Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1918-03-01
REED SPEAKS
ON GREAT WAR
Tells of Actual Experiences on
French Front, Under
Fire
NEED OF SAVING FOOD
STRONGLY EMPHASIZED
People Must Back "TIle Boys" to the
Limit, or War May Continue For
Five Years

Dan Reed of Flint. Mich, gave a
large audience at the gymnasium Sat
urday evening the clearest and most
convincing conception Of the war as 1t
really is. and the urgency of food con
servation as an important step toward
winning the war. that his hearers have
yet had from any source.
AIr. Reed told his experiences at the
front under fire. in air raids. in the
barracks of the American soldiers, in
his talks with Pershing, Clemenceau
and others He told Of the sacrifices
the people of England, France and
Belgium were making, Of the hard
ships of the men at the front Of the
food shortages there and the tremen-
dous task of the American government
and the American people to feed the
fighting men. He told of the charac-
ter of the enemy that we must fight.
tho ruthleSSneSS of their methods and
the barbarity Of their officers. He
told his own conclusions as to what
will he necessary before we can win
the war and lie predicted that unless
the American people get a fuller ap-
probation Of the size of the task before
them and get together to perform it the
war will last for another five years.
People Must Know Facts
1T is not my intention to gloss over
any of the unpleasantness l found over
L
pie of the United States know the
facts they won't have the real spirit
necessary for backing up the soldiers.
This war wouldn't last very long If the
hundred million people Of this country
could take a peek over there and see
conditions for themselves. There
wouldn't be any politics in this coun-
try at this time if the people knew all
that is going on there.
What / will have to say to you has
not been censored in Washington. l
am here 70 tell you in the very plainest
language can the things you all ought
To know.
First l want to tell you what a
thrilling spectacle it was for me to
look down Il fine French highway and
sec thousands of clean-cut clear-eyed
young Americans passing along-a
half million of them are herewith
Old Glory floating above them and to
see them smile and cheer as they
passed. I saw these boys starting on a
six-mile hike leading to the trenches
where they were to learn how to go
over the tOp-to prepare themselves
for the ordeal through which they will
have to pass. When | say ordeal
mean the facing Of hand grenades, of
poison gas. the cold steel. liquid fire,
the dreadful monotony Of trench life
with it's water and mud when they dare
not stick their heads above ground
without rislling the probability Of in
slant death from German bullet.
You picture our boys over there as
being in sunny France Let me tell
you they are not in the sunny part of
France. They are hilleted in barns
and they are working in rain and snow
and mud getting ready to fight our
battles for lis.
Boys Went CheerfuiEy
And these boys knew what they
were going into before they enlisted
and they went cheerfully. You want
TO see that our boys over there have
the best. They deserve the best.
say to YOU that of the most noble
deeds Won can look forward to- none
can be more noble than to protect an6
provide for those boys through yOul
efforts here at home. Unless we dc
this we must be branded towards ant
traitors to the bravest boys l have
ever seem And we mustn't forget the
mothers of these boys here at home
The boys over there are looking to III
to protect these mothers, who have
seen the boys grow from babes UP t.
strapping young men who have donnet
the uniform of their country and gOn
to war.
.'One of the first boys | saw owe
there was a Michigan boy. His hom
is in Lansing. He said to me. 'Whel
you get back tell mother you saw m
and | was looking we'll And then h
added-TeIl her I've won out am
that | am coming back to her straigh
and clean We had many such mes
sages given us by boys to bring back t
mothers.
You probably have heard some o
these stories about our boys over ther
not living right. You probably ca
understand where lot of these storie
started
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