America and Italia

IMPROVEMENT ERA Vol. XXII MAY. 1919 No. 7

A Tribute and a Warning By A. A. Ramsey er

Hundreds of years ago, when the Swiss republic was being formed, the Swiss had to fight against powerful adversaries, the noblemen living among and around them. But in those days of simple life, the Swiss never gave battle without first bending the knee and calling upon God for his almighty help which never failed. I am reminded of this when reflecting upon what happened in the United States Senate, just before the vote upon the war with Germany was taken. On April 4, 1917, there were plenty of enthusiastic speeches, thirty-one pages of the Congressional Record being filled with them. Senator Reed Smoot, of Utah, had prepared a speech, too, but as he was about to deliver it, he felt a change come upon him, and instead of making a speech, he merely said: "Mr. President, I arise to make this simple, but earnest appeal: "God bless and approve the action to be taken by the Senate this day. Oh, Father, preserve our Government, and hasten the day when liberty will be enjoyed by all the peoples of the earth." (Congressional Record, page 176.) This simple prayer, coming from the lips of an apostle of the Lord was not without avail, as we all now know. The vote was taken soon after; war was declared against Germany, and it has been won, with the succor of Almighty God. So unusual was the proceeding of Senator Smoot, in offering prayer before the Senate, that a hush fell upon the august assembly. The next day, Vice-president Marshall, meeting the Senator on his way to the hall, spoke his satisfaction upon the subject, and afterwards Mr. Smoot received letters from many parts of the country, and some even from Europe, congratulating him upon his appeal to Deity for the success of our righteous cause.

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On the following Monday, April 9, 1917, Senator James H. Lewis, of Illinois, said, in a speech on the War with Germany: "Sir, we beheld at the close of the debate on the solemn resolution the certificate to the world that this was a Christian country, when the eminent Senator from Utah (Mr. Smoot) brought the proceedings to a close by bowing his head in submision to the great Captain of us all, and breathed to his colleagues a prayer that the Father of our mercies and our destinies might guide us to where we would do no wrong. It was a courageous act. The only similar instance I know of in parliamentary history is when Lord Brougham, in the instance of Queen Caroline, knelt before the lords, tendering his invocation to God that they do justice. I likewise join in the prayer of that eminent Senator." (Congressional Record, page 560.) Now that the war has t>een won, and with the fact fresh in our minds that some seven million soldiers were actually trained in the United States for this mighty conflict, but few realize the gravity of the situation that confronted our legislators. Those well informed knew the formidable strength of our opponents, with all the odds in their favor; viz., veterans in large numbers, well protected positions, France bled white, England almost exhausted, the Atlantic between us and Germany, only a handful of trained U. S. Soldiers, no ammunition, no artillery, no rifles to speak of, for the vast hosts that were to be trained in our country. No wonder those who knew best were dubious, although their patriotism kept their lips sealed. True, our boys behaved magnificently in Chateau-Thierry, in St. Mihiel, in — the Argonne woods but what a period of dread elapsed between the declaration of war, on the 6th of April, 1917, and June, 1918 Our untrained boys to meet the seasoned shock-troops of militaristic Germany The thought was very troublesome to our leaders, !

both civil and military. Then there was the finances; how would the American people look upon loans of billions of dollars? Well, thanks to an overruling and kind Providence, everything succeeded beyond our expectations. The draft was a success from the beginning; the people subscribed with alacrity to the loans; the manufacturers transformed their plants in order to produce ammunition; rifles were made in record time; ships were found to transport our soldiers who arrived just in time to stop the enemy at Chateau-Thierry, turning what seemed to be a defeat and almost a rout into a grand victory ! Instead of retreats, advances were made, until the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918 brought the so much coveted peace by victory on the side of righteousness. Did not the blessing of the Lord, so earnestly invoked by Senator Smoot, bring about the wonderful unanimity of the American people, the unsurpassed industrial transformation, the