The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1918-11-11
Brings Message from American
Front in France; Tells of
Part Yankees Played in
Stopping Huns.
NO PRIVATES IN
AMERICAN ARMY
Morale Splendid; Belleau Wood
and Vaux Go Down Immortal
In Annals of History; Sup
port Campaign.

With crowd that packed the Sugg
theater from second balcony to
boxes and listened with intense in
terest to his every word, Hon. Joseph
B. Thompson, recently returned from
the fighting front in France, told of
the conditions he had found there,
dwelling particularly upon the activ.
tiles of the American soldiers. AL
though he spoke in the interests OF
the United War Work campaign that
is launched today. he devoted prac.
tically all of his time to the achieve
ments of the Yanks overseas, and
left, with telling effect, the question
of whether America should support
the agencies that are supporting the
American fighters IN Europe to his
audience.
Mixing humor and pathos the
speaker told principally of the Yanl1
as he found him in France and Italy.
His report on the American soldiers
moral standing was summed up in
these words: "Al though | saw hun
dreds N thousands Of American boys
in khaki, did not see one who was
under the Influence of Intoxicating
liquor and did not hear one word
uttered, that the boy who uttered it
could not have said to his mother
with perfect propriety."
Tells of Chateau-Thierry.
Showing that Chateau-Thierry 80
miles from Paris, on the Marne, and
where the Americans stopped the
Hun advance, is one Of the most his
toric spots in the military opera
tions of the woEld from the time of
julius Caesar to the present time,
Mr.. Thompson told of the American
participation in the battle.
He said in part. "The Germans
were launching their fourth drive,
after having defeated the British
fifth army, after having forced the
allies back around Amiens and af.
ter having driven a sharp salient be.
tween Soissons and Rheims. The
allied commander had ordered 10000
Americans from their base at Toul,
Ground far to the west and north to
back up the still faltering fifth Brit
ish army.
Huns Cross Marne.
The German legious had gained six
miles on their fourth offensive aud
were pushing the stubborn French
back foot by foot toward Paris. Ex
tensive defensive works were prepar
ed at Meaux, is miles from Paris.
where the last stand for the French
was to be made Barbed wire en-
and elaborate trench
systems were prepared defending
the military road to Paris that had
been constructed by julius Caesar
Seeing the absolute necessity off
stopping the Germans at once. the
allied high command ordered the
Americans in along the Marine to
support the retiring French instead
Of the British farther west and north
in Picardy He made one mistake
he ordered the Americans to fight
rear guard action That is. to de-
lay the progress Of the Germans I'm
til the French had taken their places
at Meaux and had rested up for the
last struggle. Now the Americans
don't know how to fight a rear guard
action. They have not been taught
that. It's not in keeping with Amer
lean military work.
Americans Go In.
"One flank of the Americans cov-
cred Vaux while the other was locat-
ed at a point that viii live in i'm
mortal in the annals Of history. That
point was Belleau wood. The Ameri