The Butler weekly times and the Bates County record., 1918-06-13
Military Achievements Confound
Partisan Critics.

Washington, D. C.-Critics of the
Administrations military achieve
ments during the first year of Amer
icas participation in the world war
were confounded by the staggering
array Of facts and figures laid before
the House by Representative Charles
Pope Caldwell. of New York.
A member of the House Commit
tee on Military Affairs. Mr.. Caldwell
has made a careful study Of the situa-
tion and indicated that he spoke with
authority in revealing to Congress
and the country what the United
States had done in the way OF sup
plying man power to the struggling
Allied armies on the Western front.
Preiacing his statement with a tri
butte to Secretary OF War Baker as a
man fully equal to the great task as
signed him by the President. Mr..
Caldwell disclosed the wonderful
growth of the Army in twelve months
and outliiied the program of the fu-
ture.
"America has done her share--in-
deed, more than her share-for she
has done many times, more than any
OF our Allies suspected that she was
capable OF doing and more than the
greatest enthusiast in America hoped
she could do" Mr.. Caldwell asserted.
She has confirmed Our friends and
confounded our enemies.
"Or, let me put in another way:
America has raised and equipped a
bigger army in shorter time and
now holds greater section of the
fighting front. transporting her forces
5000 miles across an infested sea, in
ten months, than England was cap
able. of doing in IL months across the
English Channel of less than 80
miles. We began with less, went
farther, and arrived with more in
shorter time. Yet their motive was
necessity and ours only desire.
When war was declared in April,
1917, the standing Army of the Unit
ed States consisted OF 10000 officers
and men, many of whom were i'll for
eign service, and the National Guard
consisted OF Io4 900 officers and men,
many OF whom were too olu tor active
service and large part of them ply
sically unfit to perform the duty tor
which they had volunteered.
Our experts told us it would take
two years to raise an army OF mill
ion men and five years to train the
commissioned personnel. 1t has now
been about one year since the first
legislation was passed authorizing the
increase of our Army for war pur-
poses. The strength of our military
forces is now 1898 officers and L.
SSo,So4 men, grand total of 2,o3S,2o2
officers and men.
so we have today an army OF more
than 2,ooo, 900, of which 100000 have
already been shipped to France and a
million more have had the necessary
training to fit them for foreign SER
vice. Our critics now complain that
we have not done more, yet we have
done in one year twice as much as
they thought we could do in two
years. The Army is growing SO rap
idly and its needs are SO urgent that
the efforts heretofore made will be
Small in comparison with those of the
next twelve months. We will PROB
aDly have between 100000 and S.
ooo, 900 men before the end OF the next
fiscal year.
when Gen. Joffre made the re-
quest for a small expeditionary torce,
the critics of the administration de-
manded what they thought was i'm
possible-that we ship to France dur
ing the first year $4,000 to 100000
men. During the first ten days oi
May we shipped 10000. Within one
year after the first shipment America
will have an army of a million men
in France with their necessary arms
equipment and supplies.
at will be the best-fed, the best.
clothed, the best-paid army of it.
size that the world has ever known
speaking the same language, wor'
shipping the same God and following
the same flag. Its PERFORMED vii
have the quickest perceptions of an,
soldiers in the world, and win havs
trained under modern conditions. sur
rounded by the best moral Influences
with the lowest percentage of disease
and viii be served By the highest mo
1 La raRs- -.