Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1917-07-27
.SECT'Y OF WAR BAKER
CALLSFOR PURCHASE
OF Kent Island Through Treasury
Department
SENATOR SMITH TALKS FIGHT
Determined to Prevent ExpatriatiOn Of
Residents Representative Price
Also Declares He viii Resist

With opposition staring him in the
face from at least two quarters, those
of Senator John walter Smith. and
Congressman Jesse ID. Price. not to
mention the residents of the Island,
Secretary OF War Baker further press
ed the War Departments plans for
the occupation OF Kent Island. Md,
as an artillery proving ground when
he yesterday sent to the Secretary of
the Treasury for transmission TO
Congress the request for an appropri-
ton and for authority with which TO
acquire the property.
Later in the day Mr.. Baker COM
mented more fully upon the necessity
for acquiring this island from a mill
itary standpoint and upon the fact
that the War Munitions Board as well
as the ordnance officers had found no
other site anywhere east of the Miss
issippi River which approximately
meets the demands of the War Depart
ment.
Whether the Secretary asked Con-
gress for a specific appropriation to
buy the island or whether he merely
sought blanket authority to take over
any land that might be found desir-
able was not indicated The sugges-
ton was made, however, that the
blanket authority was asked for.
If this turns out to be the case it
will mean that Senator Smith and his
friends will have to tie up the whole
OF the great Artillery Appropriation
bill which will call for something like
three billions of dollars in order to
head off the Kent Island item. 1t
might. OF course, be possible for the
Senate Appropriation Committee, of
which the Maryland Senator is a
member, to insert a proviso in the
general bill whcih will protect the
islands against dispossession.
VIII Stand BY Islanders.
Senator Smith indicated again yes
terday that he would stand by the
people of the island to the finish. He
claims that there is no other avail
able site east of the Mississippi river,
and added that if defeated with re-
spect to Kent Island he knew the
Army officers would find another
place in short order, even though it
might not be as pleasant for the
families of the men stationed on the
grounds.
Secretary Baker went over the
Kent Island project very frankly
with the newspaper men yesterday
the department had no wish to work
unnecessary hardship upon any
body, but that it had concluded, after
the most exhaustive investigation,
that no other site possessed all the
requisites for such proving ground.
Even though we should occupy this
island, or large part of it," said the
Secretary, I'VE would not necessarily
depopulate it. For our purposes it
is imperative that we have 17-mile
gun range. We must be able to dis
charge our guns at one end and
have an observation point at the
other to accurately measure the re-
suits of our shots. Such range is
not easy to find, but we have found
ii at Kent Island.
Not Comfortable Near Range.
1T might be possible for people to
live on one side of the island while
such tests wer in progress, but it is
to be doubted if any great number
would feel comfortable there"
hn "
between the Bush and the Gunpow
der rivers, on the Pennsylvania rail
road, which were described to Gen.
eral Crosier by Representative Linth-
icum as a possible substitute for
Kent Island, had not been brought to
his attention. He indicated, however,
that il was now too late to bring up
new sites. since his Kent Island rec
ommendation was already on its way
to Congress.
Representative Jesse d. Price,
when told last night that Secretary
Baker had taken steps to obtain Con-
gresisonal authority to take over
Kent Island, said he intends to or
ganize a fight with the hope of beat
ing it in the House He added that
he intends to lay bare the absurd
claim of the War Department officials
that the Kent Island is the only
available siteeeast of the Mississippi
river
Il shall not stop with fighting this
outrage in Congress-" said Mr.. Price,
but shall carry it before President
Wilson, and do not believe that a
man of his humane impulses will
sanction a movement that will drive
5000 persons from their homes and
compel them to begin life anew
somewhere else.
Il called at the War Detmetrapn
Il called at the War Department
yesterday and had conference with
Colonel Hoer He asked me to sup
port the War Department in its plans
to acquire Kent Island l informed
him that / could not accept the state
ment that Kent Island is the only
available site east of the Mississippi,
and the War Department must con-
vince the Kent Island people of this
statement before they will consent to
give up their homes"
Mr.. Price will confer with his col
leagues from Maryland and with
them plan an organized fight against
the War Departments propostal. The
whole case will be laid before men,
bers of Congress and an appeal will
be made, he said, to their sense of