Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1918-12-07
QUESTION OF PERMANENT IR-
GANlzATloN OF ARMY DEFER.
RED PENDING PEACE NEGo-
TlATIONS.
IN 10 MONTHS OVER TWO BILLION
MEN AND FIVE BILLION TONS
OF CARGO SHIPPED OVER
SEAS.
GIVES GREAT PRAISE TO CIVI.
LIAM POPULATION WHICH
DID so MUCH TO MAKE
SUCCESS POSSIBLE.

WEhe1L iFoANy 1CC. I'll uG uuGC~
ton of permanent organization OF tho
army has been deferred for consid.
Grafton after the close OF the peace
conference. Secretary Baker, in his
annual report made public tonight
say this course is determined upon
since the military needs Of the Unit
ed States cannot be prudently assess
ed until that conference shall have de-
termined the future relations OF the
world
For temporary purposes, however,
Mr.. Baker announces that he will .ay
before Congress plan of reorganiza.
ton for the regu ar army, which shall
continue as the nucleus of any flu
ture military establishment"
/ The secretary also Indicates his in
tention to press for perpetuation by
law the strong General Staff organi-
cation built up during the war
II have rasrained in this report, ;"
MIR. Baker says, from making speci.
fic recommendations for future lsgls.
lation for two reasons. In the first
place, the signing of the armistice has
not &eyna ly closed the war We have
at present a great military establish.
ment which cannot be Immediately
dissolved, and the activities OF the De.
partmant for some time at least must
be concerned with what we have. In
the second place, the peace conference
is about to assemble and the military
needs OF the United States cannot be
prudently assessed until that confer
ence shall have determined the future
international relations of he world
In skeching the building up OF the
war army, Mr.. Baker selects a few
what each step meant and what has
been accomp' ished. On the day the
ar1nistice was signed, he declares
more than rs per cent of the entire
male population of tae country be-
tween the ages of Is and 81 was On
the military service, the army having
reached a total of 3,6s4,000 men more
than 100000 q, whom were in Eu-
rope, as compared with a strength OF
1854 in March, 1917 week before
war was declared.
Recapitulating the total American
casualties, 236,1 0S men as already an
nounced, Mr. Baker said the deaths
due to battle alone were $4,000 and
that half of the wounded reported
probably suffered sight injury, He
adds that Federal battle fata titles in
the Civil War totalled 10000; Japan
lost $4,000 men In the Russo-Japanese
war and Germany lost 2S,600 in the
Franco-Prussian war.
Speaking of the seIective service,
Mr.. Baker makes this observation.
without discussing the question O;
universal military training, soon to
arise:
"At that time 0when his preceding
annual report was issued) there was
ample evidence that the seIective draft
was a swift, effective and just means
OF securing the miiary strength
necessary for the conduct OF a great
war. The experience of the past year
has strongly reinforced that convic-
ton"
Discussing the extensive engineer
ing undertakings in France, the need
for which has ended with the signing
of the armfstice, Mr.. Baker gives this
hint at the policy the government Is
pursuing.
"Steps have been taken to reduce
orders and cancel contracts for such
items as will not be needed in France.
In this connection. however, care is
being taken to assure ourselves that
we are not depriving France of ma
terial which she SO urgently needs to
replace that worn out during her ter
rife seff-deniais Of the past four
years. We cannot refuse to render
all the assistance possible in the re-
construction of that heroic nation"
Mr.. Baker gives much space to air
craft prob EN-, including the produc-
cconauued on page three)