S3
jUnder The Camouflage!
INTIMATE WAR EXPERIENCES AND
OBSERVATIONS OF
LOWELL MELLET
(United Press Staff Correspondent*
LONDON, Jan. 15.—“If thine eye be
single thy whole body shall be full of
light.”
Spencer Wilkinson, Professor of war
at Oxford, says the greatest attribute
a' war leader can have is the single
eye. I met such a man today. Vice
Admiral Sir Rosslyn Wemyss, Sir
John Jellicoe’s successor as first sea
lord.
By his singleness of vision, I do not
refer to the monocle that figures so
prominently in all his youthful-look
ing portraits, but to the quality that
Prof. Wilkinson had in mind. It came
out as Sir Rosslyn explained the justi
fication for the general belief that he
proposes to recognize youth in the
British navy to a greater extent per
haps than ever before has been the
case.
It is intended, he said in effect, to
recognize youth—no matter how old
in years the possessor of youth may
lie. |
“Give youth a chance,” he said, is
apt to become a parrot cry and now
is no time to pay attention to par
rots, not even to patriotic parrots.
But young men are needed, young men
of thirty, forty, fifty or sixty.
In peace time the rule of seniority,
in the new first sea lord’s opinion, is
a good one; it has given the British*
navy splendid leaders and helped to
„ i
build up a wonderful organization
Time of war changes conditions. Men
wear out. He gave me some idea of
the terrific strain imposed on men in
the service. Whether a man lasts out
the strain and continues capable of
his own best efforts is apt to depend
on hidden qualities unsuspected in
peace time even by the man himself.
Physical, moral and mental attributes
all are put to the test by war.
Those who prove equal to the
strain, that is to say those who remain
young, are the men who must handle
the work.
Beyond this it is the first sea lord's
purpose to make certain that every
man in the service finds the right
billet, as far as war's acid test indi
cates the way. No effort will be
spared to prevent the hiding of real
talent. The rule of seniority will not
be a barrier.
Meeting the new first sea lord was
rather an interesting experience.
“Greatest interest here Weymss' per
sonality. Mail character sketch anec
dotes, etc.,” said a cablegram from
New York. Ransacking newspaper
libraries revealed that all the real in
formation that had been printed con
cerning Weymss could be told in a
couple of paragraphs?
1 ■- 1 111..—..
An effort was made through the
customary channels to obtain an in
terview with the subject himself. It
was a complete faiure. 1 bethough me
of Col. -. Sure, he knew him,
he said; knew him in Scotland w-hen
a boy, went to school w-ith him, seen
a lot of him since.
"Let's see,” the Colonel went on,
"why, hang it all, there aren't any
stories about Rosie!"
1’ried my way into the presence of
Sir Rosslyn's private secretary. He
rummaged around in his memory
awhile and gave up the job. Said he
knew a mafl who would certainly know
all there was to know about the man
of mystery, however. Introduced to
Admiral -.
“Yes, I know him, known him a
long time,” said the admiral. “We
used to boat-race together. He — he
— well, really, there isn't anything!"
He asked me to wait a minute, went
out, returned and led me down the
hall. Stopping outside a door, he said,
“Now you can stop inside here just
five minutes—no more. The man I’ll
introduce to you knows Sir Rosslyn
better than anybody else.”
The man he introduced to me was
a naval officer of slightly less than
medium height, sturdily built. Above
a humorous smile, he wore a mon
ocle. If it hadn’t been for the single
eyeglass, I should not have recognized
him as the first sea lord. His por
traits do him an injustice^ From
them one gets chiefly the impression
of smooth, un worried youthfulness;
but from the man himself the first
impression obtained and the one that
remains with you is that of forceful
ness, a reserved yet commanding
strength.
When I recounted the trouble I’d
had penetrating the camouflage about
him, he seemed to enjoy it, but re
marked, "You w-ouldn’t put that down
to extraordinary cleverness on my
part, would you?”
“Really,” he said, “there isn’t much
you can tell about me. I’ve been
lucky, that’s all.”
And he insisted on letting it go at
that. Before the meager five min
utes had elapsed, however, he had
given me his views on youth and seni
ority, a subject productive of more
newspaper editorials and discussion by
naval experts than perhaps any other
one thing in recent months.
Everything else about him has been
told. The fact that his mother was
tlie granddaughter of William IV and
the beautiful Mrs. Jordan; that it was
at Wemvss Castle, adjoining Sir
Douglas Haig's estate in Scotland,
where Mary. Queen of Soots, met and:
fell In love with Darnley, whom she j
married a few months later. That he
entered the navy when 13 and pro
gressed steadily until the debarka
tion of the troops from Gallipoli found
him in charge of the naval end of it,
as a roar admiral, and managing that
incredibly hazardous enterprise as
smoothly as though it were all in the
day’s routine.
--♦-:
i
- j
Germany continues to carry on the
war, not because she believes she
can obtain a military decision at the
front, but because she hopes to win
a victory against the morale of the
civil population behind the front. Her
chance of a military decision slipped
out of her hands long ago. In 1914,
when she set a rear guard of reserv
ists at her back door on the Russian
front, and hurled the flower of her
army against France, Germany be
lieved she had a firm grip upon that
w'orld victory which was to be the
frill Hon of fnrtu uoora of nmnn »n tinn •
hut Joffre pried the Prussian fingers
loose at the Marne, and at Verdun and
the Somme the French and British
tore the coveted victory entirely from
her grasp. From those days to these
the German general staff have known
that their dream of a military victory
has passed into the realm of things
that might have been.
The impossibility of a German vic
tory—German threats of a great
spring offensive notwithstanding—be
comes clear if we look at a few sim
ple facts. Thus, when the allies
hurled the German army back at the
Marne, France had 1,500,000 men in
the fighting line and England a scant
100,000. Such forces as they had
were outnumbered in the ratio of
five to three; and they were outranged
in artillery and outnumbered and out
watched in all the things that go to
make up military equipment.
, Since the Marne, the French army
at the front has grown from 1,500,000
to 3,000.000 and the British army from
100.000 to 2,500,000. In 1914, the
United States was a spectator of the
conflict; but by the time the great
. German offensive (should it ever
come off) is in full swing we shall
have several hundred thousand men
j at the front. In 1914, Germany had a
i potential army of 9.500.000 men—to
i , .......
i i.itijr t wiie-iitiu ui Liicti uuiiiuer iicta uemi
killed, captured, permanently crip
pled or is dead from natural causes,
with the result that, on the western
front, the numerical superiority has
passed from Germany to the allies,
| who can oppose over 6,000,000 men to
j a maximum of 4,500,000 German
troops. In the matter of artillery there
i is an equal preponderance on the al
lied side. Last, and by no means least
important, is the fact that what is left
of the German army contains a far
larger proportion than the allied
armies of men who, by reason of age
and immature youth, are ill suited to
stand the terrific strain of modern
warfare. Nor should we in this com
parison forget that while in the Ger
man army there has been a noticeable
decline in morale, due to the pinch of
want and the sickness of heart which
come from endless promises that are
unfulfilled, the morale of the allied
armies, who are well fed, steadily in
creasing in strength, and cheered by
some eighteen months of all but un
broken victories from the Swiss bor
der to the North sea, in uniformly good.
But if Germany despairs of a great
military decision in the field, why doe3
she continue, to fight? She must be
well aware that the prolongation of
the brutal war which she is waging
deepens the resentment against her,
and will make more hard the terms to
which she must subscribe when she is
forced to admit that she has lost the
war.
The answer to this question is to
be found in the notable successes
which Germany has won in that field
of conflict back ot the front, where
she is a far more skilled antagonist
than she has ever been in the sphere
of military operations. We refer, of
course, to that world-wide war—secret,
subtle, deadly and enormously effec
tive, which she is ceaselessly waging
among the civilian populations back
of the military fighting lines of the
allies. Here she has won victories
I
more complete, of greater significance,
and with Infinitely more disastrous
consequence to her enemies than any -
which she has ' won in the field Wit
ness the complete collapse'of Russia
and the partial collapse, in the fail of
last year, of the hitherto indomitable
Italian armies.
Germany’s hope of victory lies In;'
the w ai behind the front—a war|
which in its secrecy and cunning Is as|
deadly and difficult to deal with as the
sub-sea piracy of the German U-boats j
It was after Germany realized that
she could never win on the sea and
in the open that she struck below the,
sea and in the dark. So, realizing'
that she can never conquer with the
sword, she seeks to win out against
the non-combatant population ny!
means of the subtle suggestion of
failure, the secret whisperings of dis
affection, the little spark of rumor
which runs through men's minds like
fire through dry stubble, to say noth
ing of the deliberate lie, craftily con
ceived, Cunningly camouflaged, and
whispered by a thousand trusted spies
into ten thousand listening ears.
[m carrying on this war there is no ■
weapon, however small, that Is so !n
! gnilicunt as to be overlooked by the
German propagandist; there is no in
flucnee which can have the slightest
effect upon the morale of the people
thd is considered too small for the
patient, tireless effort of these soldiers
of secrecy in our midst, whose effi
ciency increases in the ratio of their
modesty and apparent insignificance.
Many are the current phrases which
have originated in the secret text
books of the German secret service:
“Peace without annexation or indem
nities" (a peace w'hich involves no
acknowledgement of moral guilt by
the vanquished). “The war is a stale
mate” (which suggests that Germany
is so strong that she can never be
beaten). “Look at the map” (sug
gesting that Germany has won, and!
ignoring the fact that her man power j
has decreased in the proportion in
which her boundaries have extended).
"Peace without victory" (the most in
sidious phrase of all; for peace with
out confession of military defeat
would be acclaimed by Germany as a
peace won by German force of arms.
It is a fact that the majority of peo
ple in this world never grow up, and
that only a small minority develop
(hat mental growth, that sense of
proportion, which enables them to
take a broad view of such far-reaching
questions as are involved in this world
war. Most people are intelligently j
concerned only with the things which
are close at hand and readily obvious. |
They look, as it were, through a knot
hole instead of using the sixtydegree;
angle of vision which every intelligent j
man ought to have; ana consequently;
such people, and it Is the great ma -
jority, are peculiarly sensitive to the
suggestions of a propaganda which1
is as subtle and difficult to detect as J
\ it is all-pervading and pernicious. The
large majority of the rumors of dis
| aster to our troops; of discomforts.
I sicknesses, and deaths In the canton
ments; of delays, disorganization, and
even of graft in the great war indus
tries are of enemy origin. And the
, pity of it all is that, unconsciously.
I there are thousands of well-meaning
citizens who, because they have an
ill-regulated appetite for the scanda
lous and the shocking, assist this en
emy propaganda by repeating the en
emy rumors, too often with embellish
ments of their own.
I Without shutting his eyes to defects
or foregoing his inalienable right to
crtieisin, it is the duty of every citizen
to cultivate in these times a stress
of spirit of healthy optimism.
I “Thoughts are things.” A lie persist
I ently repeated and idly passed on,
even though we believe it to be a lie,
begins, by virtue of Its constant reiter.
ation, to take on in our minds a color >
of truth.
Therefore, it is the duty of every
[ patriot among us, whenever he stum
bles upon one of these calamity howl
j ers, to ask him at once his authority,
and bring it sharply to his mind, that,
whether he intends to or not, he is ac
tively aiding the enemy in his attempt
to shatter the morale of the civilian
population back of the fighting line.—
Scientific Amercian.
-♦
NOTICE
Gy order of the Attorney General
of the United States:
AH Germans who have not taken
out their full citizenship papers must
report to the postmaster between tha
dates of March 18th and 23rd and be
registered.
Aliens will give strict attention to
this notice as any alien who fails to
register will be prosecuted.
F. R. BRENNEMAN,
tt U. S. Marshal.
ORDINANCE NO. 56.
Co select judges for and hold an elec
tion. for selection of candidates for
territorial offices and delegate to
congress from Alaska.
Be it ordained by the Common Coun.
ul of the Town of Cordova, Alaska:
Section 1. That a primary election
n accordance with Chapter 48, Ses
sion Laws of Alaska, 1917, be held in
he Town of Cordova, Alaska, between
he hours of 8 o'clock a. m. and 7
>'clock p m. on Tuesday, April 30,
918.
Section 2. That the polling places for
said election shall be the second floor
)f the City Hall on Second Avenue, ill
said Cordova.
Section 3. That the Judges of said
ilectlon shall be C. S. Bretton, Ben
Dsborne and F. H. Foster; and the
Clerks of said election shall be H. B.
Working and C. M. Rosswog.
This ordinance shall be published
Mice in the Cordova Daily Times, and
ihall become effective and in force on
md after the date of its passage.
Introduced, March 18, 1918.
Rules suspended. March 18, 1918.
Approved, March 13, 1918.
(Town Seal)
W. H. CHASE.
Attest: Mayor.
EDWARD F. MEDLEY,
Clerk.
NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that a gen
eral municipal election will be held
in the town hall at Cordova, Alaska,
r>n Tuesday, April 2, 1918. Polls will
be open between the hours of 8 a. m.
and 8 p. m. There will be selected by
the votes of the qualified electors of
said Cordova, seven councilmen and a
clerk of the school Board, and a refer
endum will be taken on an ordinance
adopted by the town council granting
the Cordova Power Company, its suc
cessors and assigns, a franchise to
operate a steam-heating plant in said
town.
The qualifications of a voter for
councilman are as follows: He or she
shall be a citizen of the United States,
or one who has declared his or her
intention to become a citizen of the
United States, over 21 years of age,
who has resided continuously one year
next preceding the date of said elec
tion within the territory of Alaska
and in the town of Cordova for the
-<ix months next preceding the date ol
said election.
All adults, male and female, who arc
citizens of the United States, or whi
have declared their intention to be
come citizens of the United States
and who are residents of the town o
Cordova, are qualified to vote for the
'lock of the school board.
EDWARD F. MEDLEY,
Town Clerk.
ORDER SETTING TIME FOR HEAR
ING PETITION AND GIVING
NOTICE
In the District Court for the Territory
of Alaska, Third Division.—In the
Matter of the Alteration of the
boundaries of, the enbirgen'ent or
the corporate units of and the an
nexation of new territory to the
town of Cordova, Alaska, incor
porated.
A petition having thiR day been pre
sented to the above entitled court for
the purpose of instituting proceedings
resuired by law for the annexation of
territory, therein described, to the 'n
eorporatod town of Cordova, Alaska;
and it appearing to the court that said
petition is signed by enough qualified
electors of said town to constitute
more than one-fifth of the number of
votes cast at the last municipal elec
tlon held in said town, and by more
than five actual residents or owners of
substantial property interests in land
or possessory rights in land or tide land
or improvements upon land or tide
land within the limits of the territory
so proposed to be annexed and in
corporated within the limits of the cor
porate town of Cordova aforesaid,
said petition setting forth the boundar
ies of the territory so proposed to be
annexed to said town, and being veri
fied by two of the signers of said peti
tion, and having attached thereto a
plat based upon an actual survey by a
competent surveyor, setting forth the
limits and boundaries thereof by metes
and bounds, and stating the number of
inhabitants therein;
Now, therefore, It appearing to the
court that said petition is in the form
and substance required by law.
It Is ordered and decreed that said
petition be heard and considered by
the court on the 15th day of April.
1918, at 10 o’clock a. m. of said day. at
the court room of this court in either
Valdez, Alaska, or said Cordova, if said
day be a day of jurisdiction in said
court, or if the same be not a day or'
jurisdiction, then said hearing shall
! be held on the first day of jurisdiction
thereafter. It is further ordered that
notice of such hearing be given by
, posting printed or typewritten copies
! of this order in three conspicuous
, places within the limits of the cor
\ porate town of Cordova, Alaska, and
by posting such copies in three con
spicuous places within the limits of
the territory so proposed to be an
nexed to and incorporated within th
! limits of said town of Cordova, and
j by publishing a copy of this order for
four consecutive weeks in the Cordova
Daily Times, a daily newspaper of gen
i eral circulation published in said town
! of Cordova, such publication to be
; made in said newspaper once each
} week until five publications have been
.1 hiade.
| Dated at Cordova, Alaska, this 11th
day of March, 1918.
FRED M. BROWN,
District Judge,
j March 12-18-25-Apr. 1-8.
g§
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TI §H
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F. A. Jones, Proprietor
™ -- - ----- -- - - --
|f 1
First Avenue Below Alaskan Hotel II
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