The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1918-10-05

centage of them would be charges
against the state unless afforded this
means of sustaining themselves.
Not the least serious of the problems
confronting the war department was
the question of distribution of sup
plies In France. A million men might
be landed In French ports, together
with the necessary equipment, but how
under the heavens was this vast store
house to be transported to the interior
and on up to the lines, with the mani
fold exactions hat would have to be
met In doing 1t speedily and orderly
and with the French transportation
facilities already grooming under the
home load? The German staff agreed
It could not be done.
Right here seems a good place to
introduce Brig. Gen. johnson Hagood.
He Is chief of staff of the s. o. 8.
He has served In the war department
with every chief Of staff of the army
since the general staff was created by
congress. He Is a native Of South
Carolina, a nephew of the late Brig.
Gen. Johnson Hagood of the Confed-
crate army and one time governor of
South Carolina.
The present chief of staff attended
the university of his home state from
1888 to 1891 and graduated from West
Point in 1895. He has served as per-
sonal aide to Generals Bell and Wood.
General Hagood Is one of the young
er generals Of the army. He is small
of stature, quick of action, and a hui
man dynamo. His mind works like
chain lightning.
"How did you do itT' / asked him.
A flicker of a smile fitted across the
face of the West Pointer.
swell, we had to do it-and we did
IL. That's all.
1t was a mere statement OF fact.
There was no philosophy to 1t. Just
had to be done, and-was donei
"It would be impossible for me to
tell you how this plan has been worked
out" he added. Moreover, 1 am not
permitted to give out interviews to
newspaper men. But in this case 1
understand you have been authorized
by General Pershlng's headquarters to
get an interview from me, SO / will
try to tell you something about II.
u~ndecelving Themselves.
"In the first place, 1t is the biggest
military undertaking In the history
of the world. No military authority
ever laid 81 bold a plan on this earth;
nothing that Alexander the Great,
julius Caesar or Napoleon ever
planned compares with IL In scope or
daring. The Germans laughed at Is
when we proposed Ii, and v e those
of us Of the old army who sat around
the war college wondering what we
would do I'm a great war, never
dreamed the United States, the most
unmilitary nation ON earth, could put
100000 men in France. To supply
such a body OF men from a base 1000
miles away, to organize them, to fight
'em, and to fight 'em as well as the
best soldiers In Europe today-is the
greatest military accomplishment Of
all times.
$50 far as my end of IL Is concerned
1t h all a matter of team work. The
work is that of the bureau chiefs.
You might compare me to the quarter
back Of the team. i give the signals
and pass the ball, but they really do
the work. and they have done 1t ex-
ceedingly well. We are way ahead pm
program. We supply twice as
many men In France as the most
optimistic of us had expected. And
mt the present rate 1t will not be long
before we viii be supplying In France
an army four times as large as that
we had originally contemplated.
"As to the character of the work,
we have had to build and repair rail-
roads. We have built permanent docks
and wharves at the ports. and some
of these ports are more prosperous
now than they ever have been In
their history. We have constructed
aviation fields. repair shops. salvage
plants, supply depots, hospitals. cold
storage plants, water supply. etc.
Rushing q New City.
"It is rather difficult for one to
visualize the proposition OF going into
an open field and constructing a 10000
bed hospital. 1t means In reality a
city of $4,000 inhabitants, with all the
necessary appliances In the way Of
water, sewerage. stores. fire protec-
ton. lighting system, etc. Imagine all
the retail stores In Chicago CONSOLE
dated into one. and you get an idea
of what 1t means when we say a depot
containing ninety days supply for
100000. Think of a cold storage
plant where 10000 head of cattle, or
$4,000 quarters Of beef. can be pro-
vided for under n roof.
'Of course, we only handle this end
OF It. Our job over here Is to get
the STUFF Off the ships, get 1t on the
trains, and pass II on up to the front.
1t comes in a never-ending stream.
The problem Of the star depart
ments is divided into four grand groups
transportation. construction. supply.
and disqualification.
"Under transportation" continued
Eouoro1 Hounnd auya .~rc~n nnoou