The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-02-02
In The Big Way.
Manchester Union.)

There is one note in Secretary of
War Bakers statement that is so
strong, so wholesome, and so true, that
we are sure it has not been lost to our
readers amidst tine other strong notes
of the secretary S recital of achieve
ment. Speaking of the motive for the
criticisms and investigations in re-
spouse to which the statement was
made, the secretary found them not
IN Fartisanship, not in personal desire
to ''get somebody, not in purpose to
rob anybody of constitutional rights
and prerogatives, but in the nation
wide will of America to fight the war
in ''big way
mat was the remark of a gentleman,
and of gentleman who has inter
preted America Alright.
America does want to do this thing
IN big way, its own big way of bring
ing all of itself, its homes, its schools
and ITS churches, its shops and farms,
It's hands and brains, its money and its
llllmltable stores of idealism and ex-
allied purpose, and its men and women
and putting all effectively to the great
est task that has ever confronted it.
There grew up a feeling that we were
not lighting the war in this way, and
1t spread with amazing swiftness
throughout the country. AS always, in
circumstances such as these, the thing
not done or that i'll done, obscured the
thing done and done well, or in the
process of being done The CHASTITY
spectre of impending failure arose, and
America reacted with a demand for
action, and the administrative read
JuStments that make for action. There
was no more of fear than there was of
/ partisanship IN this 1t was the vote
ing of the desire to do this thing in the
| big way.
| 1t Is sometimes averred that Secre-
| tary Baker is not big man, that is,
| big in administrative capacity. Be
/ that as it may, he is big enough to
understand the bigness of America S
| passion fer greatness of deed in thi.
| hour of supreme crisis
| The irreconeilable NAV interiect at
| this point the suggestion that he is
also clever enough to feed the desire
| for achievement by reciting in outline
some Of the big things afoot But this
IS not necessarily attributable to mere
| cleverness. With all our shortcomings
which MIR. Baker does not DENY. by
| the wa; with all our defects. which
| Mr. Baker admits are of recent cor.
recton; still we are going about the
| war III a big way, and it is more and
| better than clever to aIlay the feeling
| OF uncertainty and vague disappoint
ment by a disclosure Of achievement
| and large-scale effort
/ This ba =.
Of the Investigations We venture the
! prediction that the response of the
country TO the Baker statement will
De splendid. The stock market reacted
| to 1t as to a tonic. The man on the
| street talks differently than he did last
| saturday The feeling is abroad that
our effort IS Of the magnitude of ou
responsibility, and this Is of first-rate
| consequence. 1t is important that tech
nical defects should be discovered ana
rcmedied-it is vital that the Ameri
can people. who desire to measure III
to the full height of their great duty
and to fight and win the war in thei,
| own big way, should believe that thei1
spirit of conservation is being trans
muted into a sword so keen and 81
strong that 1t shall kill the deadly thing
that has arisen to enslaye the world
Yes, America desires to do this thine
IN the big way. And so long as it i,
done this way, it doesn t care who lead.
III the doing of it Names are moth
ing, except as they are to be held il
proud and loving remembrance in con
nectlon with this great deed Past
achievements of living men must b,
coupled with present acts of devotion
to this cause, to have ultimate value
Parties are nothing at all in this con
ncction. Assure us of bio leadership
/ not for big show, but for great deed,
IN great cause, and we shall gladl1
uphold the hands that are shapino on
war weapon.