de-
stroyer Jacob Jones and the patrol vessel
Alcedo. 1t has taken over the patrol of She
Western Atlantic, protected our coasts from
enemy attacks and our commerce from Ger
man raiders. 1t has assisted the British in
patrolllng European waters. The first
American forces to land in France were
units of the naval aeronautic corps landed
at French port early in June, 1917.
To combat the submarine the navy IS
building larger fleet OF destroyers than
any other nation ever attempted to build
IN the same period of time
The regular army, from scant 900.
has grown to $4,000; the National Guard
in Federal service has expanded from 8O.446
to 100000, and half million young Amerj-
cans are in the National Army. That is to
say, within year the army of the United
States has grown from 1924 officers and
202,510 men to 123,S01 officers and 1923 .o24
men.
A natural pride is taken in the speed and
precision Of this progress, for at every
point were involved new UNDERTAKINGS of
unparalleled magnitude that tested the na-
tlonal competence and determination.
On May 18 the selcctive service act be-
came law by an almost unanimous vote of
Congress. On June the entire male popu
latlon of the United States within draft
age, approximately 100000 mon. were
registered between dawn and dark On June
80 1867 local boards were ready to beojn
the task of examination and exemption. For
the training of these men there had to be
provided almost instantly sixteen canton
ments great cities of wood and steel, ,,com-
plete IN every municipal detail On Nav
thc order to select sites was given; on
tune 10 building began, and within ninety
Gays after the driving of the first na,l the
trst selected men entered the cantonments
Sixteen other cities were brought into
being for the training of the 100000 men
OF the National Guard, called into Federal
service on July 8.
The business of offering the army went
hand IN hand with its creation Sixteen
othcers' training camps were rushed, ,to COM
petion. and on May Is received 10000 VOL
unteer entrants. OF this number 27.341
qualified second series of $4,000 candi-
dates was started on August 27 and 10000
received commissions In January a third
series of $4,000 began training. These men.
drawn from civil life to lead an armed
democracy, constitute that democracv's re-
ply to the fear of militurism
The navy, facing it's problem of traininc
no less splendidly than the army. built
more than $50 new training stations for it's
eager volunteers.