South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-01-29


had not 20 cut of the supplies u
raw material 20 our allies.
Expectation OF Country.
At the outset the idea was that
we would be a financial and indus
trial assistant 90 our allies during
the year 1918, and ! think / prob
ably can read from the MetropOli-
tan Magazine for August a sugges-
ton which will show what the cur
rent expectation OF the country was.
The editor Of the Metropolitan
Magazine was protesting against
what he believed 10 be the intention
Of the government at that time"
Here Sen Weeks interrupted to
ask if that was the magazine Of
which Theodore Roosevelt is asso-
ciate editor. Sec'y Baker replied
that Mr.. Roosevelt was a contribut-
ing editor and continued;
This magazine came out in Au-
gust. 1917. and this editorial says:
Since il is our war. we want to
put everything into il so as to fin
ish il in the shortest possible time.
so that the world may be restored.
To our mind the whole plan OF the
war department has been favored
with a desire Ia hold off until the
allies finish the war for US
You see, the editor was dealing
with what ne supposed TO be the
intention OF the war department at
that time. that we were holding OF
so far as actual military operations
were concerned and letting the al
lies 10 the fighting.
What he says we should have
done. and / ask your particular
attention TO il, is this
We should have strained every
energy to have gotten from $4,000
10 100000 men to France this year
Expand That Estimate
That is the year 1917. ! tell no
secret. but it is perfectly well known
to everybody in this group that we
have far exceeded what i'm August.
1917. was regarded as a program so
ideal that the editor of this maya
zine refers to it as a thing which
we ought TO have strained every
nerve i'm vain but hopeless effort
TO accomplish"
In response - a question by
Chairman Chamberlain the secretary
said the United States did not have
more than the minimum Of men
in France in August. 1917. He con-
tinued:
And then the editor goes on:
And by next year, 1918. We
should have had 100000 men TO
send over, or any part of 100000
men which we could ship
Now instead of having 30 900 or
10000 men i'm France i'm 1917, we
have many more men than that i'm
France. and instead of having a
half million men whom we could
ship TO France if we could find any
way TO do il i'm 1913, we will have
more than One-haIf million men in
France early i'm 1918. and we have
availa BILE, if the transports alton ia
Cilities are available to US and the
prospect il not unprOmising. one
and one-half million who in 1918
can be shipped to France
Sen Weeks asked whether the
secretary knew who wrote the edi-
thought il was attributed to Mr..
Wiggin. the editor-in-chi
Why" asked Sen. Cham berlain,
have you not felt it proper to let
the public into your confidence with
reference to these things that you
are telling now?'
Germans still Mysti6ed.
Senator, l confess l have hest
tated and | still hesitate" replied
the secretary. 81 have here a state
ment from Field Marshal Won Hin
denburg. in which he is quoted as
saying i'm "A German newspaper in
contemptuous fashion of us, that
we have advertised our preparations
for this war i'm an unworthy man
ner."
do you think. for a moment,
Sec'y Baker" said the chairman,
that there has been any time with
i'm the last year that the German
secret service has not been fully
done?"
Yes. Senator. I know. If ! may
rely upon the confidential informa
ton which We get from confiden-
tial sources. the German govern
ment is still mystitied as to the
number of men we have in Franc
or have had there at any time"
The chairman said he doubted
this After some discussion as to
the policy Of governments in an
nouncing military secrets. Mr.. Baker
said it was not the policy OF the
American or other governments to
do So
why. I do not believe I could
even get the number of men Great
/ Britain has i'm France or at home
now or could even get that infor-
nation from France" he said.
That may be unnecessary but il is
| a preCaution that is followed by all
military men.
"If the whole regular American
army had been sent into battle at
once. like England's it would have
been destroyed"
Describes French Welcome.
In eloquent words, SeC'y Baker
/ described how France welcomed the
first American soldiers. peasants
kissing, ne said. the hens of their
/ coats.
AT this hour we have a fighting
I TVv...r. auH