The Bienville Democrat. [volume] (Arcadia, Bienville Parish, La.) 1912-1980, 1921-03-10

a. T.. r., anu WIZ liclu u poSitiou VI
great army business authority" In
Paris, broke loose In denunciati0n OF
the methods of the committee, and
punctuated what he said with ex.
pressiOns that were vigorous, to say
the least.
General Dawes said to some Of the
newspaper men that if he had not
used the vigorous language he did,
and thereby made "a good story" out
Of the proceedings, he would not have
been able to get the publicity for his
defense Of the conduct Of the A. E.
f. in France that was necessary to
set the matter right before the peO-
pie.
Now, what is written here, it Is at
tempted to write without prejudice,
but it can be said that every one of
the A. E. F. soldiers here with whom
| have talked feels about part of
General Dawes testimony just as Gen
eral Dawes feels.
long-Range Judgment Poor.
1t is true that a large part of the
American expeditionary forces per-
haps do not agree with everything
that General Dawes said In praise Of
high officers, but everything that the
witness did say about the necessity
of doing things in France in diff
ferent way than they were done in this
country during the war, the A. E. F..
men agree with. If a personal ref.
erence will be forgiven | was an A.
E. +. man myself, and while | am not
entirely in sympathy with everything
that General Dawes said about rank
ing officers, not at all in sympathy
with some of the methods of the teS-
timony giving, | am actually in SYM
pathy with General Dawes statement
that men who were not in France are
not able to judge at 5000 miles dis
lance of the absolute necessary ex-
pendtures of money which were made,
but which today seem to the men who
staid home to have been a foolish
waste of the peoples money.
When a country is at war its ef-
fort is to defeat the enemy, and not
to save money. The commanding Off
Ger of division that is attacked does
not sit down, pencil in hand, to see
whether he can afford to shoot shells
at Germans who are trying to kill him
and his followers. He shoots the
shells, ticks the foe-and then has to
come back to the United States to con-
front charges that he has used ammu-
milton that cost too much.
Yankee war Slc9dnS.
Having studied the reports which
have come in from all the divisions Of
the American army which served over
seas, Col. Edward L. MunsOn, chief Of
the morale branch of the general staff,
says that LETS Co. was the chief
battle slogan of Uncle Sans forces in
the World war.
This unquestionably is true, because
the same cry is constantly on the
tongues today of returned veterans
when something unusual in a personal
or a business way is before them to
do. The thoughts Of the men natural
ly turn back to the inspiriting motif
Of the hammering campaign against
the Hindenburg line.
In France during hOstilities one
heard the cry "Lets Go" constantly. II
was not always nor even frequently a
concerted regimental nor a company
cry. The men did not study things to
get effects out of them. The Lets
Go" was more or less conversational.
but 1t went through the billets or
down the lines like subdued machine
gun fire, and the heart spirit was back
of It.
When the men in France had a
realizing sense that something big was
to come at the time when the plans
were laid for driving the Germans out
Of the st. Mihiel salient, 1.-THE busy
whisper Let's Co first went circling
round" and then when assurance be-
came doubly assured that they were
in for big thing, the cry went into a
crescendO.
LETS Co. was the response Of Ma.
jor General Dickman's Marine division
the Third regulars, when after driving
the foe back over the historic stream
they had heard that other work, dead
ly and soul trying, was ahead. It was
the cry Of the men Of all divisions who
fought from the British front along
the line to Luneville in the foothills
Of the V0sges.
"Where Do We Go From Here?"
Colonel MunsOn has found that the
second slogan Of the American army
In France was the question cry,
"Where Do We Go From Here" It
was a far cry, but 90 they did, and
willingly.
"Where Do We Go From Here?'
was heard occasionally in America be-
fore the troops embarked, but 1t
reached the quality and the quantity
Of chorus when the men disem.
barked at Hayre, at Brest or at any
other French port. As soon as the
men were gathered on the landing
docks ready to move, "Nhere do we
go from here in unison, and occasion.
ally with the swing Of song, aroused
the curiosity Of the French bystand.
ers who, not understanding the words,
asked what they meant. When the
French soldiers learned the meaning
they quickly adopted them for their