Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-01-29
BAKER SAYS
ERRORS Are
|NFREQuENT
War Secretary's Defense In
cludes Admission of Spe-
cific Charges Made By
Chamberlain, But Seeks tC
Minimize Them.
l 1000 READY TO GO
OVERSEAS THIS YEAR

| Wv EnOEAS THIS IEAk
! Washington. D. c., Jan. 2S.-Fiyt
hundred thousand American troops
IN France early this year and mil
non and half in all available, fully
equipped and with the artillery OF
France supporting them, was the an
swer Secretary Baker gave the sen
ate military committee to the charge
OF lnefiiciency and brea kdovn in TIE
military establishment as the eli
max OF todays explanation of all that
the military establishment had done.
freely confessing faults and imper
! fections in so vast an undertaking
but maintaining that for each def.
cheney the remedy has been found.
This great fighting force. probably
little expected by the German general
staff itself, will be composed of the
men now with General Pershing, the
thirty-two divisions of troops now in
| cantonments and camps in the United
States and ready to move, Secretary
l'Baker said. and by the next incre-
ments to be drawn and trained this
spring under the selective service law.
Without prepared manuscript and
in frank, conversational manner the
secretary of war told the senators he
came to defend no mistakes or short
comings but to insist most em1ha..
lically the deficiencies where DISCLOSE.
ihad been modified promptly, that thas
were the e9caDtjen sat k6a- tAnss
Trule,~ and that tfe very, ,na $500 -
Americas Undertaking made eFr6f q
judgment and mistakes likely.
MILLION MEN ARE READY.
incidentally, in defending the war
machinery against the charge of in.
pare for war when war was assured.
hitherto held confidential.
France and Great Britain. he said.
are supplying artillery to the Ameri-
can forces because they themselves
wished to do so. as they had an ex-
cess on hand and wished to save ships
for more vital necessities.
1hirty-two divisions Of national
guard and national army troops in
camps in the United States-more
than million men in all-are consid
cred ready to go overseas for service
whenever it is decided that they shall
move.
100000 MEN OVERSEAS SOON.
Turning from the delays in the war
Secretary Baker spoke of what he said
was plan for the war" He said
there was plan but that 1t was so ex-
traordinary that it had to be studied
abroad.
I'VE will have in France 100000
men early this year" Secretary Baker
told the senate committee.
1,5oc 900 AVAILABLE THIS YEAR.
Germany has no idea OF the mum.
Der Of men the United States has in
France, Secretary Baker told the COM
mittee.
He said that the United States will
have 100000 men available for duty
in France in 1918.
RIFLE SUPPLY ADEQUATE.
Every American soldier who can use
a rifle Secretary Baker told the sena.
tors. already has been provided with
one and the rate of manufacture as
sures ready supply as troops be-
come ready to use them.
Secretary Baker described how
great American railroad systems. one
600 miles long, ports, terminals, supply
warehouses and other facilities on an
enormous scale, have been built for
the army in France.
Lewis machine guns. he said, al
though they have been ordered are not
being used for the troops on land be-
cause General Pershing and his staf
desire them only for airplane work
Great Britain and France, he said. are
prepared to furnish machine guns for
the land forces until the American
supply arrives. and in fact they wish
to do so.
NEGLIGENT DOCTORS PUNISHED.
Responsibility for calling out large
number of men before equipment for
them was ready. Secretary Baker. as
sumed to himself. but added that the
best military advisers. including Major
General Leonard Wood. pressed for il
Charges of mistreatment Of troops
in hospitals. Secretary Baker saii
were acted on vigorously and he
pointed out that the judge advocate
general only last week refused to per-
nit mere dismissal of two army doc
tors who mistreated soldiers but In.
sisted they should have prison sent.
ences in addition.
NO DEFENSE FOR DELAYS.
Senator Chamberlain speech. Mr..
Baker thought. had given the country
the impression that the deficiencies
complained of were characteristic
rather than occasional For that
reason he deplored its effect but he
a. L.. L~f