The Washington herald., 1917-07-28
HAS QUICK Way
TO Finish VAR
United States Preparing to
Deliver Decisive Blow,
Say Secretaries.

Reassurances Of the most startling
character were revealed yesterday In
confidence to newspaper correspond
ents by Secretaries Daniels and
Baker. The men who have been COW
ering these departments have for sew
eral days been impressed with an
indefinite sort of pessimism. Yestsr-
day the two secretaries laid the cards
on the table, or rather they permit
ted the correspondents to look over
their shoulders. As q result almost
every correspondent came away with
this impression:
The United States has an ace In
the hole"
So striking are the hands which
the two combatant Cabinet Officers
are holding that the correspondents
made q strong plea to print some OF
the details. For the present this has
been refused
But n conference of the military
chlSts will be held within q few days,
and a. q result the American people
may have set before them a frank
statement Of how their leaders have
prepared the way for them to go to
war.
Great Progress Made.
This much can be said: Where many
Observers have looked for the great
est difiicuties the most remarkable
progress has been made. Further.
preparations are on a scale, the COM
pleteness OF which has hitherto only
been hoped for. The two secretaries
permitted themselves to be subjected
n = alwfa- 81 To
almost all they gave frank answer
with the injunction that their an
swers must not be made public. To
some questions they refused an an
sver even to the trusted corps of cor
respondents
Secretary Baker made II plain that
no difficulties are expected in the mat
ter Of keeping our first million men
recruited 20 the authorized strength.
Once the FIRST and second increments
Of q half million each are raised un-
der the conscription act. Secretary
Baker believes there IL no statutory
bar 20 EoinE on with the conscription
for depot hattalions from which the
Eaps In the first million men will
bs hued
That indicates the size Of the prob
ierr the United States is facing. II
means that the war chiefs are plan
ming for Al least three years Of war
but the details % the plans as told
ysstsrday make n evident that the
ps"Iarations viii be adequate.
Further. these details show that
many more men will Be In France
than have been counted on and at q
very much earlier date than has
hitherto been expected.
They viii 90 with all the equipment
needed .or modern warfare. Mr.. Baker
made this plain when he explained to
ths correapondsnts. for instance. thar
the item IN the budget for over two
billions % dollars, labelled coast de-
fense Armament IN reality means
heavy artillery.
Plan Decisive BIOyr.
We have stuck" said Mr.. Baker,
TO the old designations with regard
10 ordnance. Coast defense arna-
nnent' means everything bigger than
q three-inch cannon" He merely
smiled when asked IL the guns to be
made with this money are to be sent
to France.
Thus. while all preparations are be-
ing made for a life and death strug-
gle. one in which the final blossom of
the country's young manhood may be
plucked, the war chiefs talked as II
they felt that our first blow would be
so telling that the United States will
never have to 90 much further. They
do insist, however, that this first blow
will demand the maximum Of sacri-
fee and effort.