The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-03-08
(By C. G. Lyon.)

| 'oOLleWHeIe Ill rTdHCe, MdlCH o.
America has reached the point in this
war where the hard Jolts begin.
| Our troops are in the first line
trenches, facing the Germans.
Our airmen are now weaned from
their French and English instructors
ana are covering their own section Of
the front.
German submarines have sunk an
American troop ship and many lives
have been lost.
Our troops have been gassed by the
Germans.
Up to this time Americas chief
contribution to the allied cause has
teen money and food. But these
things did not bring the war close
up to the American people.
America will never put forth her
bes: efforts until she suffers" n
French general told me months ago
when our troops first arrived. "a
soldier must feel deeply before he
fights in deadly earnest"
So must the people at home.
This same general has already lost
three sons killed in action and q
fourth is now in hospital desperate
ly wounded.
If anybody in France has suffered,
ne and his good wife have.
Yet they have not permitted
their sorrows to overcome them
or prevent them from putting
forth their most determined eff.
forts to help defeat the Ger.
mans.
The more l see of the war over
here, the more | realize what is
ahead for America before a victorious
peace comes.
America must set her face and be
prepared to accept with grim deter
mlnation whatever comes in the wav
OF setbacks-because every army has
lis setbacks, no matter how superior
it may be.
IL mas seemed to me at times
mat the American people had a
notion, In the backs of their
heads that they could get through
this war without very many
American boys being killed or
wounded.
From this side of the Atlantic,
reading American newspapers, it was
easy to get the notion that many
statesmen in America felt that the
war could be ended by talk and prop
uganda.
lunched not long ago with some
high officers who not long before had
received valuable information as to
internal political conditions in Ger
many.
Said one of them:
sect rid of the idea that
'bnst-up' is coming in Germany,
which would result in the ousting
Of the HOhenzOllerns. The Ger.
man people. apparently, are thor
0ughly convinced that the Kaiser
stands next to God and that any.
thing he does is just the right
thing. They're with him and
they're going through with him,
even to ingloriOus defeat, which
think is certain for them.
The way to win this war is not
BY coddling the German people, but
by killing every damned one of them
who faces an allied trench"
This is real war and the only way
to settle it right, so the world will
be free for democracy for all time to
come, is to kill off so many Germans
that the Kaiser will be forced to do
what we tell him to do.
1t becomes more apparent every
day that this war is going to be set
tied with the sword
Bloody days are ahead for the
American troops.
The Germans indicate a desire to
make it a knockout fight
America must be preparod for
enormous casualty lists.
German militarism can be crushed
out in no other way.
The troops know exactly what is
ahead of them and they are ready r.
take what comes.
1t is only to be hoped the folks bacl,
home will show the fortitude that tho
American troops at the front ara
showing.