The Butler weekly times., 1918-01-31

washington, -. H., Jan. 2S.-Sec-
rctary of War Baker consumed iou:
and one-half hours today in recitins
to the Senate Committee on Military
Affairs what the military establish
ment of the Government has accom-
| | ptished- since the United States en-
| tered the war against Germany.
Had the Secretary attempted to re-
veal in detail all that had been done
he would be talking yet, judged BY
the mass of data before him, to which
he continually referred. In his state
ment, however, necessarily general, he
covered every phase of the war prep
aration, and when he finished the en-
ire membership OF the committee and
the roomful of spectators marveled at
the stupendousness of the task.
Secretary Baker, impartial hearers
admitted, successfully refuted the
charge of Senator Chamberlain,
chairman of the committee that the
War Department had fallen DOWN
and the Oregon Senator was gracious
enough to confess at the conclusion
OF the Sccretary's statement that he
and his colleagues had been very
much impressed"
Mr.. Baker began his statement IN
an atmosphere anything but friendly.
lie closed with practically everyone
in the room ready to applaud the ci-
ficiency OF the organization under his
direction. He was surrounded by
Senators, Representatives and spec
| tators as he started to depart, and
was told that lie had made good"
Members of the> Military Committee
were among those who pressed for
ward to shake his hand, Senator Reed
of Missouri being the first to offer
his Fluctuations,
"A Feat Never Duplicated.
After he had related how great
| problems had been mastered, how the
presence of American troops in
France had heightened the courage OF
the almost-spent French, and had told
that more than half million fighting
men would be under Pershing's co IL
mand early this year." and million
and half before the end of the year,
ready and willing to fight for world
democracy, he said
Nov let me be frank with you. and
let your judgment be frank with me.
Has any army ir history since the be-
ginning of time been so raised and
cared for as this army has? Can the
picture be duplicated"
There were none present. appar-
entity, who would venture to say that
it could.
He told how the plan of the Cen
eral Staff had been not to attempt to
put man in France until 1918. and
how this plan had been altered after
Marshal Joffre of France and Foreign
Minister Balfour OF England had
come to the United States and re-
vealed how necessary it was for
America to give immediate aid.
ut is no secret that Joffree asked
us to send men to France before we
were ready" he said. "Hc told how
the French people had been disheart
encd by the great offensive of 1917,
and said it would cheer us up if you
send over some of your troops"
He told how officers and men were
trained here. and while this process
Of mobilization was going on. how
regiment after regiment of trained
artisans, engineers and troops of d
technical character we're sent abroad
to prepare for the reception of the
men yet to come.
He revealed what has never been
tod, that cantonments had to be built
in France, just as they had to be built
here; that foresters from America
cut the trees and prepared the lumber
for the camps over there, instead OF,
as in this country, relying upon the
lumber industry to furnish the neces-
sary camp materials.
Every task undertaken here, he
said, was undertaken over there. with
the difference that the difficulties
were multiplied in France. He told
how railroad COO mites long had
been taken over to carry products
from ports of Decentralization in