The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1918-02-01

ing out into the life of the communi-
ty and selecting men who had me-
chanical skill and knowledge and
training and adding to his original
equipment the scientific training, that
finishing touch which made him avail
able for use as a military scientist.
Work of Little Groups.
GAS consequence, this little
group, which stayed here, have built
the great special department of the
army. The ordnance department
starting, I think, with nlne.y-three
or ninety-six officers, has now, as l
recall the figures, something like 3d.
900 officers. They have had to be
trained, they have had to be spec
ialized and that has had to go on
contemporaneously with this trem-
endous response to the changing con-
ditions on the other side.
"In the meantime, when we started
into this war I think it was common
ly thought throughout the country
that our contribution at the outset
might be financial and industrial.
The industries of this country were
largely devoted at that time, the
appropriate industries and many
converted industries, were largely
devoted to the manufacture Of war
materials for our allies.
Going to Market.
"Isuggested this morning when we
went into that market we found it
largely occupied, so that our problem
was not going to a shoe factory and
saying make shoe eyfor u.s. but it
was going to a factory which never
made shoes, because all the shoe fac
tories were busy making shoes for
people from whom we could not take
them, and saying learn how to make
shoes in order that you may make
them for u.s.
"Now, Of course, that is not true
of shoes, but it is true of machine
guns, it is true Of other arms, it is
true of forging capacity, which was
the greatest defect in the country,
and all this time we had not merely
to disturb the program of allied
manufacture in this country, but we
had not to cut off the supplies OF
raw material to our allies, and we had
not to disturb the industry of this
country to such an extent that prod
ucts upon which they depended for
the success Of their military opera
tions would be interefered with,
both agricultural and commercial,
and industrial products.
The Idea at the Outset.
cat the outset, the idea was that
we would be of financial and indus
trial assistance to, our allies during
the year 1918, and I think one can
probably read from the Metropolitan
magazine for August a suggestion
which will show what the current ex-
pectation of the country was. The
editor Of the Metropolitan maga-
zine was protesting against what he
believed to be the intention of the
government at that time"
Here Senator Weeks interrupted
to ask if that was the magazine of
which Theodore Roosevelt is associate
editor. Secretary Baker replied
that Mr.. Roosevelt was contribut-
ing editor, and continued:
Quotes Editorial.
"This magazine came out in Aug
ust,, 1917, and this editorial says:
"Since it is our war, we want to
put everything into it so as to finish
it in the shortest possible time, so that
the world may be restored. To our
mind the whole plan of the War De-
partment had been favored with
desire to hold off until the allies
finish the war for u.s.
"You see, the editor was dealing
with what he supposed to be the in
tention of the War Department at
that time, that we were holding off
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