The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-11-12
.hich must not be allowed to happen

which must not be allowed to happen
again.
He then told of his experience in get
ting into. the Yankee division, of trying
to get permission from Secretary Baker
TO 90 overseas and of how he finaIIv So
cured his passports without the consent
of the war department. He said his
main trouble in France was the censor
and because most of the censors chosen
were brainless and he cited some of the
examples of their work. He was not al
| lowed to send over any news from the
| front in which a man involved might
| become casual. The reason for this.
| he declared, was because the war depart-
ment was afraid the people would learn
| from the newspaper OF lnjul cs to their
| relatives, and the departm, at would
rather they would wait six or eight
weeks to receive the official news. This.
/ he said, showed that the censorship was
| to camouf1age the nations inefficiency.
The speaker paid high tribute to the
| Yankee division, saying 1t was the best
| in the American Expeditionary forces
| because it came from New England and
| had the very cream of New England
young men, and because it had the best
commander in the whole American army,
| General Edwards, and he was a human
being "a human being" he added
with stars on his shoulders in the army
is mighty rare bird.
The conditions as the boys found
| them when they returned to America
were touched upon, special reference be-
ing made to the strikes, talk of bolshe-
vism, red radicaliSm, communism and l.
w. W-ism; there was talk of nothing
but trouble. Let us not forget on Arm
| istice day, said the speaker, how thor
oughly convincing the facts are as to
the men who betrayed your trust" Sec
rotary Baker, in January, 1913, said in
an interview with the Associated Press
hat IN
erly equipped whereas the facts We're
that they did not have cannon, did not
have machine gunS-these were borrowed
from the French; they did not have
enough rifles, did not have enough
clothes, did not have enough shoes.
| Whole companies were obliged to stay
| in their barracks because their shoes
were worn out and they could not get
out. The men driving trucks were wear
| ing socks on their hands which had been
sent by the Red Cross.
In April the same year Secretary
Baker said, according to the speaker,
that every company sent over was
trained Here he told of one soldier who
did not know how to load a gun and
when asked by the commanding officer
| how he was trained over here, he replied
with n wooden gun" Another exam
| pie was cited of a man who enlisted
was trained. went overseas. went to
the various hospitals, including the CON
valescent, and was returned to America
for disability in 30 days from the time
he enlisted. At the close of the war.
said Mr. Sibley, Secretary Baker con
graduated the country that the casual
ties were only 1000 and that when his
attention was called to the fact that
there was an error he said there was
slight mistake, it should have been 3O0,-
900"
Comparison was made of the work of
two brigades, the 51st and 52d, in which
discrimination was shown against the
National Guard, and the speaker de-
clared that the men in charge of our
army had something in mind besides
winning the war-the political advan-
tage of their clique-and he added that
there were barrels of evidence to support
his statement
Mr.. Sibley spoke of the efforts at
Washington to secure the passage of
bill for compulsory military training and
that with its failure they now ask for
voluntary training He recommended
cry person should perform some duty
for the country before he or she could
become a citizen. the idea being to give
each citizen a sense of responsibility of
having earned his country.
In closing the speaker said: I'VE are
not going to forget France, we are not
going to forget the war, we are not GO
ing to forget the boys who did not come
back let US not forget the people who
betrayed us. 1t was their fault. but if
they ever betray us again it viii be our
fault
A military ball was held in Festival
hall from 9 to ! o'clock and was largely
attended. Music was furnished by Dav-
exports orchestra of 10 pieces.