Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-01-31
PERSH|NG PREPARES
FOR 100000 MEN
Major Frederick Palmer of tht
Generals Staff Describes Our
Plans in France as Gigantic
Nrw Y.RE Jas 81

Chief Intelligence Oihcer ard tonne
correspondent Of the Associated PTesg.
speaking before tho lnogue for National
Unity, at their meeting yesterday promh-
cd absolute opcEness II reports when our
boys really begin fighting ~ Franc'
Some secrecy ls Necessary ~ rog1rf 20
tho movement of troop, hc sad, bu'
nothing s 10 bc hidden ltou' hc oidior
when they got 10 work.
M Won hear iittlc ucee iroro our
forces in France ~ present tc aid i'
because their trimming is much 'hc Same 81
that'of any other training c1nr. hccal-f
We arc simply building nov bIt wicn
there IL action the people wlli have ever.
detail H. ~ their army ihry have "a
right 90 know about %
Maj. Palmer began Iy making ri''
for ship nc said
Z he outline ~ % ship 81 burned ~ fhr
heart md BRAN ~ every o'hccr md ror
in France
lie said that the Al'lr- were winning 'a.
war. and that hc world hyr tn nsvc
pcSeimists IN Amcricr pUf 20 e'rvrlo-r
for Porshing American preparations
France, he SAID, wrro bclrg mode to rar
for 100 divisions, or more rh10 ,ph0D'
mon. lie gave strong praI.r ~ f,er
Pershing. who be- declared tad ire- rcir
his word bong supreme 1r.r fr
army in froncc Naj Pa'wo~ ,.ec'arr'
that no politics or cornmifica ri'o rtsrlr
ming the american army n France
HAS Jo8 ron pEsefvi-7-
Two pictures come 70 or ur4 -..
afternoon be remarked ono ~ l.i
Pcrshng, he builder, rcFo'gtr rd
tcrmined ~ his desk ~ hoadpur'cr
on his inspections--a man who hqs ~ fir,
tor pcssimsm The other ho 'o'ei 'of
bics IN Washington whorc gloom af ii's
has been tho fashion sed by ,thisrrrr,'
tidbits Of black runor u hed mv wa'I
would sentence all pesslfnlst- 'p -'eveCipr-
lng for Pcrshing in France
In those lobbics yot hear talk ihat a
are losing tb" war, which IS he best pre-
scriptlon Fpr losing d WE 7rc npt losing
the war We IRE winning The a4r ftr
any say that we ore lOstg iho SWIFT vhc.
Germany can send no shin ON 81 fle siir
face Of the seas when Germany J, bottl-.l
up with an the world against hor'
MAJ. Palmer rcnn his -pccrh lnSf"aa
of talking oHband which was q Hcw
experience for him. he said But - hc
was there as the spokesman ~ tile arnt
in France he had 10 be careful Right ll
the middle of the address therc came
DEF@Ak WIlllF ll' " htfFNA stN Nlif Nlir. tf
bring the second half lie employed thc
time Ia telling how crazy our boys ~
France are for pie, PIE being 0 subject on
which he might venture 70 talk oifhand
RE FOLLOWS THE FLAG.
'I never realized before how the PIE
belt covers the whole American nation.
he said When IL was announced the
day before T Thanksgiving ia Paris that
soldiers who called at 3 certain canteen
would get piece OF pie it seemed as Il
the entire American army called. There
was a marine VINO vas On sea duty and
cOlldnt come; when be got back they
made him ple-and ! assure YOU hat
marine urSt into tears of Joy.
Maj Palmer took advantage Of this
interval 80 pay tribute % President
Wilson man VINO las true steel l
him. 4 man who means to hght tp tlc
end and WIN
Ills tlped speech a- hc -oad it was 3
careful icruuu- ot vhl, mas .ccu 4Yu.
- far hy .mcrica iu 90. aA- Is m-
ming up uf the lliilcui;Ic- anQ fne 1.e,i
and while no NAMES we're g-,-i i' t.-
something of "a rebuke 10 those InaIyldu4.-
who have been shouting i0r >eusatIouai
action.
After Maj. Palmer eame ,amls.
Gompers, VINO Was 90 have presided. oui,
be was detained aud came IN when Jn,
meeting was half over Nlr lIumpcrs
predicting that unless America does hcr
full share the war ultimately slA &,
fought on American SOIL moves that BE-
League Tor National mty send . n,--
sage 20 our soldier u range. flroIE
Mai Palmer. that We SIRE behind -h,r
"lOO per cent WITH GY -eserf-i!D..s
and that not uuti the German j. 4ris,
back through Belgium, back 1yc- .,-
own borders. wlll we be IN a mood
consider cffers Of peace Tho lls aur
agreed. and the message wa, tran-cria'
and given ID MAJ Palmer.
Easy To GO INTO TRENCHES
Listeners had little doubt IS -o rhor,
Pershing's spokesman meant when p.
said:
"At the beginning we might .av
despatched a hurriedly gathered bard s.
volunteers such rs won gIurt ,n ltt.
wars sgalnst partly trained foes. ana
might nave gone into the trenches 30 ol,
with the flags flying IL IS easy t1 20 .nt,
tho trenches but il ,s difficult o. g,t ou.
alone If YOU don't know Row ~ fzh
We Nigh, have sent other divisions ut
the trenches 70 be eaten up B dc
without ever getting he foundation o.
a real army. Or We might have skluu.
our regulars and sent ono crack regll,a
division, differed entirely ~ regllar
y no could have gone INTO the trench,
In few weeks, but that meant sacri cir-
the only experts we had for training
organizing and drilling our new army
Instead we distributed our expert
over the great force we were iorInin-
out Of a male population that knew
nothing Of war, except what IL had read
Our regular officers had 10 20 TO school Ia
Europe to train reserve ohcers, who in
turn had to train other officers. Onlv
a soldier can realize the enornllty OF the
task
Secretary Baker, Major Palmer in-
sisted, had measured up to his Job "a
every way.