El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-06-21
zgiCe IN Too
Weeks Marines
Break Records
American Fighting Corps
Win Praise From Allies;
More Going to France
b THEDERIC J. HlsKIN.

Washington. ID. c.. June g.
/ American marines are now going
I ''over the top with their usual con-
/ spicuous success. Twice I'm the past
two weeks they have earned the
B praise Of the allied armies by their
Irresistible activity" which forced
T the Germans back at Chateau Thierry
and BeIleau WOODS. Already they
have hundreds Of German prisoners
T several machine guns and many me-
I ters OF strategic ground to their
credit.
And. so far. there is only one bril-
gade Of marines iu France, brigade
consisting OF 10000 men, Units for
another brigade are rapidly being as
sem bled i'm this country at the request
of Gen EerShluE. however. and i- is
expected that 10000 more marines
viii be landed i'm France during next
month.
From 1000 to $500.
The strength of the United States
marine corps has been raised more
rapidly I'm proportion 10 its original
strength than that of either the army
or navy. Two years ago. there were
only 1000 men In the whole corps In
August. 1916. the first increase was
the corps TO 1900 men, AS soon as
war was declared. the president issued
call for 5000 more marines. and con-
gress subsequently raised the strength
OF the corps 90 10000. Now the new
naval appropriation bill increases 10
TO 1890, excluding reserves, Of whom
Llere are about aNuu-
The reason for this tremendous in
crease in the marine corps is found in
the extraordinary efficiency Of its
original 1000 men, These men We're
all veterans.
Worlds Best Fighters.
Before the war an English army Of
ficer, who had made study Of the
worlds various military organ ia -
tiOus. declared that "the best
equipped, organized and most eff
clent body or its size iu the world
was the United States marine corps.
The Canadian mounted police and the
Pennsylvania state cOnsrabulary, he
asserted, came second and third.
Il was the United States marines
who established quiet iu Nicaragua
after many years of continuous revo-
luton a guard Of 100 marines. called
the legation guard. has been MAIN
tained. at the invitation of the Mic
araguan government, in that country
ever since
The marines have converted Sant0
Domingo. which had not known a
peaceful decade iu 500 years into a
peaceful republic. Haiti. on the same
island, which had a belUgereut out
burst regularly every summer. has
been put in order by the firm but
diplomatic action OF American ma
rines; and marines have landed TO
protect property iu Cuba The Amer
lean legation in Pekiu. China. has a
guard Of $50 marines
All Are sharp-shooters.
For years the marines have sDe-
c-alized in sharp shooting. as wel as
field artillery and machlue-guu han
ding. And in addition TO this. be-
cause they have had TO fight small
wars all by themselves. they know
how TO do many other things They
can manipulate field wireless. porta-
bic searchlighrs and helloerauhs. they
can plant submarine mines. they can
handle torped0es- buud roads and
bridges; they can land big guns from
ships, and they can ride anything
from llama 20 q race horse. They
are now developing a remarkable
skill in shooting anti-aircraft guns.