The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-01-26

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only about per cent was exported.
mostly to Canada. Yet, within the last
week England sent coal to US, in order
that supply ships might not be stopped.
IA
Out of the fire of congressional in
vestigation the marine corps has come
with added luster, the contrast to war
department conditions being sadly
marked. The house committee said the
corps has been kept supplied on war
basis with no apparent delays, while
about $4,000 recruits during the year
have been properly housed, clothed,
fed and trained The secret of this
lies in the fact that Maj. Gen. George
Barnett, cOmmandant of the corps, be-
heved In preparedness. Two months
before America entered the war he Or
dered $4,000 pairs of shoes and 10000
Lewis machine guns. His purchasing
system has worked smoothly and eff
ficiently, possibly because he has had
the assistance of no "dollar-a-week"
civilians, whose capabilities and kn0wl-
edge are not commensurate with their
patriotism. The bureaus of construc
ton and repair and of engineering Of
the navy department also received high
praise from the committee.
Ia -
Secretary Baker and his MAI s
ment of the war department are ,l
the objects of sharp attack and th9 5
mands for his resignation or ,s,aI
increase daily. His long defense BE
fore the senate committee was the re-
verse of satisfactory, and there is de-
cided diversity of opinion as to wl1eth
err or not his reorganization of bureaus
will cure the evils that have infested
his department. Daniel Willard told
the committee the new plan was faulty
in that 1t did not concentrate control
and relied too much on voluntary eff
fort, and Immediately thereafter Mr..
Willard resigned his post of chairman
of the war industries board. It was in
timated new chairman might not be
appointed pending action on the pro-
posals for the creation of war supply
department or administration.
Can it be that Mr.. Baker, deep In
his paclfst soul, believes the war will
come to an end before the American
troops are called on to fight, and there
fore is willing that adequate prepare
tons for their active participation in
the conflict shall be delayed? In his
review of operations in Europe he says
a great German offensive is to be ex-
pected on the west front, but he is CON
| fident that the war-worn British and
French armies can withstand it.
Ia
Fierce controversy ragged throughout
the week between the German groups
represented respectively by Won Luden-
dorff and Won Kuehlmann-the pan
Germans and the nonannexationists.
There was a report that the govern
ment had compromised the dispute BY
yielding to Won Kuehlmann as to flfe
east front, and assuring Won Luden-
dorff that he might grab any land on
the west front that the military forces
of the empire could seize and hold
through the peace negotiations. But
this report was unconfirmed.
Berlin stated officially on Thursday
that the central powers had found the
Russian proposals unacceptable, and
| that German and Austrian trooDs
would not be withdrawn from the oc-
cupied territories while the war lastg
The Germans, the statement
added, do not intend incorporating
into their respective countries the ter
ritories now occupied by them.
Trotzky chung to his demands for The
right of self-determination for all ma
tionalities, and that principle, supported
by Lloyd-George and President Wilson.
has taken Its place as almost the lead
ing peace term Of the opponents of the
central powers. The German General
Hoffman taunts the bolsheviki with the
fact that they are inconsistent because
they are fighting the Ukrainians, but
on the other hand Lenine, Trotzky and
their fellows have permitted the set
ting up of independent governments In
various parts of Russia because fhe
people so willed 1t. They have lust
declared, also, that their government
supports the right of the Armenians
In Russia and Turkey to be independ-
ent and to decide their own destiny.
The British government has so far rec
ognized the bolsheviki as to establish
official relations with their minister In
London.
Turkestan announced It's independ-
ence on Tuesday,
Petrograd anno,@l.'ed that after ten