The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-02-04

possible assurance of peace.
Yet We are told from Washington
on War Department authority that
no program had been determined
upon that would enable the United
States to undertake the training of
more men than could be accommo-
dated in the present camps and can
tonments. if the Interallied War
Council should decide that it was
necessary for this Government to
send a~much larger number of men
than are provided for by law. It Is
apparently the departments policy
not to build more camps and can
tonments, but to defer the training
of additional soldiers until the pres
Gated through the sending of troops
to France.
1t is not strange that military ex-
perts think this is policy that
lacks vision" Our troops are being
rapidly transported to France. It is
reassuring to be told that so many
large transports, many of them for
merly German steamships, have re-
Gently arrived safely in allied ports.
But the men now receiving instruc-
tions cannot move out rapidly
enough to make room for the great
new army that We ought already to
be recruiting. Our experience tells
us that it takes from six months to
a year to train soldiers. If all those
now occupying camps and canton
ments should be sent abroad by early
Autumn it would be many months
before we should be in a position to
respond to call from the Interallied
War Council for more 11sn.
The American people were aston
ished when Secretary Baker told
them the other day that I'VE shall
have more than 100000 men In
France early in 1918" That was
felt to be a great achievement, fa1
exceeding public expectation. Ye,
the military writer of The Times
said in our issue of Dec. 8: THE in
dications are that Summer will not
find more than 100000 American
troops in Europe, so that at best
Germanys numbers will be hardly
more than equailed." The Secretary
assurance of 100000 men, accepted
by the public as evidence of inten-
sive preparation outrunning hope
was considered by that writer to be
a minimum. The additional 1000
900 men promised by the Secretary
during the year 1918 will occupy fol
months the accommodations without
which the next 100000 men can.
not be trained in the military art
The preparation for training that
new million should by this time have
been far advanced. 1t is false econo.
my, it is a dangerous delay, to trust
wholly to the evacuation of the pres
ent camps and cantonments. New
camp sites should have been chosen
an abundance of new buildings erec.
ted, to the end that there be nc
check on our marshaling soldiers
against the enemy.
IF transportation facilities are
available to us-and the prospect 1s
not unpromising-we will have l.
100000 men who. in 1918, can be
shipped to France" said Secretary
Baker in his statement before the
Senate Committee. So it is condi-
tional assurance, mere hypothesis
that in addition to the 100000
troops in France promised early In
1918" 100000 more will be sent
over this year. If there is to be lack
of shipping, the camps and canton,
ments will be occupied by the men
now in training long after their in,
struction has been completed, and
we shall have no accommodations
whatever for the new 100000. But
the deficiency in shipping will not
1,0OO,O00,000 for new ships, and
are going to spend another S1,OOO,-
100000. Unless there has been woe
full inefficiency somewhere, there
should be a great supply of new ton
mage during the present year. The
situation then will be that after the
trained 100000 men have been
sent to France. six months or a year
will have elapsed before another l.
006,000 follow them.
If this lack of vision" is to be at
tributed to the peace delusion. it is
doubly blameworthy. The enemy is
encouraged at the same time that we
make ourselves less capable of fight
ing him. We wish that the Secretary
of War had declared, not that the
100000 men in addition to the
100000 now on the other side OF
the Atlantic can be shipped to
France" but will be shipped to
France" The German military
chiefs are not talking about what
they can do, or may do, or will con-
slider doing if peace does not come.
They have transferred great armies
from the eastern to the western
front. They are Strengthening them
selves in every possible way to con-
tinue the war, to fight it through un-
til American delusion or British la
Dor or socialism in France and Italy
shall come to their support. Delu-
sions about peace do directly con-
tribute to the determination and the
strength of Germany. 1t is not mere
ly a question of preparing for war in
time of peace The condition that
confronts us is that of preparing for
a war that is actually upon us and
preparing with all our might.-N.Y.
Times.
The kind of a motto to adopt fol
the Something Doing"
We'd feel all right if the Presi'
dent was conductor on our train.
Cable rates have been reduced be-
tween North and South America.
The day of the weaselword paci
fist is over at last.