“WE WILL NEVER YIELD.”

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1867, 22 August 1918, Page 3

“WE WILL NEVER YIELD.”

M. CLEMENCEAU’S THRILLING ADDRESS. THE MEN WHO MAKE THE FATHERLAND. On 20th June, the following statement by M, Clemeneeau was issued in Paris: — When I accepted the Premiership I knew that 1 was called upon to bear the burden of the most critical period of the war. I have told you from the outset that we should pass together through difficult and exacting times and cruel hours. ’ These limes aft* coming, and the only question is whether we can stand them. When the defection of Russia came about, when men who believed that it: was only necessary to will peace in order to impose it upon the German Emperor had given up tboir country (unwittingly, I prefer to think) to the invaison of the enemy, who could believe (hen that a million German soldiers who had become available would not turn against ns ? This and more is what happened. For four years our effectives have been wearing themselves out, onr front was held by a lino of soldiers Which was becoming thinner and thinner, with our allies, who had suffered enormous losses, and now arrives a fresh mass of German divisions in good condition. Is there any one who does not realise that under the weight of this tremendous wave our lines had to give way at some points"/ The extent of their recoil became great and dangerous, I say nothing more, and there is nothing in that to shake the confidence which we should have in onr soldiers. To-day these men are engaged in the battle. Our men fought one against five, without sleep for three or four days together. These great soldiers have good leaders, great leaders who are worIhv of (hem in every way. I have seen these leaders at work, and some of them struck me with admiration. Is that saying that then* are nowhere mistakes’ 1 cannot maintain that. My business is precisely lo discover those mistakes and to punish them, and in (his I am supported by two groat soldiers mimed Each and I’elain. General Eoch enjoys to siieli a degree the confidence of the Allies that they wished that their unanimous confidence in him should be expressed in (he communique.

These men are at this moment fih 1 inl ho hardest battle of •the war with a heroism which 1 ('an lind no words to express. Il is my duly as leader of these men to punish them if they have not done their duty, hut also to protect them if thev are. unjustly attacked. The army is better than anything we could have expected from it and when 1 speak of the army I speak of those who compose it, of whatever rank and whatever grade they may he. But that is not enough. The men must, have faith and must die for their ideal if they wish to give ns victory. Their leaders also have come hack covered with wounds, when (hey do not remain like them on the Held of battle. We have yielded ground, much more ground limn we should Pave wished. There an 1 men who have paid for this retreat with (heir hlood. I know some who have accomplished acts of heroism like those Bretons who were surrounded in a wood all night and who next •lay found means of sending hv carrier pigeon a message to say: ‘Aon may come and lind us, We shall hold out for half a da\ yet.’' These men make Hie fatherland, these men continue il and prolong it, that fatherland without which no reform is possible. They die for an ideal, for a history which is the foremost among all the histories of civilised people. Be calm, confident, and determined to hold on to the end in this hard battle. The -victory is to you, because the Germans, who are not so intelligent as we an 1 told,, have only one method —namely, to throw their whole weight into the venture and to push it to the end. We saw them on the Yser.-al ’Verdun, near Amiens, near Dunkirk and Calais, and then in Champagne. They broke our lines, but did you think yon were going to make a war in which yon would never retreat'; The only thing (hat matters is final success. You have before you a Government which, as il told yon, did not enter into power over to accept surrender. So long as we are hero the fatherland will he defended to the death, and no force will he spared to obtain success. We will never yield. That is the word of command of our Government. We will never yield at any moment. The effectives of the belligerents are being exhausted, those of the Germans as well as our own, hut meanwhile the Americans are coming to play a hand in the deciding •game. Once more, the events in Russia gave our enemies a million additional men on the Franeo-Brit-ish front, hut we have allies who represent the foremost nations of the world, and who have pledged tltemselves to continue the war until the attainment of the success which we hold within our grasp .if we put forth the necessary energy. The people of France have accomplished their task, and those who - have fallen have not fallen in vain, since they have made - French history great. It remains for the living to complete the magnificent work of the dead.