The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-04-06
by JOHN EDWIN NEyIN.


achievement. II is not the purpose OF
this dispatch TO cite figures and sta
tistics except ga explanatory. Rather
Il liz the desire of the writer to tell
Iary Jones whose boy is fighting in
France with the Rainbow division:
Esther Clark, whose man-to-be is
HIth Clarence Edwards New England
Toys over there" or Shane o Brien.
whose husband wears the regular uni
form in France, that all goes well.
The American army and navy are
living up To their highest traditions.
This can be taken exactly as 1t is
written. There will pe victory be-
fore the uniforms are taken off to be
laid away. The fighting men who now
are in the trenches, those in the camps
who are getting ready to go there,
the men who are coming UP with the
next draft--and the next and the next
If need bottle 100000 and odd fight
ers OF the navy all will see 10 it that
there IL no compromise peace that
will simply bury the sword for a few
years. That is the great. all COM
peliing aud convincing fact that to-
day stands out here I'm Washington.
the hub oe the national war activities
When Germany forced war with the
United States 1t found nation un-
prepared. There was no real war
machine. The navy--what there was
of twas ready. It is true, But the
navy of April 8. 1917: and the navy
Of today arc two. radically different
bodies. Then half of our ships were
in reserve. Our building program
was proceeding ieisurely. The en-
tire personnel was only $1,000 men.
Today It lie nearly six times that.
And as for the army. Well, there
was no real army, The regular
branch was on the border. In Panama
Hawaii and the Philippines. What
there was OF 1t was good. But there
was not even enough OF IL for de
fsnsive purposes. OF artillery we had
none Aircraft. such as there was.
was a Joke. Today the army and
navy of the United States are pow
erful. potent factor TO he reCkoncd
with in the struggle to save the world
for democracy And every day adds
to the strength and power of this ma
chine which win make the influence
of the United states all potent AT the
council table where the new map or
The world viii be drawn.
All this is encoura ging, especially
SO In view of the" general titicism %
the war preparations in certain quar-
ters. There has been and IS much to
criticize II one is that way inclined.
Much has been done that should not
have been done Many things have
been left undone that ought To have
been done. No one in official lie VIII
essay 10 deny this. But right In this
connection there is one great truth
which means much TO the people OF
the country That is this:
T1r~rs. h not known to tho writer
n single mistake mat has been
rcpcat.,t In every instance the
cetcrnnt.m has taken advantage
Of its mistakes tn improve IT.
nlau- and ta sec that they did
not t,rtuT again.
There is distinctly some SaFls'ac"
ton in th's In every war here'otofe
in whi,.l this nation has eng aed mis-,
take 1las l+esn piled on mistake Aho
afFicia Is have refused 70 take heed 10
their errors Today this Is changed.
Mistakes are g. medium through which
= corrected program Is prepared
and there Is not an official anywhere
who does not frankly admit willing
ness 60 change his mind IL shown that
he was wrong.
OF course, the greatest single
achievement OF the war has been the
working ont OF the seiective army
plan. Elsewhere Major-Generai
.'rowder tells how this was accom-
plished But 1t is only proper L" SAY
right here that General CroWdef
Wort, in this connection has had lar
100 little notice and Sener1lly il
overlooked for other things more
spectacular hut of far less worth
F'or almost a year now this veteran
soldier has iabored night and day per-
fertjnC TIE machinery which fTeds
raw civilians into ore end Of hopper
snd bring out AT the other end the
army Of dcmocracy." trained sol
diers who act as though they mac
never known anything but the rlne
and the khaki with no previous ez-
perience 10 guide him General Grow
der evolved n general plan when eA-
r,erts say is the simplest in the World
hut which places az the disposal of
the nation 10000. 600 men quaided
FOR milttarlr service. The question
paire plan. which, listed all ot THESE
eIigibies TX occupation. makes II pos
sjble for the provost marshal TO ca4.
iutc the service on twcnty~four hours
notice any quantity OF men trained III
any special l:ne OF industry which we
needs Of the army may require al 1iAa'
particular moment,
Tho national army, now passing
overseas 10 It's destiny, is the work
Of this American officer In other
No,tntrtes he would be rewarded WIN
patents Of nobility, purses 81 Sota
and major decorations. But here IN
America his work Is accepted AS All
IN the days work and his reward
simply a knowledge VI duty Wen
performed
In the actual war conduct there Is
much that can be praised far more
than he criticized IN this every de-
nartn1cnt of the government has CO.
operated The story OF the acuNt
Ties OF tho war and navy departments
has been unrolled each day before the
eyes Of the people. Excepting where
military necessity has prevented, the
achievements OF the men who have
worked under the direction of New
ton d Baker and Josephus Daniels
has been passed on 10 the people Al
large Aud II is 81 record OF which
all may he proud.
But there are other departments 81
government which also have don,
much and without whose active sup
port and cooperation disaster might
have been encountered Take The
work of Secretary Of the Treasury
William c. McAdoO and his assistants
Not content with financing che wal
and floating bond issues the thirc
liberty loan got well under way today
he has made the national railroad
systens a real adjunct TO the govern,