Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-07-25
SECRETARY BAKER ON
THE RIGHT ROAD
But He Will Have to Go Pretty Fast to
Keep Up With the War Demands
of the Nation

mans proved that the BrlClSn anu ie"N'
must be re-enforced if they were not to be
defeated Only about four hundred thou
sand men were shipped al road from May
of last wear, to the end Of February, TINS
wear. In the four succeeding months we
have sent six hundred thousand men.
This number will be increased by three or
four hundred thousand before the end of
this month.
It is noteworthy also that nothing def
mite about the size of the army to be
raised came from the War Department
until General Foch began to show what
could be done when he was backed up by
the re-enforcements with which we had
supplied him.
Secretary Baker has now announced
that we must have an army OF five mil
lion men available for service in France
next spring. This is the most important
and encouraging pronouncement that mas
come from Washington since we entered
the war. Secretary Baker is to be con-
graduated on his dawning appreciation
of the task before him, and on definitely
setting out on the road to master it.
What the nation expects in Washlng-
ton is readiness to summon its entire
man-power, if that be necessary. in order
to win the war in the shortest possible
time 1t will stand behind Mr.. Bakers
demand for an army of five million, and
if he concludes that we need seven and
half or ten million it will support him.
There are men who say that if we had
entered the war two years earlier Ger
many would have been defeated by now
and that many lives would have been
saved. But it is waste of time and
breath to discuss this question at this
time. We are in the war at last, and
nothing must be left undone which will
hasten victory.
If it is necessary to broaden the age
limit. and Secretary Baker thinks it is,
then Congress is expected to take the
necessary action when the War Depart
ment asks it. 1t did not act few weeks
ago because the plans of the War De-
partment were not perfected, but the
matter was dropped with the understand
ing that it would be taken up again
after the summer recess.
Whether the minimum age shall be
eighteen, nineteen or twenty is ques-
ton of detail that can easily be settled
in the light of the knowledge that there
are tens of thousands of boys of these
ages who are anxious to do their part.
Tens of thousands of them are already in
uniform as enlisted men, and boys still
younger have taken liberty with the
truth about their age in order to get into
the army.
Whether the maximum age shall be
forty or forty-fve is also a matter of
detail that will adjust itself. Men above
thirty-five can do excellent work in the
Ordnance and CommisSary and Quarter
masters Departments who are not fit for
fighting in the trenches. Every such man
who puts on uniform releases younger
man for real fighting.
If we can end the summer campaign
with the Germans driven back a few
miles at critical points on the line and
prepared to hold them during the winter
and can be assured that we shall have
five million fighting men within call of
General Foch for the spring offensive,
we can contemplate the future with sat-
isfaction-provided the War Department
does not conclude that after it has raised
five million it need not increase the size
of the army. Another million or two
must be held ready to send across next
summer to keep the ranks full and to
enable General Foch to hold every point
that he gains and to drive the Germans
out of France and Belgium and across the
Rhine. 1t is impossible to make prepara-
tions on too gigantic scale. There is
not the slightest doubt that the war
could be ended next summer if we could
put ten million men in France before
the beginning of June. There is little
doubt that it can be ended with five
million, but it is the part of prudence to
give ourselves the benefit of every pos
sible doubt and prepare against all con-
tingencies.
We have seen what a million men can
do, not only in fighting, but in heartening
all of our allies, and in putting the
knowledge of fear into the stomachs of
the Germans. Five million men can do
ten times as much.
Mr.. Baker is now headed in the right
direction and he deserves the highest
praise. Nom let us see how fast he wiU
go. He aoU hare to make prettv oood
speed to keep up With the temper of
| the nation.