El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-07-09
By n GLEN ~ Ls1AL.
lPrime Minister OF Frnneel

When ] accepted the premiership
I knew that I was called upon to bear
the burden OF the most critical period
Of the war. I have told you from the
outset that we should pass together
through difficult and exaCtinE times
and cruel hours These times are
coming. and the only question Is
whether we can stand them
When the detection OF Russia came
about, when men who believed that il
was only necessary TO will peace in
order 10 impose il upon the German
emperor had given up their country
(unwittingly, 1 prefer TO think 70 the
invasion Of the enemy. who could be-
leve then that Z 100000 soldiers who
had become available would not turn
against us2 This and more is what
For four years our electives have
been wearing themselves out, eur
front was held by a line Of soldiers
which was becoming thinner and thin
ner. with our allies. who had SUI
fered enormous losses. and now ar
rives a. fresh mass Of German dtVis-
ions fin good condition. Is there any
one who does not realize that under
the weight Of this tremendous wave
our lines had TO give way at some
point2 The extent OF their recoil be-
came great and dangerous
One Against Five.
7 say nothing more. and there Is
nothing in thar 70 shake the conf
dence which we should have in our
soldiers. Today these men are en-
gagged in the battle. our men fought
one against five, without sleep Tor
three or four days together
These great soldiers have good lead
ers. great leaders who are worthy Of
them in every way ] have seen these
leaders at work, and some Of them
struck me with admiration. Is that
saying that there are nowhere mis-
takes2 7 cannot maintain that
Ny business is precisely to discover
these mistakes and to punish them,
and in this. I am supported by two
great soldiers named Foch and Petain.
Gen FOch enjoys 10 such a degree the
confidence Of the allies that yester-
day they wished that their unant-
nous confidence in him should be ex-
pressed in the communique-
Hardest Battle Of the War.
These men are at this moment fight
ing the hardest battle Of the war with
q heroism which I can find no words
to express. 1t is my duty as leader
Of these men TO punish them II they
have not done their duty. but also 10
protect them If they are unjustly at
tackled.
The army is better than anything
we could have expected from it-and
when I speak Of the army i speak OF
those who compose it. OF whatever
rank and whatever grade they may
be. But that is not enough. The men
must have faith and must die for their
ideal If they wish to give US victory.
Their leaders also have come from
their ranks Like them they come
back covered with wounds, when they
do not remain like them on the field
OF battle. 50
We have yielded ground. much more
ground than we should have wished
There are men who have paid for this
retreat with their blood. i know some
who have accomplished acts Of hero
ism like these Bretons who were sur
rounded in a wood all night and who
next day found means Of sending by
carrier pigeon message TO say: You
may come and find US We shall mold
out for half a day yet"
These men make the fatherland,
they continue it and proloug IL, that
fatherland without which no reform
Is possible. They die for an ideal. for
a history which is the foremost among
all the histories Of civilized peoples.
Germans' One Method
The victory is to you. because the
Germans, who are not so intelligent
as we are told, have only one method
namely, to throw their whole weight
into the venture and 10 push it to tbs
end.
We saw them on the User. at Yer
dun, near Amiens. near Dunkirk and
Calais, and then in Champagne. They
broke our lines. but did you think
that you were going to make a war in
which you would never retreat2 The
only thing that matters is final sue
cess.
You have before you a government
which. as it told you. did not enter
into nOWer 20 ever accept surrender
So long as we are here the father