The Washington times., 1918-01-29
By W. v. BYARS.

On trial for his official life yester-
day. Secretary of War Newton D.
Baker indicated the Government ot
the United States. The vindication
is adequate. No one could have made
II more SO. The Government Is
ready to win the war. The on!y
question remaining is Of how far
Secretary Baker sacrificed himself.
II was the question after Straford' s
defense before the Long Parlid-
ment." The issue then did not ex-
ceed the issue now. in Importance.
And Strafford, vindicating his king
and his cause" sent himself to the
block.
THE more mischief. the more
sport" said Lord Lovat, just before
he kneeled for the headsman. IL
was a gala day on Tower Hill. The
beauty and chivalry" Of London,
overcrowded a temporary dress cir
Gle" in front. Of the scafold and
broke 1t down. The result was dis
astrous to the Society OF London
and the wicked Lovat" laughed. II
was a gala day yesterday. with no
visible disaster, at the Baker hear
ing. The rooms Of the Senate Mill
tary Committee were crowded pc
yond capacity. So were the nails
with ladies who could not get In.
The Red Cross showed conspicuously.
They piled their knitting needles.
They ate their luncheons before the
doors during the recess. But there
was no excitement Of any kind to
reward them. The Secretary OF war
spoke on and on hour after hour as
calmly as If he were reading an
annual report -,
But for the issue which all leIt
was that of his official life, the en-
tire proceeding would have been duIl
to the last degree.
The points Of vital attack on Sec
retary Baker in Senator Chamber
lain's speech were only two: First,
the two pathetic anonymous letters,
irnulyinR that soldiers died neglect
ed in the camps where they had
been drafted; second, the charge
that our soldiers in Europe were
Obliged to rely on poor France
for ordnance and munitions. Baker
answered both, and other attacks
and insinuations, at great length
and with minute detail. -
A sufficient answer to the first
the moral attack Of anonymous
letters-was that Chairman Cham
berlain had not yet secured the per-
mission Of the writers to give
names, places, and dates.
As great statesmen need not stop
for anonymous attacks, this would
have been enough. Secretary Baker
went beyond it and read into the
record reports from every camp
where complaints had been made, or
where anything Of the kind might
have occurred.
He showed in the case Of the
body of an American boy said 10
have been sent home in a coffin,
wrapped only in q sheet; that an
American soldier, killed at the To-
ronto flying field, had been sent
home by the British major in
charge, with the body shrouded in
q winding sheet" and the clothing
sent in a separate package, accord |
ing to the British custom. This |
British custom of using winding |
sheets" is a very old one. As it |
shocks American prejudices, the |
Secretary explained that Americans |
at the Toronto field had been put |
under an American officer. So he |
explained in other cases. His best |
defense on hospital "prepareness"
was a letter he read from Mary i
Roberts Rhinehart, who, after visits !
to the camps, described conditions |
as everywhere improved. /
The answer TO the charge that we
are depending on poor France" for
cannon and munitions, is that
France, with England supporting |
the request, asked for the contracts,
having idle capacity for manufac-
turing beyond It's own needs. This
was already in the record. That 1
poor France" standing greatly in
need of more money, is getting the
money, doing the work, and allow
ing American plants greater oppor-
tunity to do other badly needed work
was the answer developed yester-
Day, after it had already been given
IN full 1t is sufficient.
Secretary Baker showed that he
had taken the course recommended