The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1919-04-17
Tells How Germany
Planned Economical
And Industrial Ruin
of Occupied France

Jacksonville, April 1.-THE fea
lure OF yesterdays meeting OF tn,
Jacksonville Rotary Club in the Ma.
son hotel was the address by Lieut..
caesar Miehaux Of the French army
who has been in America for some
Time ON official business for his gov.
eminent. Lieut.. Michaux is an ar,
tillery officer, and was engaged in
some Of the bitterest fighting on the
western front.
he was sent to the United States
primarily as an artillery instructor
for the American army. His subject
yesterday was Business and How
America May Do Business with
France,
His address was Illuminating. re.
plete with statistics, and wildly out
lined how the German general staff
deliberately planned to ruin France,
economically and industrially, by
Wanton destruction in the occupied
portions Of the country.
Lieut.. Mfchaux's Address
The guest of honor, Lieutenan.
Michaux, was then introduced. and
held his audience throughout his in
teresting and instructive address,
which was as follows:
"Gentlemen-It is a great honor to
nave to address such competent
body OF men on the subject of France
after the war, and | feel weighed
down by the sense Of the occasion.
Now that victory has been reached
by the allies we are not going to sit
down and be content to dream of our
glory, and to weep over the tombs of
our heroes. In the words of your
great poet Longfellow, Let us then
&c up and doing. with heart for any
fate the work facing us is immense.
but it is not beyond our strength; our
experience, our intelligence, and our
determination are fully equal 20 the
task; what we need is certain mater
ials and machinery which we have not
got, and ships; because our ship
yards had to be transformed into ar.
senals to make guns and amnuni-
lions, not only for ourselves, but also
for our allies. The danger was great
and pressing, and France, who had
to carry most OF the burden at that
time could not think of the future.
Her ships were being sunk rapidly,
and she had no chance Of rebuilding
her merchant fleet. This is where
you can all help France; this is
where you can help her to realize tho
enormous assets which she still owns
in spite Of German destruction. and
1t Is In this way that she will begin
to produce in much less time, and
pay off her debts much more quickly
than would have been possible II she
were left unassisted.
frances Gigantic Loss
Remember that France he's lost
for the common cause, the productive
Part Of nearly two and half millions
OF her best men killed, mutilated and
for work, and that II
the United States had the same per-
centage Of losses in men, they would
have: In killed 3,S5O,OO0, and uerma
nently incapacitated 2,75OOOO a total
Of 100000.
Il will not fatigue you with mass
Of statistics; you read every day in
the papers how many billions France
has actually disbursed for the war;
you are told how many billions OF
iamage Germany has done in France;
how many are due to destruction OF
buildings, how many to destruction
Of industries and mines; how much to
mpoverishment and tearing up of the
soil. etc.
Now, here, ! want to make one
point especially clear, and to insist
On 1t most particularly. The destruc-
lion done in France was not the mere
fortune of war; it was the deliberate
plan of the German nation worked
cut by the German general staff as its
instrument. Only the other day, 1t
IS reported by your press, Germans
we're heard boasting that no matter
what peace was made, France is
ruined economically and induslrially
or fifteen years at least. That was
heir idea, and they did their best
oward that end; fortunately, they
made little miscalculation as they
ave often done before. No; France |
S not ruined for the next fifteen !
ears, but she is very hard hit, and !
he needs her friends to give her a {
lelping hand.
Interesting Document
ION that subject, very interesting /