The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1918-02-01
Secretary Bakers Testimony

Secretary Bakers Testimony.
most remarkable address was
that made by Secretary Baker before
the Congressional committee in
yestigating the War Department. It
was evidently spoken calmly and
truly without semblance of a feeling
of injury. The Secretary spoke like
a man. He stated the case in the
most lucid and attractive English.
He told graphically what the War
Department is doing. He told a
story of wonderful achievements. He
enchanted his hearers. He compelled
them to listen, many Of them for the
first time probably, to the recital of
the fact that the War Department
had not only done what the most
radical critics demanded. but had
exceeded these demands so far and
so completely that many were sur
prised. Mr.. Baker told briefly of
how the War Council had agreed to
assemble the national guard first
without arms for training. but not
withstanding that fact the troops
now had 100000 Springfield rifles
and 100000 Krags. He related the
fact that the critics wanted 5000
to 10000 troops in France in the
summer of. 1917. That number in
French territory was largely exceed
ed at the time. In 1918 it was de-
manded that a half million Ameri-
can troops be in the fighting lines
of France. That number, Mr.. Baker
said, would be in France early in the
year 1918 II vessels could carry
them. But that is not all. A mil
lion and half will be ready to go
to France in 1918. with barracks,
hospitals, physicians. huts and
nurses ready to receive them. He
told of the conferences between rep
resontatives of the allied countries
on methods of warfare and on the
actual working preparations. He
told Of the fact that, while all these
things were being done. the Ameri-
can forces had to go to the French
forests for their building material;
had to build their own railroads;
had to dredge and drive piling for
their own harbors. In other words,
the Americans had to begin from
the ground up to make preparations
in France. Much of the constrIc-
tion work was done in this country
and transported to France. This was
not due to lack of cooperation on
the part of the French and English,
but simply because the Europeans
had exhausted all their own means
Of active warfare, and nothing was
left but for Americans to create
their instrumentalities Of war.
Mr.. Baker made no attempt to
deny the stories of scandal in the
camps, but these cases were, he said,
isolated and some of them turned
out upon investigation to be un-
founded. The fact that one corpse
was shipped without shroud was
due to the fact that the soldier was
under British officer, and 1t was the
custom of the British to ship the
dead in this manner.
don't know what the committee
thought about it, but they were SO
Interested that only a single ques-
tion was asked during the recital,
and that was, who was the critic
making the wholesale demands of
the War Department.
There is one thing apparent, what
ever else may be said; Secretary
Baker is a much bigger man than
many of us have believed.
But the truth stands alone ouS of
all the propositions so far made. and
1t is this: That it would have been
national suicide if America. with
the stupendous and staggering bill
lions appropriated for this war, had
not proceeded with the greatest dis
patch and efficiency with her war
preparations.