The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-01-30
syv0owes pAv. JANUARY 30. 1918.
roD THRILLING FOR BAKER.

perlal government OF uefnlailA III
formed the government OF The
lJnitNd States, that, regardless Of
former promises and agreements.
al ships approaching within GER
tain specified zones OF the alice
dciolis, would be sunk wiihont.
wdrning. As a special concession
10 America. permission was
granted to send single ship to
En1land each week providing
thSE it carried no munitions or
conttaband Of war, and with the
further provision that it be-
painted with series of stripes
designed by German artist,
something after the fashion Of
our barber poles.
That notice, as subsequent
events Rroved. was the final in
suit to cur over-patient govern
n1ollt. The limit Of endurance had
been reached, and the country
moved RAPIDLY to war. Nothing
but a complete German with
drawal and apology would have
prevented Il, and that was not
forthcoming.
We are reminded Of this date
BY the glittering moving picture
scenario that Secretary Baker
read to the senate committee on
military affairs on Monday. tits
with the hope that our readers
will not be mentally detached
from the facts by Bakers verbal
sign painting. that we recall the
interval that has elapsed since
January 81, 1917.
There can scarcely be disagree
ment that on that day, at least,
the country should have begun a
tremendous campaign ef prep
aration for the war that was
certain to come. Yet it was five
months later before a type Of ma
chine gun was adopted, and three
months after that before we had
any of them, and then only nine.
IL will be many months before we
have anything like an adequate
number. Indeed, the war may
be over before that time. Mean
while there are 10000 Lewis ma
chine guns used successfully on
European battlcficlds. Our army
in France is now using the Lewis
gun, manufactured in Great Brit
ain, from an invention by an
American citizen, and loaned to
our soldiers.
As late as ten months after
Germany had declared her ruth
less submarine program, Colonel
Roosevelt saw men drilling IN
our camps with wooden cannons
and broou:sticks. On January l,
1918. eleven months afterward
there was shortage of over
coats and clothing in all of the
camps. Camp Funston had but
80 per cent of the required num-
Der of blankets, and at Camp
Sewer there were shortages OF
G5 and 60 per cent in wooden
breaches and coats. At Camp
Sherman Senator Chamberlain
was told by the commander, Gen
eral Glen, that there was a short
age Of 1000 oyercoats. In Camp
Bowie. where the men were
packed together like sardincs,
cpidemics broke out and 5000
men passed through the hospitals.
Scrgeant-Gencral Gorgas in an
official statement, said that there
was ovcrcrowding in practically
every camp, and that he had not
been consulted about the location
Of any of the environments. Men
died without proper nursing be-
cause of the utter lncfticicncy of
the war department. General
Gorgas said. ''nrarly all of the
epidemics could have been pre-
vented if the war department had
been effective"
These are the things that Sec
rctary Baker should have met IN
his statement 10 tn, committee on
military affairs. All these
charges were ignored Will" Mr..
Baker made word picture of
what we would do when we got
to France if we had The ships to
transport our men Apparently
he thought there was nothing
else to talk about, after his a>>ur-
ance that We would soon have an
army Of 100000 men IN France.
and that, il the transportation
was provided, W. ~,nlld have q
million more eL"rr later. Mr.
Bakers statement was. for the
most part, pleasing glance into
Z the future rather than a rchuttal
of the charges that We're made by
SNnator Chamberlain with CON