El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-02-07

his at int Q4AcEAa -DL E-AB AA4GA0 VI
the vital need which must never be
forgotten for a single moment; ano
then in this period OF examination OF
what We have accomplished IN the
war II Is well to consider what Per
shing's force has been doing, and why
and the nature OF his giant problem
There is nothing sensational IN the
account. The building OF a scientific
war machine is not a sensational bus
mess, but one Of hard, grinding labor
Where at home ideas may get con-
fused, they are not so IN France over
there we know what We want and
what we have TO do, for we work
within the sound Of the enemy's guns.
Two Pictures.
Two pictures come to my mind In
clear contrast-the one Of John PERISH
ing, the builder, resolute and deter
mined, at his desk at headquarters or
on his inspections. He has no time
for pessimism. Officers who indulge
IN II in his presence soon find their
mistake. The other picture is the hotel
Hobbies in Washington, where gloom
has Of late been the fashion and fed
by whispered It'd bis of pessimistic
rumor. Was the spirit of the lobbies
the spirit Of the nation? Or Of the
war department. No. 1t was only a
natural reaction Of mood, an incident
And in France We stand or fall by
what Washington and tina nation do
to supply our needs.
when the United States went into
this war we did not realize well
enough that We were not a military
people and that efficiency in our in
dividual enterprises could not be i'm
mediately transformed into war eff
cheney. In splendid patriotism we all
offered our services; our national
imagination wanted to anticipate
every need. Plans were to become
full pledged accomplishment under
the spell OF our tremendous national
energy concentrated on the head of
single department
1T was then I remember saying TO
a friend, How can any man stand up
to what is expected Of a secretary Of
war in a time like like thisg the
problem that Kitchener faced was
light compared to his. Already our
Industrial system was stretched in
supplying the allies with war mater
ials our shipping was limited, that Of
the rest Of the world well occupied.
The first question that one who knew
was asked about the secretary of
was was VIII he trust the eIpertsg
Left To Experts.
For in war there is only one su-
preme expert-the soldier. All the
branches Of national energy must be
under his directing hand in the scien-
tific application Of energy to blows
der experts IS the trained officer Of
the staff. Our staff officers who have
been trained only in theory were now
to try in practice to prepare an army
to meet the German army with sol
diers who had a hundred years OF
training in military instinct and
racial coordination, led and organ
lied for generations by the most ef-
ficient brains of Germany. This you
have heard before, but It is well TO re-
peat it now
Our army had no method in the
step-by step promotion in peace TO
recognize our Grants and Jacksous.
Command must go to those who had
rank Officers who had passed over
the downhill side Of middle age, ac-
eustomed to a routine which was not
excessive in its demands, were in 4
single day raised as 1t were, from the
conduct OF q little store on q side
street, with one clerk, to the man
zgement Of a great department store,
While outside all the tumult of ma
ional energy vas pressing to them. !
when this energy was unframed in
hat organization which is an organi- |
.ation OF ttself-the organization OF
war
I'VE left the war making to the war
experts. That was the first sound !
step But should We also follow the
sound principles OF war in our organi- |
sation? This did not mean the ma
1Onal draIl alOnes II went deeper than !
hat. Would the responsible head re- !
llst all the influences against a scien-
life organizauon2 Could a civilian 1
mind which was directing the whole, |
Keep its civilian control and yet IN
ierstand the vital essentials which I
Hone can create q modern fighting
iorce worthy OF the name2 And when /
me learned that the man in charge, |
hough he had had no previous expe- /
ience Of war, had Withstood these in /
luences and was forming an army on /
he sound, true lines of the two great 1
armies of the world, the /
french and the German, he knew that, /
hough investigations were to come, /
Mistakes would be made and delays \
would ensue, that there need not be 1
ny worry about the final result.
Germans Not Worried by Speeches.
The German staff, which is not a i
'oor judge IN such matters, was not 4
.othered by our talk Of 100000 air
lanes in Europe in six months, or by /
esoluuons, or by speeches. Its in
crest was IN whether we were going /
0 build q real army and whether
hose at the head of affairs grasped 1
he fact that war is blows, and any
hing that does not tend to blows is
diversion, and a people unframed in
7ars are giving TO missing this vital
ONT
IF the reports which come to us in
rance are correct, the German staff
axes the new American army very
eriously, because we are building
hat army on sound lines, and its
ope, as we know, is that il may yet
in a military decision before We are
bic to bring fun force to bear.
Adapted to Allies Needs.
I'VE have had TO adapt our progress
} the needs OF the allies. Any one
all familiar with what has passed
noWs that one cardinal principle that
as been followed has been to listen
} the advice Of allied experts, and to
i've them the assistance that they
onsidered most important. But il
pes not follow that the experts of
ngland and France always agree,
ny more than the experts OF any
srts in the same army. The changing
tuation has required changes on our
art, and we must meet the conditions
lat war forces from time to time.
Last autumn We had the prospect
the British army, after the great
of the Somme, reaching its
aXlmum Of efficiency in the summer
1917, and the same was true of the
allan army. With Russia eXerting a
eady pressure on the eastern front,
e should have had a military decis-
n this year. The spring offensive
the French did not succeed The
usstan collapse came II was at this
lncture that We answered the call
hurry American troops to France;
Id in those days that 1 heard men
~: We cannot expect to do much
Citing, but we can let the French
now we are with them Such talk
ay furnish a public thrill, but 1t is
u impressive to the German staff.
rance wanted to see our campaign
ats in the streets of Paris and along
II roads Her neonle. in q period of !