tween the United States and the Imperial German Government which has thus been thrust upon the United States is hereby formally declared; and that the President be, and he is thereby, authorized and directed to employ the entire naval and military forces of the United States and the resources of the Government to carry on war against the Imperial German Government; and to bring the conflict to a successful termination all of the resources of the country are hereby pledged by the Congress of the United States. CHAMP CLARK, Approved 6 April, 1917. WOODROW WILSON. The vote in Congress was not unanimous. In the House 373 voted for war and 50 opposed the resolution; in the Senate the vote was 80 to 6. However, on a test vote of loyalty within ten days vast appropriations were provided without a dissenting vote. Only twelve members were shown in opposition, and they refrained from voting. Nearly fifty members who for reasons of conscience had opposed the resolution of April 6 put themselves on record as unquestioned supporters of the government after the irrevocable step had been taken. War Preparations. For more than two years the demand had been growing for universal military training, but quite regardless of the seeming necessity for preparedness the nation had taken practically no action. Volunteer training camps were established for a month in 1916 in several locations and thousands of young men joined them. This was not done with the avowed object of war preparation, but was a response to the national urge that Americans should learn the arts of war. With the declaration of a state of war existing the total unpreparedness of the nation was everywhere evident. It was at first believed that few, if any, soldiers would be sent to the battle fields of Europe; the United States proposed to help the allies with money, food, clothing and munitions of war. However, there was an immediate call for volunteers to fill the quota of the regular army, navy and marine corps, and to bring the national guards of the states to full strength. Within about three months over a million volunteers had responded to the call. Selective Draft. Before this had been accomplished it became evident that the allies must have American man power in Europe, and Congress, after much debate, passed a con scription, or selective draft, law, calling to the service of the nation all men fit for duty between the ages of twenty-one and thirty (to the thirty-first birthday). The popular acceptance of this law was astonishing. There were those who protested loudly against such a departure from American precedents, but the protests were lost in the great patriotic response to the demand of the law for registration for service. Almost 10,000,000 young men registered on June 5. Not all of these could the government expect to call to arms; the question of exemption for cause, however, had nothing to do with the unqualified duty of enrolment. In every registration district those enrolled were numbered, and through a drawing in Washington it was determined who should first present themselves before examining boards. On September 2 a half million of those accepted were called to training camps, and they became at once soldiers of the United States. It is worthy of record that the selected men smashed every tradition which has clung to the word conscript; they accepted service and went to their posts in a spirit of high patriotism and with every evidence of good will. The "slackers" and the reluctant were scarcely in evidence. (See map, page 6178.) The Navy at Work. Immediately following the beginning of the war the United States navy was actively engaged, in union with Great Britain and France. The submarine menace hung over the world, and it became America's duty to assist in the hunt for the elusive undersea enemy. In May announcement was made that numerous vessels of the navy were in Eastern Atlantic waters, under command of Rear-Admiral Sims, where they joined a British squadron. The number of vessels so engaged was known only to the government. The larger vessels of the navy, in various units, were placed on patrol duty near American waters, relieving French and British ships that had held a western watch for three years. Soldiers in Europe. In July the arrival of the first contingent of American troops in England and France was announced from Washington. They were under the command of John J. Pershing, who sailed with the rank of majorgeneral but was at once raised to the rank of general, for the period of the war. Second in command was Major-General Sibert, but he was later recalled to America. The submarine peril made it inexpedient to disclose transport operations. The Secretary of War announced WAR OF THE NATIONS the construction and operation of the largest fleet of air craft possessed by any nation. Numerous training camps were established for instruction of aviators, and great factories were given over exclusively to the building of machines. The most significant feature of this war enterprise, after the very generous appropriation which disclosed the earnestness of the nation, was the development of the new "Liberty motor" by American engineers, referred to on page 6168. According to a German official report the first prisoners from the United States forces were taken before daylight on Nov. 3, along the RhineMarne Canal, which crosses the battlefield 25 miles east of Nancy, as shown by arrow. the Marne River, where on November 3 the first Americans, three in number, were killed in a surprise night attack. Five Americans were wounded and twelve were taken prisoner-the first casualty list of United States troops in action. By the spring of 1918 it was believed that America would have more than 8,000 machines and not fewer than 10,000 aviators in Europe. Late in the autumn of 1917 Germany announced greater activity in airship building, to meet the threatened American and allied plans for a monster offensive in the air. The Staggering Cost in Money. On page 6136 a table is printed which summarizes the world's expenditures for previous wars. All other conflicts seem but inexpensive incidents when compared with the sums swallowed up in the War of the Nations. On April 17, 1917, without a dissenting vote in either house, Congress appropriated $7,000,000,000 for war purposes-more than twice the cost of the War of Secession; this was the largest single war loan ever attempted by any government; $3,000,000,000 of that sum it was proposed to loan to America's European allies. The Washington government was spending early in 1918 $24,500,000 each day, including loans to the allies; the daily total was rapidly increasing, and it was believed that the yearly cost of the war would require $25,000,000,000. This represents more than Great Britain had expended in the first three years of the conflict, and is explainable on the ground that in no department was the country prepared for even a small war, such as the situation in Mexico threatened, for instance, and that into a few months there had to be crowded the ordinary activity of years of planning, organizing and manufacturing. Every possible means was put into law to raise the vast sums required. The income taxes were increased, and exemptions were lowered. No single person with an income exceeding $1,000 and no married man receiving over $2,000 yearly escaped taxation of two per cent. Above $4,000 incomes the tax rapidly increased; the man with a yearly income of $1,000,000 was compelled to give almost one-half. In addition, postage rates were increased; taxes were levied upon freight rates, upon telegrams, new insurance, and many Preparations for War in the Air. The War of the Nations developed new and startling devices of offense and defense. The most feared of these were the improved and enlarged submarines; the most spectacular and one of the most valuable was the flying machine. Before the United States had been a member of the entente alliance two months it was demonstrated to the satisfaction of government officials that supremacy in the air might decide the European contest. The allies were fast reaching a decided superiority over the Germans in this department; in order that the supremacy might be overwhelming the United States was urged to build a vast fleet of machines for air fighting. Accordingly, in July, 1917, Congress appropriated $640,000,000 for The black area represents the territorial strength of the Germanic powers at the end of 1917. Their gains include a rich section of France, almost all of Belgium, Serbia, Montenegro, a part of Greece, the richest part of Rumania and a large section of Poland. Against such intrenchment of power the United States and its allies must contend. other items. Another means of raising money was by the sale of government bonds, popularly designated as "Liberty bonds" (see below). Government Bond Issues. In the third month of American participation in the war the government offered for sale a bond issue of $2,000,000,000, payable in thirty years, bearing interest at three and one-half per cent and not taxable. The sale closed June 25, and the issue was more than fifty per cent oversubscribed; $3200,000,000 worth of bonds was sold. In October the second "Liberty loan" was called for, and the interest rate was fixed at four per cent; these bonds were taxable. The minimum amount asked was $3,000,000,000, and it, too, was fully subscribed, with an excess of nearly $2,000,000,000. A feature of the second loan was the increased number of small investors, many of whom had not been convinced previously of the desirability of bonds as an investment and as a means of saving money. A third sale of bonds was announced for the spring of 1918. Other War Preparations. At once following the vote declaring the existence of a state of war a council of National Defense was named, comprising six members of the Cabinet; these were the Secretaries of War, Navy, Agriculture, Interior, Labor and Commerce. Seven civilians and a general director, eminent in their fields of science and industry, were named as an advisory council, and they assumed committee chairmanships, as follows: Julius Rosenwald, supplies. Bernard M. Baruch, raw material, minerals and metals. Daniel Willard, transportation and communication. |