The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1918-07-30

nv" al Hies. leellnS is growing I
here that in some miraculous wa
America Is going to do very startlin
things In the very near future. TIL,
hope is, of course, baseless.
The man in the street in LondO
gives vent to most extravagant figure
on the subject of the American arm,
he seems to feel that the hundreds c
thousands Of recruits he reads abou
daily Will fall upon the Germans in
few months. The danger undOubtedl
exists that when he finds that his eS
pectations are unfounded, his presen
mood towards America will underg
great change. Men here who know
the facts about what America is doing
and what France and England are dc
ing and have done, are alive to tn
danger that extravagant hopes ma,
lead to reactions that will imperil tn,
good relations that are SO greatly de
sired.
Secrecy Gives False Perspective.
On the other hand, the present sys
TEN of making everything public IL
America regarding American wal
preparations, and continuing to con
ceal the facts in France and England
prevents Americans from learning the
truth about the achievements of their
allies, and by the time our troops are
hghting In France, may throw the
whole war into false perspective.
The difficulty is due to the Ameri-
can habit Of trusting the people with
the facts, or with most of them. Amer
leans are told how many men are train
ing, and where; how many guns and
airplanes are being built; what the ma
val program consists in; almost every.
thing about the war excepting the &C.
tual sailings Of troops for the front,
and even those apparently become pub.
lie property very quickly. What
Americans know about war prepara-
tons in the United States quickly cir
culates in Europe, in inflated form, be-
cause here the widest rumors and
most optimistic reports are credited:
Here, on the contrary, from the be-
ginning Of the war people have been
told nothing about their army or fleet.
The man in the street has no idea how
many divisions Britain has in the field:
the very names of her twenty newest
battleships, even the whereabouts of
the fleet, are unknown to him; the
whole war is being conducted in alb
solute secrecy. (Deleted by Censor).
More Publicity Needed Abroad.
That. such distorted view Of the
war should become current Is obvious
ly most unfortunate and undesirable.
The cure would seem to lie in more
in Britain and France, rath-
er than less in the United States; IL
It We're possible to tell the world what
Is being done here, in the same graphic
way that people are being informed
about the preparations in America, the
derman stats might get some valu-
able information, but the German pao.
Die certainly would be plunged in de.
'pair.
If the United States is able to place
n the battle line in France, when the
gets fairly under way next
pring, one-(Deleted by Censor) the
lumber of British and French troops
hat will be standing in the trenches,
lllied military experts will be delight
d. They do not expect so much help
q so short a time,
The only precedent for the efforts
t America to play part in the war in
rance lies in the transport overseas,
4 1915, Of Canadian and Australian
roops. The Canadians had one regi-
lent of Boer war veterans, the Prin-
ess Pats, in line during the first win
ar, but a Canadian division was not
Die to take over sector of its own
ntil April, 1915, eight months after
ar began. The Australian and New
ealand army corps reached Egypt, on
he way to the Dardanelles campaign,
bout the same time that the first Ca
adams disembarked in France.
1t Is not thought possible here that
lie United States can greatly better
lie record of the British Dominions,
scause the Dominion troops had the
Vantage of the existing war machin-
y in London, and were at first placed
lder British stats. The American
my is being compelled to improvise
own machinery and its own staff
1t of war establishment not more
an one-fifth as big as, and with far .
IS war experience than, the one exist
g in London in 1914. (Deleted by !.
snsor). I
Tactics Changed Since 1916.
When, in the distant future, the y
nerican armies do charge upon the !
envy, the science of war will bear lit a
resemblance to the 1915 and 1916 v
hting which the phrase "Over the {
p conjures up to the average read \
A great bombardment, while lines Q
men wait in trenches with fixed bay q
cts to charge upon the enemy at Z
wn; a wild bayonet melee among "
uttering machine-gun bullets; then d
feverish organization of captured 81
inches against counter-attack-th u
s war, in the old days Of the Somme.
ch war is almost obsolete now. BY II
time Pershing's men "go in," it will Of
as out of date as the tactics Of w