Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1918-02-08
.EcRErALsY EANEMs rErIMoNY
~--
(From the N. y. WORLDLY

| NFIOl the ~. y. World
more cou.d no be nmore complete
overwhelming NRswer d Senator
.h".2beri2in'5 charge that "the mill
ny esl;bnshment OF Ainocica has
'sn down, that "it is thing that
~ ho1 e'sist," thai sit has almost
topped functioning," than Secretary
3aEer'S testimony yesterday before
fairs.
A military establishment that has
'aised and equipped the greatest ar
~ the United States has ever had.
nat has sent great numbers of the
troops to France, and has 100000
more that are ready to 70, has not
alien down; 1t has not ceased to ex-
st; 1t has not stopped functioninr.
J IN the contrary, IL has done work
tor winch thcrs is no parallel in the
american military annals
Republics" rs Gen. Winfield Scott
Deserved in his autobiography. care
never prepared for war;" and they
never VIII be prepared for war The
Test OF military establishment in
me circumstances in which the United
states entered this conflict is not
whether an army was ready to the
''''N''I 80 WV - DO0Stcu
nat they were when they crossed the
Jclgium frontier. 1t il not whether
there have been shortcomings and do
avs. 1T is not whether there hnvc
Deen casual errors in Judgment or in
c'dcntnl confusion in execution. IT, is
whether there were plans commcnsu-
rate with the part that the country
must paly, whether there was cnerpv
IN tho execution of these plans, wheth.
e. there was II disposition to correct
errors and profit from mistakes, and
whether the military establishment
moved stcnrily forward to the accom-
iHllnlent of It's objects.
Measure by these tests, the War
apartment under Secretary Baker,
ns written new chap.rr in the mill
ny history of republics.
There never was the slightest bo-
Sis Tor the sweeping indictment TINT
Senator Chamberlain brought against
the War Department. and that Sccrc-
iar Baker has answered in dcail IL
IS not conceivable ihut the Senator
spoke merely III ignorance, for he had
the means Of nSccrtaining the facts.
Even though the War Department
was reluctant to make public some of
the information that Secretary Bnk-
or spread upon the record the chnir-
man of the Senate Committee ON
Military affairs could have lad nc
cess To il. So could his associates on
the committee who did not wait to
'nish their investigation before franz
ng legislation 10 dcposc tie Prcsi-
lent of The United States from his
constitutional office as commander in
chief OF The army and navy and re-
iucc the Secretary of War to tho sta
us of Il clerk, There III not a fact i'm
he Baker testimony that would not
ave brcn ronlidcd 10 thcs, Senators
they had gnugh, H.; get they insist
ii upon goihg before the American
eoplc wlh II crooked record calcu-
itcd {" ir0Vc tn War Department
deficiencies, aH Mr. Baker 'cxprosscd
J., were characteristic rather than
,ccasiuna."
Under the acid test of Tie Sccrc-
niy'G testimony the Chamberlain nc
'usations hhrivcl for the most part To
lshcs and rubbigh They leave the
;cnatc committee md it's chairman i'm
1 very umplcasnu light before the
COUNTRY, digcrcdiLcJ in method and on
he defensive az to motive.
Nevertheless, there is one lesson
hat the War Department itself
should learn from this unfortunate
episode, which is The necessity for
ruler war publicity and for taking
ne American people completely into
the confidence of their Government
N nli meters that nrc not undcbatn-
bic military secrets.
Everything that Secretary Baker
old ought TO have been told long
lgo. There was no valid reason for
eoncealing it. II gave no aid and COM
fort To the energy, but on tho con-
lrary was proof that the United
States was going TO war in earnest.
Had the War department kept Che
American people fully Informed, there
would have been no occasion for Sec
rotary Bakers taking the stand, and
such miscellaneous accusations rs SEN
ator Chamberlain made have found
no believers.
The campaign that has baen wagcd
by American imperilaiGts and ingoes
to overthrow the war administration.
discredit the President and take nos
session of the military machinery of
the country had It's roots in the Gov
ernments own policy of suppression
ana secrecy in regard TO the magnif-
cent and inspiring work that il was
carrying on. Had the Truth been
known to the country, Ills partner
ship of Politics and Iiistcrin would
have been bankrupt the day it was
formed Only under the cover of
censorship could such political con-
spiracy have been organized.