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Show ( ( Released by bj WcHern Wcstern Newtpapcr Newspaper Union UnionCAISSONS I ICAISSONS CAISSONS ROLL ALONG ALONGIN ALONGIN ALONGIN IN A NEW TEMPOAS TEMPOAS TEMPO TEMPOAS AS I SIT AT THE THD WINDOW of the theroom theroom throom room in which I Write and watch watc : ' ' the caissons go rolling rollmg along at atsome atsome asome some 40 miles an hour it causes me meto meto mto to think thmk of the changed tempo of ofwar ofwar owar war since the days in the 90s 905 when whenI wheI ] I was engaged m in and knew some sometlimg something somtthing tlimg thing of sold ermgIn eyingIn enng ermg eying enngIn In those days and in tact fact , , , on onthrough onthrough o ; through much of World War I the thecaIssons thecaissons thcaissons caIssons went rolling rollmg along at about aboutfour aboutfour aboutour four miles per hour the speed of ot a aSIX asix .six six . SIX mule team when being bemg urged urgedby urgedby urgeiby by a husky mule skmnerIn skinnerIn skinner skmner skinnerIn In those days the cannoneers rode rodethe rodethe rodthe the caissons with iron rlII1med rimmed rimmedwheels rimrneiwheels I Iwheels wheels and took all the jolts of the thehlghways thehighways thhighways hlghways highways and battlefields War inl inlthose in inthose Sithose those days was a slow leisurely op operatIon operation oreration eratIon that could be bloody when whenone whe ; I Ione one really got into mto it but you could couldnot couldnot coulinot , not get m-or m or in-or in m - - or out-so out so out - - so quicklyThe quickly quicklyThe The doughboys walked and thelI their theirspeed theispeed ' speed was not more than 10 miles milesa milea a day An enemy encmy 100 miles away awaycould awaycould awa : could not reasonably be expected to toattack toattack tattack attack within less than 10 days and andthat andthat amthat that allowed time tlme tor for preparation preparationYes Yes the doughboy walked and andcarrIed andcarried amcarried carrIed bis hIs equipment on his back backAside backAside backAside Aside from the field and staff stafl : am offi amcers officars officers cers cars about the only things that en enjoyed enjoyed ecjoyed joyed the luxury of transportatIon- transportatIon transportatIonother transportationother transportation-other transportation other - - other than shank s mares-were mares were mares - were the thecompany thecompany thicompany company pots and pans in whIch whIchwere whichwere whicwere ] were cooked the beans the sow belly bellyand bellyand bell : and coffee which together wIth wIthhardtack withhardtack withardtack ] hardtack was what the comm ssary ssaryprovIded ssaryprovided ssar ; provIded providedDEATH DEATH .eVERYWHERESETTING EVERYWHERESETTING . EVERYWHERE .eVERYWHERE EVERYWHERESETTING SETTING UP EXERCISES were werenot werenot wennot not prescribed tor for troops on cam campa campa campa pa gn The soldier got all the exer exerrise exercise rise lse he could take care ol of wIthout wIthoutany withoutany withouany any of a prescribed kind He dId dIdnot didnot di dinot < not need a lullaby or a crooner to toput toput tiput put him hlID to sleep at night He seldom seldomwaited seldomwaited seldonwaited waited tor for taps but was asleep asleepat asleeat ] at the earliest earhest opportunity and andawakened andawakened anawakened ( awakened only to cuss the bugler buglerfor buglerfor bugletor ] for blo ving vmg reveilleWashmgton reveilleWashington reveille reveilleWashington Washington Washmgton Napoleon Wellmgton Wellington WellmgtonBIsmarck WellingtonBismarck WellingtonBismarck BIsmarck Grant , , , Lee Pershmg Pershing PershmgFoch PershingFoch PershmgFoch Foch and Ha g commanded slo v ar armles armies arroies mles mies as compared with the speed of oftoday oftoday otoday today In those old days you looke looked lookedfor lookedfor lookefor < for death only on the ground You Youwould Youwould Yoiwould would get behind behmd a shield but you youdid youdid yoidid did not also have to get under one oneToday oneToday oneToday Today death comes on the ground groundfrom groundfrom groundfrom from beneath the ground and from fromthe fromthe Ironthe the skIesAs skiesAs skies skiesAs As I watch the caissons go rollmg rolling rollmgalong rollingalong rolluialong | along on rubber tires bres at 40 mile mIles mIlesan milesan : an hour I realize the speed ol of war wartoday wartoday wa : today and the need of o1 youth to tomamtam tomaintain timaintain mamtam maintain that speed I do not ques quest t on the worthiness ol of our cause causedo I Ido Ido do quest on the necessity of war in ingeneral ingeneral ilgeneral general I question the necessity necesslty of ofdestructIon ofdestruction odestruction destructIon as a means of attemptmg attemptmg attempt mg to settle dIsputes I gloryI But at sold er age I saw glory gloryand gloryand and romance and adventure in m the thetramp thetramp thetramp tramp tramp tramp of the dough doughboy doughboy doughboy boy in m the clatter of the iron shod shodwheels shodwheels shodwheels wheels of the caissons in the pound pounding pounding pounding ing of hoofs of the cavalry horses horsesThe horsesThe horsesThe The young men ol of today see the thesame thesame thesame same things thmgs in m the roll of the rubber rubbert t red wheels of the great guns and andtrucks andtrucks andtrucks trucks in which they ride tn In the theclank theclank theclank clank of the tanks and the whirr whlrr of ofthe ofthe otthe the airplane propellers We can be bethankful bethankful bethankful thankful that when we must fight- fight fightas fightas fight fightas - - as in m this case we must-we must we must - we have haveyouth haveyouth haveyouth youth that sees these th ngs rigs in the thesame thesame thesame same way the r fathers grand grandfathers grandfathers grandfathers fathers and great grandfathers saw sawthem sawthem sawthem them m in days that are goneThe goneThe gone goneThe The caissons caissous are roll ng along to toeventual toeventual toeventual eventual victory because of the val valor valor valor or of our American Amcncan youth . . . AN AMERICAN Al\IEICAro Al IEICAro AME1'ICAN AME1ICAN \ [ , ' . LEADER LEADIR- LEADIR LEADER- LEADIRAND LEADERAND LEADERAND : - - AND A SOD IOUSEIN HOUSE HOUSI IOUSE HOUSEIN ( : IN THE THr : EARLY 1890s l890s 18905 sod houscs houses houscswere houseswere houseswere were not unusual unu&ual unuual & on the pla pIa ns of ofwestern ofwestern ofwestern western Nebraska They were werehouses werehouses werehouses houses v ; with Ith d rt floors d rt walls wallsand wallsand wallsand and dirt ce cc ImgsIn lingsIn lings Imgs lingsIn In one such house a man child was wasbord wasboric wasborrf bord boric bordof boricof ot of a p oncer oneer mother I cannot cannottell cannottell cannottell tell you his name for to do so would wouldbe wouldbe wouldbe be breaking a confidence Today he heIS heis heis IS one of America Amerlca s lead ng econo economists economists economists mists occupi OCCUP occupy ) ng an important III1portant place placem placein placein m in American 1 1 feAt feAt fe feAt At the age ot of s x he began attend attending attending attending ing school for five months each eacb year yearHIS yearHis yearHis HIS school was a one room alIalr affair alIalrpresIded affairpresided affairpresided presIded over by a young woman womanwho womanwho womanwho who taught only the three R s He Hewanted Hewanted Hewanted wanted knowledge and he purchased purchasedit It for h mself working workmg h sway swaythrough s way waythrough waythrough through college and majoring maJormg in m eco ceo economlcs ceonomics cconomics nomlcs nomics that he m ght find out v.hat vhat what v.hatmade whatmade . whatmade made America tick tJck He improved improvedthe Improvedthe improvedthe the opportunity America offered offeredand offeredand offeredand and today is mak ng every poss pass ble tile bleelIort tileeffort bleeflort elIort effort to ma nta n that opportun ty tyfor tyfor tyfor for America s boys and rl rli g rlthe rls-the rls the rlstheAmerican > -the the - theAmencan theAmerican Amencan American way of at life . * . . SIXTY MILES AN HOUR and andburn andburn andburn burn them up upl ! We WIlnever willnever will WIl ! never mlSS miss mlSSthe missthe missthe the rubber until 1mbl our tires wear outBuy outBuy out . . -Buy Buy - Buy Defense onds- onds Bonds- Bonds BondsDEBTS Bonds BondsDEBTS ondsDIBTS - DEBTS DIBTS : BORROWI'lG BORROWIlG BORROWING BORROWI'lGAND BORROWINGAND BORROWINGAND ' AND BANKRUPTCY BANKRUPTCYON ON DECEMBER DrCrMBER : : 15 1941 the fed federal federal federal eral government debt w \ was as $56 56 $56731000 56731000 $ 731 000 000 On December 12 the fed federa federa fedoral era 1 ) governments government s gold borrowings borrowmgs borrowingsan borrowmgsan -an an - an obi gallon gatlon gation ot of the government government- governmentamounted governmentamounted governmentamounted - - amounted to $20 20 $ 55 551 ! 000 000 The Thebonded Thebonded Thebonded bonded indebtedness mdcbtedness of the local and andstate andstate andstate state governments of all states was was$20 was20 $20246000000 20246000000 $20 20 $ 246 000 000 That adds up to $97 97 $07 07 $ S97528 528 000 000To 000To 000 000To To that w 11 II be added i 1 t ew ow bonds bondsto bondsto to amountingto pay for war expenses amounting to 125 bill on dollars bring brmg ng the thetotal thetotal thetotal total to $222 222 $ 528 526 000 000 |