River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1918-04-18
Our Weekly Letter
From Washington
(By James A. Frear, NJ. CO

which to build concrete ships for
the Government. In his statement
issued last week, Chairman Hurley
says the Emergency Fleet Corpora
ton has developed concrete ships to
a point where it is deemed advisable
to carry out experiments" on a
larger scale. Since the days of the
introduction of steel vessels, that
type of craft has been improved I'M
til the old wooden vessels, of little
account in this age of development,
have been abandoned. A concrete
boat has been foated and may be OF
practical use, but until demonstrate
ed that it will be of value the propo-
sal to appropriate $50, 100000 for an
experiment seems generous as to
amount. Every interest is on hand
bombarding the different board with
new inventions and for Government
contracts, while the Senate Commit
tee has just reported the failure
of new Liberty motor intended for
aeroplanes Thousands of these mo-
tors have been ordered built, but
one reason for delay in this impor-
tant branch Of the service has been
due to efforts being made to per-
feet this new motor Necessarily
many experiments must be- made in
order to sift out worthy proposals
but until one concrete boat has been
demonstrated to be of practical use,
there will be much skepticism over
the practicability of building fleet
of concrete vessels. If they can be
successfully used, no one will regret
any expenditure likely to be made.
The new draft law was sought to
be amended by bill offered in the
House last week, which provided in
effect that irrespective Of volunteers
or National Guard units taken from
different states and communities,
the new draft shall take only men
from the first class in the country
at large, without reference to COM
munities or localities until the quota
was filled. In Wisconsin, the draft
boards, generally speaking, h ave
interpreted the law with a purpose
of providing an army. That is the
first requisite in time of war, and
although pressure is insistent in our
state as in every other state, it is
we'll known that these boards as
rule have performed their wor k
faithfully and we'll. Our states
average percentage of total regis
trants in class one. however, is only
one percent over the average offic-
tally reported throughout the coun-
try. Our army is natural army in
no sense a state matter, but states
with good records for volunteer
service, including Wisconsin, are en-
titled to have that service credited
to their quota. Z h a represented
the sentiment of many Members and
was inserted in the bill by large
majority vote.
Comment from a metropolitan pa
per questions the writer's duty to
publicly resent continual u e
showered on the state of Wisconsin,
INDUCED in by high officials who in
dicted our people unless support
was given the Democratic candidate
at the election. These officials de-
clared in effect that any o h r
course would evidence disloyalty.
After bitter critism INDUCED in by
the Vice President, the limit was
reached when a newspaper at Camp
Grant, H., addressed to Wisconsin
soldiers, stated that their Command
er in Chief, the President, desired
them to vote for the Democratic
candidate, and unless they did so it
would give joy to Berlin. Such po-
litical methods may work to the ad-
vantage of candidates in benighted
communities, b u tn Wisconsin
soldiers at Camp Grant refused to
be controlled by threats and voted
against the candidate named. while
the people of the state itself re-
buked those who INDUCED in such
abuse. These facts were presented
on the Floor of the House in de-
Tense of the people of our state and
to show that such methods will be
repudiated by an intelligent people.