The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-01-10
ARMY INCREASES
SEVEN FOLD IN
ONLY 9 MONTHS
Surpasses Military Speed OF
Any Nation in History.
"America Has Neither Blum
dered nor Hesitated."
WAR SEC, TELLS PEOPLE ALL
More Than Million and Half OF
Men Under Arms.
Already Six Times as Large as
Our Army Against Spain.
"America Has Neither Blum
dered nor Hesitated."
WAR SEC. TELLS PEOPLE ALL
More Than Million and Half OF
Men Under Arms.

Washington, Jan. 1O.-Secretary
Baker today replied to criticisms of
his departments conduct of the war,
in a long and exhaustive prepared
statement presented to the senate
military committee.
Conceding delays and errors of
judgment in so vast an undertaking,
Secretary Baker epitomized his reply
in these words:
NO army of similar size in the his
tory of the world has ever been raised,
equipped or trained so quickly. No
such provision has ever been made for
the comfort. health and general we'll
being of an army
Our Army in France.
America now has in France an army
of "substantiaP' size ready for active
service, Secretary Baker today told
the senate war investigating commit
tee.
OFFICERS and men, he explained in a
statement of the mobilization accom-
plishments, have been trained special
ly for modern warfare; independent
lines of communication and supply are
in process of construction, and great
programs have been formulated for
the production of new instruments of
war.
Arms of the most modern and eff
fective kind the secretary declared
have been provided for every soldier in
France and are available for every
fighting man who can be sent to
France in 1918.
An army of nearly a million and a
half men enlisted and selected with
out serious dislocation of the nations
industries is now in the field or in
training at home and abroad he as
serted The subsistence of the army,
he continued, has been above criticism
while it's initial clothing supply tenn
porarily inadequate, is now substan-
TALLY complete.
Neither Blundered Nor Hcsitated.
L state the foregoing conditions of
the war departments problem and
some of the results attained, for two
purposes" he said. In the first place
the American people are entitled to
know of the splendid effectiveness
with which they have been able to
organize the man power and the ma
terial power of the nation in a great
cause: the second, our army in France
under General Pershing and our allies
are entitled to have the benefit re-
sulting from the depression of the
morale of their enemies which must
come when the Germans realize that
the American democracy has neither
blundered nor hesitated but actually
brought the full power of its men and
resources into completely organized
strength against their military ma
chine.
''No army of similar size in the his
tory of the world has ever been raised
equipped, or trained so quickly. Nc
such provision has ever been made
for the comfort, health and genera
well-being of an army.
by the cooperation of all interests
and all people in the country the ma
ton is now organized and set to it!
task with unanimity of spirit and con
fidence in its powers More has beer
done than anybody dared to believe
possible. That there have been, here
and there errors of Judgment anC
delays, goes without saying; but
should be wanting in frankness wert
to omit my own estimate of the rea
unselfishness and intelligence will
which my associates. military ant
civilian have applied themselves t,
this undertaking, and the result
demonstrate the success of their eff
forts"
Outlines Work of War Department
The secretary gave the committe
an outline of the work of the depart
ment and its various bureaus.
"On the first day of April, 1917. tn
regular army" he said. comprise,
5,791 officers and 121,797 enliste,
men; the national guard in fedora
service approximately 3.733 officer
and 1918 enlisted men; and the re
serve 1000 enlisted men. There wer
also at that time approximately 2,57
officers in the reserve but as thes
were on inactive duty. they canno
properly be considered in estimatin
the strength of the army of the Unite
States at that time On the 21st da
of December, 1917, the regular arm
consisted of 10.250 officers and AIS.
600 enliste men; the national guar
of 16.031 officers and 400. 9n0 enliste
men; the national army of 4S0,o
men, and the reserve of S4.575 officer
and 72,750 enlisted men. In othe
words. in nine months the increas
has been from 1924 officers to 110.S5
officers and from 2o2.510 to 1.42s.65
men.
During the war with Spain, tn
army of the United States with il
maximum strength aggregated 272. 90
men and officers, The army now
the field and in training is. therefor
roughly six times as great as the max
mum number under arms in tn
Spanish-American war.
THE total number already in III
"a iS