The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-07-27
The First Year of the War;
What the United States
Has Accommodated

almost impossible amount of war
had been accomplished. Soon az
ter war was declared congress
passed the draft law. This made
all men between the ages Of Fl and
81 liable to military service. BY
use of this system millions Of
men have been put in the army. AS
a result. the national army has
been greatly increased. Also an
army was put in France by this
system. Up to this time there are
about a half-million men in France
from the American Army. The
drafted men were arranged in clas-
ses to determine when they should
be called. Single men with no de-
pendants were put in the first clas-
ses and married men in the last
classes. Exemption could be pro-
cured if the grounds for such were
good.
With the draft law came the
question Of housing and training
the men. When war was declared
there were only few camps in the
United States and these could not
house and train all the men need
ed. So congress Immediately made
large appropriations and soon great
bodies OF men were at work on the
new camps. New camps were
/, soon constructed and men were
sent there to train. Great speed
was developed in building the
camps. AS an example of speed in
| construction. the aviation fold At
! DAYTON is a good one. The ground
was laid on. houses and hangers
built, and soon men were there
training to become aviators. This
and many other examples show the
speed and efficiency of the Ameri-
can government. The training OF
the men who were drafted is an
other thing that demands attention.
The men were taken to the camps,
given uniform and necessary ar
ticles ard the next day started
! training. 1t took about six months
to get the first soldiers trained and
ready TO go to France. This may
seem long time, but considering
! all that had to be done it is short
time. The United States by her
efficiency put twice as many men
IN France as England in half the
time that it took England. And
also England had to send her men
only across the channel which is
thirty niles wide, while the United
States had to send her men over
the ocean which is thousands OF
miles wide.
With sending the men came an
other question. Where was the
United States to get ships in which
to send them? The output of ships
was very meager. So congress
made more appropriations and
soon the shipyards were booming
and men working day and night.
BY this means numbers of ships
have been built and more coming
all the time. The record in ship
building was set when a ship was
launched twenty-seven days after
the keel was laid
The food and coal supply of the
United States had to be watched
and conserved so the President ap-
pointed Mr.. Garfield as coal ad-
ministrator, and Mr.. Hoover as
food administrator. These men
were soon busy working to con-
serve. In order to conserve food,
meatless and wheatless days were
/ inangurated. These days permitted
food that would have been eaten
here to be sent to our soldiers and
allies across the ocean. Then Gar
field introduced heatless days and
lightless nights. There was a lack
of coal due to congested railways
and great deal of suffering was
caused. but this was righted by
Garfield by his order that all fac
tories and shops close for a certain
period.
Wilson has sent out an appeal to
the people to raise all that they can
for next year for there will be a
great need of food both in the
United States and In the countries
Of our allies.