Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1918-11-13

SlOnaI pun mas been talked about so
much around Washington that people
always think when a congressman
asks for anything he has to be given
it because he is a member of con-
greSs.
1t is altogether probable that
the German peace drive in this
country caused a discussion from one
end to the other of the land which
will have a wholesome effect, and in
was done through the fear of negoti-
ated peace instead of an absolute sur
render. This discussion showed that
the American people were bitterly op-
posed to any armistice or any ceSSa-
ton of war upon the Hun until he
was soundly beaten and accepted I'M
conditional surrender. 1t is also likely
that hereafter none of the allied ma
tons will enter into parleys or nego-
tiations with the Germans for any kind
Of a peace except that which is to be
dictated when there is no longer Ger
man resistance. 1t became evident In
the discussions throughout the coun-
try, and particularly in the senate
where there was scarcely a dissent
ing voice, that our people did not even
want to talk of possible negotia tons
for peace until Germany had received
what was coming to her for the atroci~
ties of the past four years.
Here and there voice has been
heard to the effect that we are not in
this war to wreak vengeance upon the
German people. But it should be re-
membered that criminals are punished
not only as a matter of retribution, but
in order that they and others may not
again commit crimes.
Men have TO go right up against the
fighting line and do the dangerous
work of war in order to receive the
highest commentator that the people
of a government can bestow upon
them. Naturally it is the army that is
receiving so much attention now, while
little or nothing is said about the navy.
Probably this is what moved Congress
man Padgett of Tennessee, chai4 man
Of the committee on naval affairs, to
tell the house the story of what the
navy is actually doing in this war. He
did not point out that the navy has
has not lost thousands Of men as in
the case of the army, but he did show
that without the navy 1t would have
been impossible to transport that army
to Europe 1t is the navy that has pro-
tected the transports which have car
ried to Europe nearly 100000 men.
The navy has at all times been in dam
ger while performing this duty, al
though most of the actual fighting has
been on land rather than at sea. There
has been no complaint of the navy, but
there are certain friends of the navy
who fear the country may forget the
part that it has played in this great
war on account of the fact that the
navy has met with little actual fight
ing and few disasters.
The fact that the navy has re-
NAMED almost unscathed while the
army has been suffering severe losses
in heavy fighting recalls an incident OF
the Spanish war. Admiral Sampson
had large fleet encircling the harbor
of Santiago, but none of the vessels
went near enough to receive shot
from the forts or to get In touch with
the little Spanish squadron that was
in the harbor. General Skaters army
had been fighting several days and met
with severe losses. In conference
Sampson intimated that the army was
not doing all that it should do, and
Shafter retorted, "Why don't you go