The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1918-01-31

mlSHt well De undHCldi anu lil'iuS-
trial. The industries of the country
were largely devoted at that time,
the appropriate industries were large
" devoted to the manufacture of war
materials for our allies.
"As suggested this morning when
we went into that market we found
it largely occupied, so that our prob
lem was not going to a shoe factory
and saying make shoes for us, but
it was going to a factory which nev-
er made shoes because all the shoe
factories are busy making shoes for
people from whom We could not take
them, and saying learn how to make
shoes in order that you may make
them for U.S.
Now, of course, that is not true
of shoes, but it is true of machine
guns, it is true of other arms, it is
true of ammunition, it is true of forg-
ing capacity, which was the greatest
defect in the country and all OF this
time we had not merely not to dis
turb the programme of allied manu-
facture in this country but we had to
shut off the supplies of raw material
to our allies and we had not to dus-
turb the industry of the country to
such an extent that products upon
which they depended for the success
of their military operations would be
interfered with both agricultural and
commercial and industrial products.
''At the outset the idea was that
we would be a financial and industrial
assistance to our allies during the
year. 1918, and 1 think l can proba-
bly, read from the Metropolitan Mag
azine for August suggestion which
will show what the current expecta-
ton of the country was. The editor
of the Metropolitan Magazine was
protesting against what he believed
to be the intention of the govern
ment at that time. This magazine
came out in August 1917, and this ed
itorial says: "Since it is our war,
we want to put everything into it
so as to finish it in the shortest pos
sible time; so that the world may
be restored. To our mind the whole
plan of the war department has been
favored with desire to hold off un-
til the allies finish the war for u.s.
Met Expectations.
"You see the editor was dealing
with what he supposed to be the in
tention of the war department at that
time; that we were holding off so
far as actual military operations were
concerned and letting the allies do
the fighting.
what he says we should have done
and I ask your particular attention
to it, is this: we should have strain
ed every energy to have gotten from
$4,000 to 100000 men to France
this year.
''That is, the year, 1917. l tell no
secret but it is perfectly we'll known
to everybody in this group that we
have far exceeded what in August,
1917, was regarded as programme
so ideal that the editor of this mag
azine refers to it as thing which
we ought to have strained every nerve
in a vain but hopeless effort to ac-
complish.
"And then the editor goes on. And
by next year, 1918, we could have
had 100000 men which we could
send
"Now, instead of having $4,000
or 100000 men in France, we have
many more men than that in France
and instead of having half million
men whom we could ship to France
if we could find any way to do 1t !
in 1918, we will have more than one
half million men in France early in
1918 and We have available If the
transportation facilities are availa-
BILE to US (the prospect is not unprom-
ising) one and one-half million who
in 1918 can be shipped to France.
81 have here a statement from
Field Marshal Won Hindenberg in
which he is quoted as saying in
German newspaper in contemptuous
fashion of us that we have advertis-
led our preparations for this war in
an unworthy manner. If l may rely
upon the confidential information
which we get from confidential
sources, the German government is
still mystifed as to the number of
men we have in France or have had
there at any time.
81 am saying this now because you
have asked me why have held back