The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-06-18
PRIDE PRISONERS.
George Creel, in I,eslic's.

instead or pfi0e, however, instead OF
the radiating JOY that should possess
us. the country is in the grip Of vast
peervishness For all the comfort
that we are getting out OF It. the VIC
tors robe might as well be the hair
shirt Of the vanquished. Our tongues
are tuned to whines, there IL discon-
tent in our hearts. and the average
disposition seems to have become at
ficted with a species OF unbeArable
itch. Nothing was done properly,
nothing Ia being done properly; every
achievement Is quarreled with and the
men most applauded are those whose
talk drips like some deadly, discolor-
ing acid on the war record OF
America.
A certain reaction was inevitable
and is perfectly understandable.
After year and half OF incessant
endeavor. with every life keyed up to
the highest possible pitch Of service
and sacrifice. taut nerves were bound
to 60 slack With people picking up
old threads, and finding them sadly
tangled, degree of irritability was a
foregone conclusion. But the thing
has gone far beyond the natural and Is
being exaggerated into an obsession.
The wells Of public pride are being
poisoned beyond cure: criticism has
changed into wholesale abuse: irrita-
ton Is taking on the tones Of a mean
and scurrilous malignance. The COM
mon decencies OF patriotism command
a halt. reform. and suggest stock
taking In the interests OF honesty and
fair play.
What was II we set out to do? It
was to whip the Germans And we did
it. At the time we entered the strug-
gle the Prussians were In positions OF
virtual dominance on every front
insolent, assured. powerful-yet in
eighteen months their arrogance was
crushed to the dust. their leaders in
cowardly flight, their ultimatums
changed to pleas. What is the quar-
rel? Is 1t result that was not
wished? Is 1t the idea that victory
was won improperly, and that the war
should he fought all over again In or
der that the theories OF Preside ex-
perts may be indicated?
1t was not alone that we did the
thing we set out tn do. but in the do
ing we established records of energy,
initiative and determination that have
no parallel In history. The allies had
only faint hope that we would be able
to aid with empower for many a
month, while the Germans themselves
were confident tina: they would have
ample time to win the war before
America could possibly prove a factor
in the fighting. They stimulated their
morale, civil as well as military. by
repeated assurances that THE Yam
KEGS could not raise an army, that
even II 1t were raised it could not be
trained properly: that even IL raised
and trained it could not be trans
ported.
Almost within month after the
declaration of war the traditional pol
icy of the nation was reversed by the
enactment of the Sefective Service
Act A vast machinery OF registration
was created that ran WITHOUT a hitch.
and on June 5 over 10. 00h.oo0 youths
were registered quickly and efficiently.
Thirty-two encamments virtual
cities, since each had to house 40 900
men--were built In ninety DAYS. COM
plete in every municipal detail, a feat
declared impossible, and which will
stand for all time as building
miracle.
In June, scarcely two months after
the presidents appearance before
congress, General Pershing and his
| stan reached France, and on July ;.
| the last of four groups Of transports
landed American fighting men in the
home of Lafayette and Rocham beau
Training camps for officers started
| in June. and in AUGUST there were
graduated 27.34l successful aspirants.
ready to assume the tasks of leader
ship.
In September we wiped out the St.
against every attack for four long
years: in October we dealt the Prus-
| slams that succession OF terrible ham
mer blows-twenty-e eight American
, divisions in the firing -line---that drove
! them back up the Meuse until we en-
tered the outskirts OF Sedan and def
nitely cut the German supply line
| That was the wars end.
/ And II il in the face Of these glories
and tremendous achievements that we
whine and nag and meaniv quarrel,
We train and transport and support
j sufficient men in a year and n half
TO meet the picked shock battalions Of
the Germans and whip them until
| their courage turns to water. And we
can't even take time to cheer. 30 eager
are we to take up that favorite indoor
American sport classically called
.beliv aching"
| Who does not remember the ridi-
Guile and abuse heaped upon Josephus
| Daniels? No lie was spared TO brand
| him as utterly unfit. and for all the
world to hear and believe. II was de-
clared that he had demoralized the
! personnel and turred the navy itself
! into iunkpile Yet when war came
It was seen that our first line of de-
Tense sailed the seas in invincihilitv
| Our destroyers proved themselves In
the war zone. our mine LAYERS dropped
| the submarine barraEes that made the
| North Sea safe, our officers. with their
courage. initiative and inventive gen
ius rave new force 10 the fight against
the U-hoats. Our navy guarded over
two million men on the way to
France: our navy escorted TONNAGE to
France with loss Of only o.0os per
cent, and tonnage out Of France with
a loss Of h.013 per cent. Just because
1t Is our" navy. IL 1t to be shamed?