Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-01-11
100000 MEN NOW
IN ARMS. EQUIPPED,
SECRETARY DECLARES
Force Six Times That of
Spanis h-American w ar,
Sickness Less Than If Sol
dierS Had Remained Home

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10.-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 COM
mittee.
| Conceding delays and errors of judge
ment in so vast an undertaking Secre-
! tary 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 conduct, health and general well
/ being of an army"
| America now has in France an army of
Substantial size ready for active serv-
ice. Secretary Baker today told the SEN
ate war investigating committee
/ Officers and men, he explained, have
been trained specially for modern war
| fare, independent lines of communica-
ton and supply are in process of con-
struction, and great programs have been
| formulated for the production of new
! instruments of war.
| Arms of the most modern and effective
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 is now in the field or in train
ing at home and abroad. he asserted
The subsistence of the army, he con-
tinued has been above criticism. while
| its initial clothing supply, temporarily
inadequate, is now substantially COM
plete.
81 state the foregoing conditions of
| fha MAR dana rfp0Anf'C nrohIapo nA
| of the results attained. for two pur-
poses" he said. I'm the first place, the
American people are entitled to know
of the splendid effectiveness with which
they have been able 20 organize the man
power and the material power of the
nation; an6, second, our army in France
and our allies are entitled to have the
benefit resulting 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
mo 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 well-being
of an army"
Outline of Swork
The secretary gave the committee
an outline of the work of the department
and it's various bureaus.
ION the first day of April, 1917, the
regular army" he said, Comprised s.
791 officers and 121,797 enlisted men; the
national guard in federal service, ap-
proximately 1888 officers and 1918 en-
listed men, and the reserve, 1000 en-
listed men. There were also at that
time approximately 3,573 officers in the
reserve, but as these weer on inactive
duty they cannot properly be considered
in estimating the strength of the army
of the United States at that time On
i the 31st day of December, 1917, the reg
ular army consisted of 10,250 officers
and 475,00O enlisted men; the national
guard of 16,0S1 officers and 100000 en-
listed men; the national army of 100000
men, and the reserve of S4,575 officers
and 72,756 enlisted men. In other words,
in nine months the increase has been
from 1884 officers to 100,S56 officers;
from 202,31O to 1,42S,650 men.
During the war with Spain, the army
of the United States at its maximum
strength aggregated $4,000 men and Of
fcers. The army now in the field and
lin training is, therefore roughly six
times as great as the maximum number
under arms in the Spanish-American
war.
'"The total number already in the mil
litary service is one and a half times as
large as any force modified by this ma
ton.
Small Death Rate
'aThe death rate in forces in the Unit
ed States from mid-September to the
end of December, averaged rs per thou
sand. and is slightly less than would
have been the death rate of men of the
same age at home'' the secretary said.
'In 1898 the death rate per thousand
was 2O.14. or nearly three times as
great" he continued.
Our death rate in the army during
1916. lust before the war, was five per
thousand Leaving out the deaths due
to measles and its complications. our
rate among all troops in the United
States since September J. has been
about two per thousand.
For the fiscal year 1915 congress ap-
propriated for the war department s158.-
600. 600; for the fiscal year 1915, $685.
600 900; for the fiscal year 1917, S4oJ,-
600 900; for the fiscal year 1915. S7,527,-
,33S716 In other words, taking 1915 as
a normal year, the appropriations for
1918 are nearly fifty times as great.
1.-THE regular appropriations made by
congress for all government purposes
for the fiscal year 1915 were s72O,000,OOO.
or nearly one-tenth the 1918 appropria-
tions for the war department alone.
"Of the total war deparT ment appro-
priations for 1918, 100000 600 was for
the ordnance department, of which con-
tracts amounting to $1,677.00o,OOO al
ready haev been placed"
New Ordnance Material
Many of the classes of ordnance ma
terial requiring to be designed. speclh-
cations drawn. and contracts let. were
wholly unfamiliar to the couI-trys nor
NAL military practices. The trench war
! fare material alone involves commit
Iments of $3.50 O00 900, Mr.. Baker said.
For the quactermaster generals de-
Ipartment in 1918. s3,O1S.000,0A0 was ap-
Ipropriated or a sum more than four
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