The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1918-07-25
An American Business-Soldier in
the War Zone.
Part w.

So | went down to one flying school
there and saw 125 American airplanes-
no not American airplanes, but 1875 air
planes up in the air at once with Ameri-
cans in them. thought lot of those
airplanes were built in America. turned
to the colonel and said: GLOW many OF
those airplanes were built over in Ameri-
cap He said: 'Don't you know that
none OF those are our airplanes| He
said: ''There is not an American airplane
in all France
Now, that means just one thing. That
doesn't mean an inefficient airboard. 1t
is 5000 miles from America to the other
side, and the making of an airplane is
something that we knew nothing about
at the beginning of this war and it slmp-
ly means this; that one year is not sutfi-
Gent time in which to prepare for mod
ern warfare conducted as it is today,
which calls for years of preparation.
The sad thing and the shame that will
ever be Americas is that we stood on the
side lines for three and one-half years
after Belgium had been invaded and did
nothing Applause.) That we stood
there impotent and watched the world
aflame with passion and did nothing to
prepare ourselves. | feel sorry for some
of the leaders of America when history
is written. " want to support them with
everything that we have and everything
that we can, but Iwant to say to you that
the lessons of the past should occasionally
come before us to guide us for the future,
because when this war is over every
pacifist in the world will crawl out of his
hole and say: "Well, there will be no more
wars. Now, let US have no preparation
for war;" The lesson we must learn
from this is that this great, beautiful
America of ours, so full of everything
that the world desires and needs must be
protected; if it is worth living in and en-
joying it is worth fighting for and pro-
tecting, and therefore let us keep it pro-
tected, not for war that may come
twenty years from now but for the war
that may come at any day.
So today probably We have few
American airplanes, but on April 9th
there wasn't an American plane in all
France. What does that mean? 1t means
that even to fill our school, to teach our
boys how to fly there in France we have
to draw upon our Allies, the French, for
material. saw 900 planes at one of our
schools in France We had to take those
900 from the French, weakening them
badly without really strengthening our
selves for none of those were battle planes.
They were training planes, merely to
teach our boys to fly. We should do that
training in America. France is a battle
ground, not training ground, and the
soldiers of America should step off the
ship ready to fight. The world has been
held safe for us four years by the united
armies of France and Great Britain, and
in Gods name, it is time now that we
speed up. A lot of men do not seem to
realize that there is a war going on. APP
parently most of us think of this war as
having only one termination. We all
war going to last? That is the question
Now, that is not really what we mean.
We mean, how long is it going to take US
to win the war. Such is our confidence
and our optimism that we think there
can be only one issue to this war. want
to tell you that question can be answered
in two ways. We can win, yes, but only
after years of fighting, years of prepara-
ton. We have not yet got force in
France that deserves the name of an
army, nearly $780, 900 men Mr.. Baker said.
Yes, but 500, 900 men does not mean very
many rifles at the front A modern army
is so largely dependent upon its service in
the rear, dependent upon the great food
supplies and ammunition that must come
up to it, that the fighting force is not
more than one-half of the men in France.
] think that there are hardly 200, 600
American rifles at the front today.
We are holding five and one half miles
of line out of total of sos miles. Doesn't
that tell you the story? Now, when
some oratorical enthusiast jumps up and
informs you from a Chautauqua plat
form that we don't need any prepara-
zion, that if America is attacked mill
lion men will spring to arms over night,
just remember that they cannot spring
5000 miles across the sea and fight foe
that has been preparing for twenty-five
years or more.
1t was my good fortune to 60 up in an
observation balloon. This balloon took
me up where could see the entire length
of the American line from one end to
the other. In case any of you should 60
over there and 60 up in balloon want
to give you word of advice.
Just as we left the ground the young
captain turned around to me and said:
ftThere is one subject that we should dis
cuss before we 60 any farther" Oh,
forgot to tell you that before we got into
the balloon we each put on harness to
which was attached parachute that was
attached to the side of the car. He said:
'There is one thing that we should set
tie" said: "What is that" He said
(Which one of US will jump first7"
naughter) l said: "Are we jumping
this afternoon7" 0.aughter.) H said:
81 don't know, but you take those boche
planes, sometimes they get to great
altitude and then they get behind some
clouds so you can't see them and fly over
here and if they see US they dive down
and they discharge explosive bullets and
if they hit US they set fire to the balloon
and then we have to jump" l said: II
have not done any jumping from balloons
lately. l would rather that you jump
first and then will see how you do it
and then l will jump" l thought he
seemed very well pleased with my reply.
A little later, becoming somewhat sus-
picious l said: "By the way, how long
does it take balloon to burn up after it
is hit7" He said: Usually about Is sec
onds." Naughter.) So wondered where
the second jump was coming in. laugh
teri
Now, from that great altitude l could
look out across the American lines and
see them stretching over five and one
half miles. They were pointed out to me
by the young captain. He said: Don't
YOU see it start right at that little woods