The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-10-30

/
Speaking of the attitude of the sol
diers in the trenches toward ending
the war Lieut. Dawson says: '.They do
not want it. They would sooner go on
fighting if they knew that they were
to die within a month than have an in
conclusive peace and one that did not
first .of-all make the Germans pay for
some of tire suffering they have in
fficted upon the civilized world. The
army will not feel that it has begun
to win until we get on German soil. Il
War is just beginning for us.
The man at the front wants to
keep the Hun husNing until he gets
back into Germany and we are in a
position to give him an example on a |
miniature scale in his own country of I
what he has done to France and Bel |
GUM, which is the only thing the Hun
can understand. If we make peace, |
with Germany intact, he will think that
frightfulness pays. You see he does not
believe that he has been inhuman, from
moral standpoint.
If the governments of the allies
do not interfere, if they leave it to the
armies to settle the war, we will be in
Berlin by August Americans who
have not been through France or Bel
GUM and have not seen the devasta-
| ton of the Huns cannot realize what
the war is. They can conjecture and
| sympathize only The people in Eng
land have a better idea because they
are so much nearer to the war zone.
The people in France and England are
not talking about peace. They are de-
| tefmned to 90 on, no matter how long
| it lasts, until the enemy is thoroughly
| beaten. What they are looking for is.
Judgment Day After that they will
| talk OF a new heaven and a new earth
/ That spirit grew up last summer so
| far as the British are concerned Until
May we talked of the Hun in a plying
i and humorous fashion. The whole rea-
son of our success since that is that for
the first time in the history of the war
we began to hate the Hun
1T commenced with their bombing
the base hospital at Etaples and kill
ing the sisters who were there nurs
| ing the wounded men. ! saw big men
cry like children when they saw what
the Huns had done, and they swore
great oaths to give them no quarter
| The Hun when he comes down after be-
ing captured is weak and whines for
mercy, like coward, but later on. aft
er passing the casualty station and
seeing that he is treated like our own
wounded becomes naughty and finally
a bully. Magnanimitv shown to the
Hun means weakness. The only thing
that he understands is brute force.
If we start to be sorry for him,
| &c Jynb or-n = Al
will only despise Us. | can give YOU
two Illustrations from my own person
al knowledge to show what the Hun
really is. During a drive of one of the
Canadian divisions to watch | was at
tached, a young officer in command of
tank was very keen to go ahead
When the enemy counterattackcd he
was left high and dry. Afterwards
when our division again drove Tho
Huns back. we found that he and tn,
crew of the tank had been taken out
stripped, dashed to the tank and ther
bombed to death
The infantry swore they woul,
aIve no quarter to the enemy for TWEEN
ty-four hours and they kept their word
Fhis act was typical of the Hun. VIII
loes not only kill his enemy, but mus
do it in a barbarous and uncivilize,
manner.
Some Australians who were in tn
same show with us at the end of Au
gust saw a dead German officer on
stretcher which had been left behind
When some of the soldiers went to lif
the stretcher with the intention of giv
ing him a decent burial, it exploded
small nJ1n Il e
We're killed, II was a boohv-trap Sc
by the Huns, knowing full well tina
the allies were too decent to pass In
body of an enemy by
"The German machine eunncrs al
the braveSt in the army and they al
treated as aristocrats by their ow
men. During an attack they viii lbs
their guns to the last minute and the
take cover while our men rush pas
When the allies get q certain distanC
beyond them, the Germans come OF
of their holes and start shooting the
down from behind. That is perfect
legitimate warfare
'When, however. their ammunite
and supplies have all been expendc
these same machine 2unners throw /
their hands and cry 'Kamerad,' and
many eases they get away with it. b
cause we do not like to shoot down Il
fenseless men. They trade on the d
cent feelings of the allies in every W;
in order to take a mean advantage
them.
"Thc Germans at the present tin
are fighting as well as they have ev
done since the war began. As the ALI
go farther into the enemy S lines, f
progress becomes plore and more did
cult because as he retreats the Hun h
DESTROYED roads and bridges and
means Of communication. We have
build railways and roads to 90 aft
him. The enemy Is also falling ba
on his reserves of munitions and su
plies while he allies have to l9eeo
bringing up theirs from the bases in t
rear.
eff the German can trade upon t
humane feelings of America SO far
to bring moral pressure to bear and Z
tain an armistce he will get a breat