Republican farmer., 1918-12-06


 ment and supplies, and carried safely through extraordinary dangers of at tack-dangers which were alike strange and infinitely difficult to guard against. In all this move ment only 75S men were lost by enc my attacks, 630 cf whom were on an English transport which was sunk near the Orkney Islands. will tell what lay back of this great movement of men and material. It is not invidious to say that back of it lay supporting organization Of the industries of the country and Of all its productive activities more complete, more thorough in method and effective in results, more spirited and unanimous in purpose and effort than any other great bel ligerent had ever been able to effect. We profited greatly by the ex- perience of the nations which had al- ready been engaged for nearly three years in the exigent and eXacting busi- ness. Their every resource and every executive proficiency taxed to the ut most. We were the pupils. But we learned quickly and acted with promptness and are cooperating that justly our great pride that we were able to serve the world with unparal- leled energy and quick accomplish ment.
 But it is not the physical scale and executive efficiency of preparation supply, equipment and despatch that I would dwell upon, but the mettle and quality of the officers and mer sent over, and of the sailors who kept the seas and the spirit of the nation that stood behind them. No soldier: or sailors ever proved themselve: more quickly ready for the test of bat tie or acquitted themselves with more splendid courage and achievement when put to the test. Those of u who played some part in directing tht great processes by which the war wa! pushed irrestibly forward to the f1na triumph may now forget that and de light our thoughts of the story o what our men did. Their officers un derstood the grim and eXacting tasl they had undertaken to perform witt audacity, efficiency and unhestitattnI courage that touched the story of con voy and battle with imperishable dis tinction at every turn whether the en terprise were great or small-fron their chiefs, Pershing and Sims, dow to the youngest lieutenant; and thei men were worthy of them-such mel as hardly need to be commanded, an' go to their terrible adventure blithel and with tn equick intelligence o those who know just what it is the, ] would accomplish.
 | q am proud to be tine fellow coun l tryman of men of such stuff and val or. Those of us who staid at hom did our duty. The war could no l have been won, or gallant men wh fought it given the opportunity t win it otherwise. But for many
 long day we shall think ourselve 'accursed were we not there and hol our manhoods cheap while an speaks that fought with these at S Mihiel or Thierry. The memory c those days of triumphant battle wi go with those fortunate men to thei graves; and each will have his fav orite memory.
 "Old men forget; yet all shall b forgot, but he'll be remembered b the feats he performed.
 What we thank God for is that ou men went in force into the line (
 battle just at the critical momer
 when the whole fate of the worl seemed to hang in the balance an
 threw their fresh strength into th
 ranks of freedom in time to turn tt
 whole tide and sweep off the fatefl
 struggle-turn 1t once for all, so thu thenceforth it was back, back, bac for their enemies always back, nevt
 again forward. After that 1t was on a scant four months before the con manders of the central empires kne
 themselves beaten; ana now their vel
 empires are in liquidation.
 And throughout 1t all, how fine tl
 spirit of the nation was. What unit of purpose, what untiring zeal. Whi elevation of purpose ran through a
 It's splendid display of strength; i untiring accomplishment I have sa! , that those of us who stayed at hon
 to do the work of organization ar supply will always wish that we ha
 been with the men whom we sustaint
 by our labor but we can never ! , ashamed. It has been an inspiri1
 thing to be here in the midst of fiji ; men who had turned aside from eve1 ', Interest of their own and devoted u
 whole of their trained capacity to u tasks that supplied the sinews of u } whole great undertaking.
 I The unselfishness, the great dev
 tion and the distinguished capaci
 that marks their toilsome labors d T. after day; month atfer month, ha
 made them fit mates and comrades l the men in the trenches and on t : sea. And not the men here in Was
 Ington only. They have but direct = the vast achievement Througho A innumerable factories, upon immune able farms, in the depths of cc \ mines and iron mines and copl mines wherever the stuffs of indust 7 were to be obtained and prepared,
 the shipyards, on the railways, at { A docks, on the sea, in every labor tt was needed men have vied with ca X other to do their part and do it wt J They can look any man-at-arl 7 In the face and say we also strove
 win and gave the best that was in
 to make our fleets and armies sure fl their triumph!
 And what shall we say of | n women-of their instant intelligen
 quickening every task that tE
 touched; their capacity for organi; e tion and cooperation which ga
 their action discipline and encours
 ed the effectiveness of everythi
 they attempted; their aptitude
 tasks to which they had never
 fore set their hands; their utter SC u sacrifice alike in what they did a q in what they gave? Their cont button to the great result is beyc Il appraisal They have added a n la 1 lnstre tn the annals nf Ameril