The Washington herald., 1918-06-17
Our Army.

n herman newspaper stated last week that
America was trying to strangle Germany by quot
ing hgures and numbers at her. Perhaps this is
true. Numbers are the backbone of the war; The
German, of course, scoffing at US for trying
to bluff Berlin merely by talking numbers at the
enemy, numbers which could not possibly make
good. AS to that we shall see
Perhaps Berlin is surprised by the official an
nouncement made by Gen. March Saturday, that
there were 100000 American troops in France at
the present time. Perhaps it is even more sur
prised by the semiofficial statement that there will
be 100000 troops French soil by July l. or
shortly thereafter. Perhaps it will be surprised and
even worried, by the announcement that we will
have 100000 men under arms by August l. and
that we mean to have every last of them in
France, and more also if it is necessary to encom-
pass the defeat of the enemy
N Yes, we quoting numbers at Germany
numbers which as definitely and concusively
point to her doom as if that doom already were
an accomplished fact We are dealing "irf round
figures confidently. 1t gives us a healthy feeling
OF our own strength, and aids our allies in sus-
tanning the shock and the stress through which
they are passing-and sustaining, let it be said by
blocking and thwarting every major objective at
which the enemy has aimed. Four months ago
shuddered at the very thought of numbers
Our showing, for man, unit for unit, was so
ptifuy small, compared to what our allies were
that feeling belongs to the past.
Now we have the American machine working
1t is, believe the greatest machine in the world
Other nations can turn out just as good soldiers
as good motors as good guns But when
it comes to turning them out in quantity we have
the field to ourselves We have made-or at least
we are in process OF making-a machine which
Lord Northcliffc nearly year ago predicted would
be the greatest in history. Since that time we
1
moments OF doubt and disgust; but all that is over
We "on the job" We have made elbow
room for ourselves, established our quality, made
good the promise OF the future by the tangible
reality OF the present
If it gre numbers alone that we were proud
off the only way could express our national
character through the mere bgness of our
army and the magnitude of its resources-it would
after ALL be barren sort OF pride. But we know
that American boys can Outright the
enemy. Man for man, bayonet for bayonet gun for
gun, meet the Boche and best him. There
is no conflict of testimony that fact Our allies
acclaim it far more emphatically than we do. Mill
tary commentators not given to flattery fulsome
phrases have been as generous in dealing with the
exploits of our divisions the front as own
correspondents have been. Cantigny and Chateau
Thierry, Bourselles and Belleau Wood have fur
nished conclusive evidence Of the kind of troops
VIC dfC supplying 10 lHe cause OF CIVlllZduOn.
And above ALL this is democratic nonprofes-
sional army"-an army most of whose units have
had considerably under years training, many of
whose men never under fire until they met
some of the picked shock troops of Hindenburg.
How old militaristic postulates are being
smashed to smithereens! year ago we were told
by War Department experts that ct takes
year at the very minimum to make soldier; he
should really have two years training" Had their
plans, their philosophy, been followed by President
Wilson, should now have about 100000 men in
France instead OF nearly million How empty all
these expert theories seem now! Some of our
troops probably will be placed the firing line
with less than six months training-as the Ca
nadians, the Anzacs and hundreds of thousands of
the raw levies OF Ktchener-and they going to
prove better soldiers than the professional legions
OF Germany.
We have found ourselves now. The spirit of
angry, bitter criticism and doubt so widespread
there months ago, is stilled. Our army is capturing
the eye of the world. We can see the future that
lies before it-a future containing of the SUI
preme chapters of American history.