The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-05-23

on military affairs makes the follow ing official statement respecting the visit to France of members of the com mittee:
 "A number of members of the com mittee on military affairs of the House of Representative of the last and the present Congresses have spent a little more than three weeks making an in spection of the various operations of the American expeditionary forces in France. We arrived at Brest on April 14 and sailed from the same port upon the return voyage on May g.
 We first visited the three principal base ports of Brest, St Nazaire and Bordeaux. These ports had been hur- riedly but effectively put into shape for the purpose of receiving troops and supplies during the war and are now being used for the preparation of troops for the return voyage. The work of put ting these ports in shape from practi- cally nothing, is a great tribute to American industry and enterprise.
 We next saw the hospital center at Savenay, through which S1.000 patients have passed since July. 1917. This hos pital appears to be conducted in every respect upon modern lines. We were next given the opportunity to see the
 operations of the service of supply.
 Here was found the central distribu- ton plant covering miles of territory. where there were erected several hun dred buildings in which were stored and from which distributed every con-
 ceivable character of supplies neces- sary for the maintenance of the army, and this in an abundance sufficient to sustain an army very much larger than
 that which we actually had in France
 at the date of the signing of the
 armistice
 We went through the ordnance, ice,
 salvage, and motor transport repair
 plants, all of which are equipped with
 modern machinery. One of the most i'm
 pressive and outstanding features of
 the trip was the thorough and complete business organization behind the army
 which, of course. is a most important factor in it's success. In fact, it might
 be stated that up to the time we started
 on a trip over the battlefields, an Amer ican going over the ground we tra- versed might well imagine that he had suddenly been transported into some great American industrial center We were next given an opportunity to walk over, in part at least each of the important battlefields on which American troops took the most prom tent part. We were accompanied by of- ficers who themselves actually parti- pated in the battles, and were given descriptions of the operations upon the ground itself. We were shown forests thick with trees and underbrush and entangled with barbed wire, through which it was difficult to pass when nc enemy was present We climbed with great difficulty high mountainous points which were thought to be impregnable le until American troops actually assault ed and captured them We were shown the open field between the Argonne forest and the Mouse river where the German lines were broken in the early days of November. Upon this battlefield there was hardly foot of ground not torn by shells.
 No one can walk over this ground without the conviction that the Amer ican youth suddenly turned from peace ful to military pursuits, has proven a most daring and certainly a most in vincible soldier.
 The American soldier in this wal has been well cared for, so far as his physical wants and comfort while 1T camp are concerned. and even upon the battlefield, we were told, hot food was served him whenever it was possible to get it up to the front lines.
 "A striking <eature of the sentiment of the American soldier is the unani-