New-York tribune., 1918-02-28
"A Message
"F'rom the United States Government
To the American People
presented Each Week in The Independent by
George Crcel, Chairman of the Committee
Public Information, Appointed by President Wilson
kkFWNIIIS is trying time for America. 1t
is the peevish time. The tragedy
Of our losscs in battlc has not vet

So NILS Is trying time Tor America. 1t
is the peevish time. The tragedy
of our losses in battle has not yet
come to dignity us. The glory of our
cesscs has not yet arrived to uplift us. We
struggling with the drudgery Of prepara
ton impatient, suspicious, short tempered.
The railway trains are late and slow. Some
businesses have been hurt and others killed.
Fuel is scanty and houses are cold. Meals
are wheatless and meatlcss and dear. Our
enemies are busy among US with discouraging
ramors and irritating reports. Partisan criti-
cism is stung into cxasperated complaint
Class quarrcls aggravated. Every do
lrcstic grievance of distracted people is
made voluble. And, in the midst Of it all, the
government is required to carry on the great
est undertaking that America has ever at
tempted with unfailing success in every de-
tail, calmly, attentively, with incxhaustible
patience toward endless criticism and with
unlagging chcerfuncss toward unhagging
dlscontent.
"Not long ago determined campaign
Of Misrepresentation was wagcd against Sec
rotary Daniels of the navy. 1t received an
incredible popular support. Time has proved
it to have been baseless and unfair. The
record of Mr.. Daniels since the war broke out
IS now acclaimed one of the great perform
ances of the day A similar campaign against
the Secretary of War has just achieved it's
height of uproar. What are the facts about
the War Department?
an nine months the military establishment
of the United States has grown from force
OF 100000 men to 1,500 900.
at has now-as many trained officers as it
had officers and men when war declared.
ut is an army larger by moro than half
million men than Lincoln had to defend the
Union when the Unions armies were at their
largest. 1t is nearly six times as large as
the army which VIC raised to fight the Span
ish-Amcrcan War. 1t is three Times as large
the grand army with which Napoleon in
vaded Russia
"To house and train this army the govern
ment has built sixteen permanent canton
ments for the drafted men; sixteen other
camps arc housing National Guard divisions,
and seventeen regular army stations
taking care of the regular army recruits.
"The sixteen cantonments of the drafted
mon were built in three months at cost of
Sl5O000,000 Each is small city. The
Northern camps are steam heated. All have
water supply, drainage, streets, hospitals,
etc. They have been built at q time when
labor and materials and transportation were
already strained to the limit of their capac-
ity by war work A billion feet of lumber
had TO be moved to the camp sites. Hun
dreds OF thousands of CARLOADS of building
materials were transported and food supplies
Tor an army of moro than 100000 workmen
"These camps We're prepared on schedule
time. The recruits were moved into them.
The railroads carried. in ALL 300, 900 men to
the camps or to ports of embarlation for
France. To the men in the camps 5000 0OC
blankets have been delivered, 1000, 900 over
coats, S,500,000 pairs of shoes, 3,5O0OO0 hats,
5,500000 woollen shirts, 2,333, 600 winter uni
forms, nearly / 100000 pieces Of winter
underwear, and ON. And every day $500
carloads of food and coal arc being hauled
to the camps of the National Guard and Of
the National Army.
"The men have been comfortably housed in
the cantonments, under sanitary conditions.
They have been we'll supplied with the best
OF food Some of the camps were short of
ovcrcoats in the early part of December, but
all the shortages have now been made up. and
at no time were the men short of heavy
Woolen underwear. There was no serious
suffering, no privation. There were no con-
tract scandals, no graft, no shoddy work.
The sites for tho camps were selected by
department commanders with the advice of
military boards, and upon these boards med
cal officers served. The barracks and hos
pitfalls were built according to plans approved
by the surgeon generals Office While in
process of construction they were inspected
by committee of the American Medical AS
sociation, and the recommendations of that
committee have been followed in allowing
each soldier 500 cubic feet Of space There
has been no overcrowding, except in one can
tonment, where there at one time two
hundred more men than the ideal minimum
number.
"The medical experts feared that sickness
would be most likely to break. out in the
larger permanent cantonments' They did
not fear epldemics among the men under
! canvas. Yet 1T IS among the men under cam
vas that disease has been most prevalent
The government has hastened to sunnlv
larger hospital facilities to meet these nm
precedented conditions. AS a matter of fact
the percentage of sickness has been but little
larger than it would have been amonp the
same number of men in civil life 1t has OH
viously been due 10 the fact that the mon
drafted from sheltered homes, were ignorant
OF how to protect themselves under condition.
of outdoor life new to them
"Rumors of medical neglect have been casilv