The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-12-17

by full division of regular troops ant
a contingent of marines as the first units
He describes also the organization Of tn
Rainbow National Guard 1.-THE Forty
1 second, adding:
"The purpose of this organization wa
to distribute the honor of early par
ticipation in the war over wide area ant
thus to satisfy in some part the eager
ness of these state forces to be per
mitted to serve in Europe
High tribute is paid the Splendid co
operation of the navy, by means of which
these expeditionary forces have beer
safely transported and have been en-
abled to traverse without loss the SO
called danger zone infested by the
stealthy and destructive submarine navy
of the enemy"
Ii became necessary, Mr.. Baker says
to build an elaborate transport system
for the expeditionary forces with great
terminal facilities both in this country
and France and to gather large sur
plus of supplies ON the other side as a
safeguard.
This placed an added burden upon the
supply divisions of the department" he
says, "and explains in part some of the
shortages, notably those of clothing,
which have temporarily embarrassed mo-
bilization of troops at home, embarrass-
ments now happily passed"
The arrangements made have resulted,
Mr.. Baker continues, sin the transport
ting of an army to France fully equipped,
with adequate reserves of equipment and
subsistence, and with these large IlIRn-
titles of transportation appliances, motor
vehicles, railroad construction supplies
and animals, all of which are necessary
for the maintenance of effective opera
tions of the force"
Secretary Baker opens his report with
review of the situation in Mexico which
led up to the withdrawal of General
Pershing's column, and pays high trib-
ute to the self restraint and considera-
ton of the American officers and soldiers
both ON the border and in Mexico.
Taking up the war with Germany Sec.
Baker describes a fine spirit of service
shown by the American people without
distinction of age, sex or occupation"
CHOSE who believed" he adds, "that
the obvious and daily exhibition of pow.
er which takes in an autocracy is neces-
sary for national strength, discovered
that finer, and freer, and greater ma,
tional strength subsists in a free people,
and that the silent processes of democ-
racy, with their normal accent on the
freedom of individuals, nevertheless af-
forded springs of collective action and in
spiration for self sacrificing as wide and
effective as they are spontaneous"
Mr.. Baker then turns to the method
by which the army was placed on war
footing He shows that under its full
strength the regular army in.
cludes $4,000 officers and 100000 men
and that the war strength contemplated
by the national defense act for the Ma |
tional Guard was $4,000 officers and 49, |
300 men. With the million additional
troops of the selected draft army added, |
-hese figures furnish the army of 2,0O0,- |
100 men upon which all original war es-
Inmates were based
The report then touches briefly upon
he officers training camps, the con-
of cantonments, with the prob
ems encountered and solved through the
cooperation of the civilian agencies ere.
tied by the council of national defense,
nd goes into some detail with various
,hases of the cantonment question to
how the enormous size of the task. The
'uilding of National Guard division
amps is similarly cited and Mr. Baker
discusses at some length the work of the
raining camps activities commission or
anized TO create wholesome surround
ngs for the troops.