The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1918-12-06
SECRETARY OF WAR BAKER
MAKES NO RECOMMENDATIONS
AS TO THE FUTURE.
C0MMENDS SELECTlVE SERVICE
Tells of Marvellous Expansion of
American Army to Conduct the
Great War-co-operation of other
Departments.
(By United Press.)


military needs and policy will wait
upon the determination of interna-
tional relations by the Paris peace
conferences. Secretary of War Rak-
er's annual report published today
held this course necessary, though
he advised that the years experience
had strengthened his view that the
draft was an effect, just and swift
means OF securing the military
strength necessary for the conduct of
the great war.
Secretary Bakers introduction to
his report to the President follows:
In transmitting to you, as | do
herewith, the reports of the several
bureaus Of the War Department, |
am conscious that no summary des-
criptiOn OF their contents or of the
activities of the War Department
during the past year can be written
which will do justice to the devoted
labors of those who have contributed
to the mobilization, training, equip
ment, and use of the Army An ade-
quate account of the activities of the
department for the year now ending
can be written only in the long
reaches of historical inquiry when
there will be time and opportunity to
examine in detail not merely the stat
istical exhibits which tell in numbers
of men and guns what America did,
but also to appraise the contributions
Of patriotic zeal and service which
came from field and factory, from
civilian and soldier alike and which
represent in their aggregate the life
Of the Nation concentrated upon
single purpose-the devotion Of all
we have and all we are to be preser-
vation of the ideals which have made
lis free people and which we were
called upon to yindicate in the inter-
est both of our own continued free
dom and freedom for others.
"The reports which are herewith
transmitted tel, in some detail of the
problems presented to the War De-
partment and the results attained. A
few illustrative figures, however, slow
the real limits of the story ultima ELY
to be told:
.The size of the Army has incroas-
ed from April s, 1917 to November IL,
1918, from 100000 to 3,665,O00 men,
of whom more than 100000 were in
France. The appropriations for the
War Department, on the executive
side allen, were increased in that per-
iod from s2,0O0.0O0 year to 100000
900; and the civilian employees had
increased from about 1000 to about
25,O00. For the year ending June
80, 1918, the appropriations for the
support of the military establishment
aggregated $S,OoO,oOoOoO. For the
wear ending June 30, 1919, the appro-
priations aggregate $15,3OO, 100000.
.The organization to expend these
vast sums involved on every hand CO.
operation from the regularly estab-
lished departments of the Government
in Washington and the special boards
exercising powers given by the Con-
gress to the President and by him ap-
portioned to agencies created for the
snecial emergencies presented by the
war. Without this cooperation II
would have been impossible to do the
things which have been done, and ]
refrain from referring to particular
services rendered to the department
NV these agencies only because the
zeal of this cooperation has been SO
generous and unfailing that even the
mention of special instances would
he a recital too long for the necessary
limits of this report.
"Hostilities ceased on the llth OF
November, and immediately the vast
machinery of the department was
turned to the question of demobiliz-
ing the Army and returning the sol
d;ers to their homes and OCCUPATIONS
An Immediate start was LIKEWISE
made In the intricate bushes OF CLOS
inc nm contracts for the manufacture
Of war supplies and materials anu
we are now engaged in seeking TO re,
lease to their normal pursuits tne
labor of the country and to free lor
civilian uses the resources OF the
country which we're so exclusively
aggregated to create and support our
Army in the field"