The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1918-01-25
because the Germans killed


raids, no sane folk will advocate that
we should go to Germany with the de-
liberate intention of Staying their wom-
en- and children.
"But IL fate had ordained that Ber-
lin should be situated where Bruges
now Is, and If. in that newly-placed
Berlin, were to be found factories con-
structing bombs, small arms, and air
planes, barracks with men under arms.
docks, offices from which war-like OPP
eratiOns were controlled, should we for
fear of killing women and children give
up our right under every tenet of In
ternational law to bring victory little
nearer through the destruction of these
places? or course not.
"The German, war on the western
front Is being waged south and west
of the Rhine. Everything that comes
from the heart Of Germany to main
tain that warfare must come across the
Rhine on bridges. What, / ask you,
would be the dislocation In organiza-
ton and strategic preparation If, by
the employment of untold flights OF
ed by single-seater fighters of the lat
est type, we could shatter every means
of communication across the Rhine -
With America In the field. l can en-
visage $4,000 airplanes ready for use
ut q given moment. This would mean
an output by no means beyond the ca
pacity Of British and American re-
sources.
'"Then, with the collective offensive
power thus gathered together, 1t would
be strange If we could not. in one fell
swoop, strike one mighty blow towards
the final victory, and maybe shatter AZ
the same time. irrevocably and definite,
bastard enemy. We could do this even
though the Germans. as could scarcely
be avoided, knew full well of the prep,
arations we were making"
Lack Of Airplanes Brings Attacks.
Q. G. Gray, editor Of the "Aero-
plane" law expert whose technical
knowledge is greater than that of the
parliamentary dignitaries / have quot
ed, agreed emphatically with what they
had said. Our army is in France"
he declared, because it Is better 70
attack the enemy there than it is to
stop at home and let him attack US
here.
IF we had had as big an army in
1914 as we have now, we should now
be invading Germany instead of fight
ing in France, or more probably the
war would have been over q year or
two ago. If we had as big an air feet
now as we shall have in year, or per-
haps even in six months, we should be
dropping bombs by the ton in Germany,
and the end of the war would be near
ut hand.
I'm 1913 the Navy league plastered
London with demand for $5,000,000
for airplanes, and we who worked that
agitation were ridiculed for the huge
ness of our demands. Today 1 could
name a dozen aircraft firms each Of
which has orders in hand for more
than the million pounds which four
years ago was regarded as impossible
for our whole aeronautical grant.
Demand Grand Air Fleets.
"Our present demands, doubtless re-
garded as absurd by hidebound Off
Gals, are that we shall have an air fleet
over land which will 90 over the Ger
man army and will carry war into the
enemy's country. And we demand an
air fleet over the sea that will make it
impossible for a German submarine to
show its periscOpe within a hundred
miles Of our coastS-most torpedoing
is done within the 100-mile limit, re-
member. Such fleets are regarded as
impracticable today.
Nevertheless, there are plenty of
untapped sources Of supply for more
and more airplanes in this country, IL
the making of minor parts Is farmed
out to small firms, and If the system
of production Is recognized and ac-
CELEBRATED. Also there Is huge output
to be had from America, IL our new
ally will consent to accept ready-made
designs from Europe, and will not in
sist on waiting to do her own expert
menting.
"Given that huge air fleet which we
require, the rest is fairly plain sailing.
BY Systematically bombing all the aero
dromes in Flanders from which German
airplanes start for England, we can
force back their starting places farth-
er and farther till they are so far east
that they cannot reach the English
coast. After that we can devote our
air fleet seriously to stopping the war.
Would Shake Morale Of People.
AT present we send few bombing
machines across the German lines and
blow up an ammunition dump, which
deprives a short portion Of the enemy's
fighting line of some of Its ammuni-
ton, and at the same time provides
more work and wages for munition
workers in Germany. If, Of this, we
could afford to send number of much
bigger bombing machines into Ger
p,arxu onA cn,,II Irnx, uaanu taDc -