Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-12-04

| Max L. Powell. forme- president Of
/ the chamber and now president Of the
| Vermont branch of the Roosevelt Inter
| national Highway spoke briefly. charac-
| terizing the Chamber Of Commerce In any
community as the Industrial beacon light
| ing the way for the community, the dyna-
mo which furnished the power for action
! and the melting pot into which the DIFF
ferences of the community are fused for
the common good. He appealed to Bur
! lingtonians to add light, furnish power
| and get into the melting pot which turns
out the real democratic spirit. by asso-
| catinG with the Chamber of Commerce.
| He closed with. an appeal to back the
| Roosevelt Highway proposition in Yer
mont by assisting in putting the roads
| about Burlington in good condition next
| spring. Declaring that "tlese roads are
going to be improved If it takes popu-
lar uprising to do it," Mr.. Powell said
that he had asked Commissioner of
Highways S. B. Bates for the use of
| trucks to work the roads around Bur
lington. guaranteeing 1000 workers for
the project. Mr. Powell appealed to the
men to give half a day week to the
proposition
At the speakers table during the ban
| <,
Mayor j. Holmes jackson. T. B. Wright,
Guy w. Bailey, the Rev. C. c. Adams. C.
l.. Woodbury.. Edward Hanbridge and
Howard Allen.
| CHAPLAIN KELLEY'S ADDRESS.
Chaplain Kelley's address was one of
the finest patriotic efforts ever heard in
Burlington. A natural orator, with a
striking personality, a fine sense of hum
| or. robust and every inch a soldier in
his overseas uniform the chaplain dom
| mated his audience from the moment his
| powerful voice was heard in the dining
| hall. Every man in the audience listened
with the closest attention as the speaker
| passed from a preliminary eulogy of the
part which Vermont had played in the
war to the story of his experiences over
seas.
In speaking of what Burlington has
already done for the ex-service men. the
speaker SAID:
II hope that may soon come to Bur-
lington again and see here what is be-
| ing started now in hundreds Of cities
throughout the country--a building erec-
ted as a fitting memorial to those who
gave their all and who were ready tc
give their all in the great conflict"
Chaplain Kelley was more than elo.
quent in his descriptions of the mighty
battle in which the American forces. as
sisted by the Australians and the Brit.
sh. broke and took the Hindenburg line
in September 1918 Hindenburg had writ
ten to his men saying that the strength
Of the Hindenburg line was such thai
the Imperial German Eagle would new
er retreat"
The speaker held the audience in high
suspense as he pictured the uncertain
moments of the battle when the Ameri
can forces went over the top of the hill
from which they expected to get theil
first view of the famous Hindenburg line
and could see nothing but the smoke
filled valley below. Their tanks had beer
lost early in the battle. but they haC
gone on at great loss. The German firms
had ceased. but it was not known whethe
this was because the Germans We're re
treating, or were waiting in ambush tt
annihilate their enemies as they cam,
over the top Of the ridge. Then thu
whirr of English aeroplanes was hearc
overhead and the aviators dropped a mes
sage saying:
you've got the Germans running lik,
hell and the Hindenburg line is yours
But the cost was great. Chaplain Kelle!
himself dug the graves and built Bon.
cemetery, in which he laid to rest 70
New York boys. while the total loss o
the American forces in the battle wa
, 1,l52
However. when the Hindenburg lin
was broken, the confidence of the Ger
man soldiers and the German general
WAS broken. according to Chaplain Kelley
and this marked the beginning OF tn
end Of the war.