South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-04-05

EAAhAAh AANA AAA hEFN hOAlFt MANY
things have been left undone that
ought TO have been done. No one
in Official life will essay TO deny this
But right in this connection there is
one great truth which means much
10 the people of the country. That
is this:
There l. not known To the writer
single mistake that has been re-
pcated. In every instance the govern
ment has taken advantage of its
mistakes TO improve its plans and
To see that they did not occur again.
There is distinctly some saUisfac-
ton in this. In every war heretofore
in which this nation has engaged
mistake has been piled on mistake,
and officials have refused 10 take
heed to their errors. Today this is
changed. Mistakes are a medium
through which corrected program
is prepared and there is not an Of
fetal anywhere who does not frankly
admit a willingness 10 change his
mind if shown that he was wrong.
Selective Army Plan.
OF course. the greatest single
achievement Of the war has been
the working out OF the selective
army plan. Elsewhere Maj. Gen.
Crowder tells how this was accom-
plished But it is only proper TO say
right here that Gen. CrOwder's work
i'm this connection has had far too
little notice and generally Is over
looked for other things more spec
tacular, but OF far less worth. For
almost a year now this veteran sol
der has labored night and day per-
fecting the machinery which feeds
raw civilians into one end Of a hop
per and brings out at the other end
the army Of democracy trained
soldiers who act as though they had
never known anything but the rife
and the khaki. With no previous
experience to guide him Gen. Crow
der evolved a general plan which
experts say is the simplest in the
world. but which places at the dis
posal of the nation 10 million men
qualified for military service. The
QUESTIONABLE plan. which listed all
of these eligibles by occupation,
makes II DOSSlDl lOI the prov ot
marshal to call into The service on
"a hours notice any quantity of men
trained in any special line Of industry
which the needs of the army may
require at that particular moment
All i'm the Days Work.
The national army. now passing
over seas TO its destiny. is the work
of this American officer. In other
countries he would be awarded with
patents of nobility, purses of gold
and major decorations. But here in
America his work is accepted as "all
in the days work" and his reward
simply a knowledge Of duty we'll
performed"
In the actual war conduct there
is much that can be praised: far
more than can be criticized In this
every department Of the government
has cOoperated The story of the
activities Of the war and navy de
partments 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 Newton d. Baker and
Josephus Daniels has been passed
on to the people at large. And it is
a record of which all may be proud.
But there are other departments
Of government which also have done
much and without whose active sup
port and cooperation disaster might
have been encountered. Take the
work Of the Sec'y of the Treasury
William G. McAdoO and his assist
ants. Not content with financing the
war and floating bond issues-the
third Liberty loan got we'll under
way today-he has made the ma
tional railroads systems a real ad-
iunct of the government. The story
Of the difficulties overcome in this
connection would fill pages Of news
paper space. But there Is no need
of this. They have been overcome
and today the railroads are working
better than ever before in their his
tory and daily piling up almost un-
answerabIe arguments for govern
ment ownership and operation of
public utilities Another side line
which Sec'y McAdoo has under his
direction is the insurance Of the
armed forces. More than % mil
lions of dollars worth of insurance
now is in force in this department.
Feeding the Allies.
The country and its defenders not
only mad TO be fed, but Uncle Sam
was compelled TO assume the task Of
feeding a great part of the world.
There has been some decided differ
ence Of opinion as to the work which
Herbert c. Hoover, food admins
traitor. has done Because OF th>
great difficulty OF his task he has
made bitter enemies and many, very
many enthusiastic supporters. But
there has been no fault found with
the work of Sec'y of Agriculture
David Franklin Houston, his chief
assistant. Carl Nrooman. and their
aides. Their task has been 10 bring
production up TO the topmOst notch
and they are accomplishing it with
ont any unusual blare Of trumpets.
Under their leadership the farmers
Of the nation will cultivate in this
the second years Of Americas par
ticipation in the world war every
bit of ground for which they can get
the labor. Then Sec'y Of Labor VIII
liam b Wilson has assumed per-