Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1918-01-29

: lar officers. Pershing is in France
as the eyes" of the army Every
step taken since has been founded on
/ kis long daily cable reports of what
I is going on at the fighting fronts.
Tables were cited TO show that
overcrowding in the camps and can
( tonments had not been general and
that the sickness had come mostly in
| the camps where medical opinion had
agreed il was least TO be expected
/ The history OF the development and
building of the cantOnments was given
in detail to show that every precau-
ticn possible had been taken
AnalyZing the efforts Of the ord
nance bureau. the secretary said that
General Crozier had urged for years a
great artillery preparation; that he
at least had realized the time gun
making required. But even France
/ herself with the enemy at her
throat" he added, had not been able
to see what vast gun programs the
war would lead into.
Admits Illness
The secretary admitted that illness
/ al Camp Bowie was perhaps caused
/ by too many men being housed in one
| tent together with a shortage in cloth
| ing Our expectation was that the
men in the tents would be safe, but as
/ soon as il was discovered that the
| boys we're circumventing automatic
ventilation BY closing down the flaps
Of the tents additional tentage was
ordered
Isn't il likely the men would not
/ have done this had they had ade-
quate clOthing2- asked Senator Hitch
cock
4 think it is entirely possible,r
was the reply.
Senator Weeks asked if the pneu-
mOnia epidemic did Mt result from in
adequate hospital facilities.
Il don't think So" said the secre-
tary.
Secretary Baker said it was not
thought at the first the base hospitals
of permanent character would be
needed at national camps from which
troops would be promptly removed
Later. he said. it developed that more
permanent hospitals must be estab-
not recommended permanent sewage
not recommended permanent sewage
and water systems for the national
guard camps. for that reason, at first.
But when he did recommend them
the orders were Immediately given"
Mr.. Baker said
The fact is" Mr.. Baker said. we
were overtaken by epidemics before
the base hospitals were ready at some
national guard camps. When General
Gorgas made his inspections the con-
| ditiOns were remedied instantly.
After General Gorgas returned
about the middle of December from
his inspection. he suggested-for the
first time-the wisdom of building de-
tentiOn camps for observation of men
arriving. to prevent them from bring
ing disease-fOr observation. His rec
concentrations to that end were not
made earlier"
Senator Reed asked him TO explain
recent orders prohibiting soldiers from
writing letters for publication unless
they are censored He asked if that
would prevent men from telling their
families of lack Of clothing or i'm
proper food.
Absolutely no." said the secretary.
explaining that it was dne to prevent
soldiers from acting as regards cor
respondents for newspapers without
censorship, but that men were en-
couraged TO write for publication in
their home papers after censorship.
During his general statement of the
war plan and how it was developed
Mr. Baker was rarely interrupted. He
said:
Plan Of the War
Now, gentlemen. about the plan of
the war. II will be remembered that
this war broke out in August. 1914.
We went into il in April. 1917. so
that for two and one-half years. or
more than two and one-half years, the
war had been going on II was not
as though the war had broken out
between the United States and some
country, each Of them prior to that
time having been at peace with one
another and with everybody else; so
that an immediate plan should be
made in the United States for con-
Quoting the war against its adversary,
but we were coming into a war which
mad been going on for two and one
half years. in which the greatest mill
tary experts. all the inventive genius,
all of the Industrial capacity OF those
greatest countries in the world had
for two and one-half years been
solving the problem of what kind OF