Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-03-27
THE TRUTH Is HARD, BUT WE
MUST FACE IT

E,NOUGH of General Leonard Woods
4 statement to the Senate Committee
on Military Affairs has transpired to
impress upon the country the extreme
gravity of the situation.
II is impossible to say too much on this
subject. The nation is not yet awake
We hardly realize that we are at war.
We have great training camps filled with
tens of thousands of men, but we regard
these camps as sort OF picnic ground
, When the first draft called a little more
than half a million young men to the
colors there was an impression IN tne
back of our minds, based on an optimistic
feeling, that when the Kaiser heard we
had begun to train so big an army ne
would surrender at once. go,
But the Kaiser will not surrender till
he is defeated. His successes in Russia,
in the Balkans and in Italy are such as
to make him think that he can succeed
on the western front also. Apparently
he cannot be convinced Of his error save
at the point of a gun. England and
France are nobly and gallantly holding
the lines until we can send re-enforce-
ments enough to turn the Allied cam
paign of defense into triumphant
offensive that will drive the Teutons
across the Rhine and follow them FAR
into German territory.
Therefore, when General Wood says
that we must prepare to organize an
army of 100000 men and must get half
of the number across the ocean before
the end of the year he is merely stating
the obvious truth.
We have the men. About 100000
are enrolled in the first draft registra-
ton. 1t is up to us to train them and to
get them across the ocean. The initiative
must come from Washington. And there
must also come from Washington a
series of statements setting forth the
absolute necessity of concentrating the
whole national energy on this task and
explaining why it is important.
This means that the truth must be
told, as Senator Lodge forcibly declared
yesterday. Germany is not yet exhausted.
The German people believe that they are
fighting for their national existence and
they are making every sacrifice to that
end. They are in better shape now, so
far as food is concerned, than they have
been at any time since 1915.
So long as we are allowed to think
| that the Job we have undertaken is easy
we shall go about it easily. But the
truth is that the undertaking cannot be
carried through without straining every
| nerve.
1t is to be expected that General Wood
will be allowed to say in public some of
the things which he has said in the
privacy of Senate committee room. He
has the confidence of the nation. No
one regards him as an alarmist. The
wisdom of his demand for preparation
made early in the war has been vindi-
Gated. We were ready to accept his
Judgment before he went to France and
learned at first hand what must be done
We are ready now to follow his advice
and, if we mistake not, the nation will
demand that he be used to the utmost ir
the campaign of education which mus
accompany the campaign of training.
Secretary Baker is fortunately IL
Europe at the present moment, neal
enough to the fighting to get som'
knowledge of it's seriousness. When HI
returns it is expected that he will act al
if we were actually at war and will cal
to his assistance the ablest military skill
available, regardless of the political sym
pathies of this man or that There is NJ
paxtisanship in fighting the Germans
There is craftsmanship Of the highes
quality in recognizing this Fundamental
fact.
Mr.. Bier needed to learn some things
We hope le is now learning them 81
we'll that ne will not forget them on th'
way home.