Evening journal., 1918-01-28
BAKER SAYS EVERY U. S.
SOLDIER NOW in CAMP
IS READY FOR FRANCE

In uniform. showing that the surgeon
general already had drafted his talents
Baker read a letter from Mary Rob-
erts Bhinehart who has visited practi-
cally all the camps
81 do feel some steps should be taken
10 reassure the country" wrote Mrs.
Rhinehart. I'VE women will not rest
until all incompetenls have been re-
moved I have a son in an army camp.
! would have no nesitancy in letting
him be cared for in the camp hospi-
tai In fact, he has alreedy been there
with an infected knee know some
thing about hospitals having been
nurse and having married a DOCTOR"
"Ninety-nine men out OF 100 in camp
hospitals get better care than they
could get at hOme,' Mrs. Rhinehart
wrote.
She highly praised the camp hospital
at Camp sherman, ChillicOtha O., de-
clarng that It is one Of the best civil
ian hospitals. She suggested a commit
tee of representative citizens from the
nearest hospital and publish a report
OF their observations
I'VE have a medical staif," said Baker,
"the like Of whi6h does not exist any
where. The army was never brought to-
gether that was not subject TO COM
municable diseases.
Baker next turned TO shortages IN the
supply or ordnance. lie reviewed the
rifle situation answering criticism Of
the delay in settling on the modified
Springfield as the arm for the United
States forces.
General Pershing' Baker said. was
at the conference at which the modified
Enfield was decided upon Il was the
week before pershng went TO Europe
I'VE did not then know whether our
army was TO Tight with the french or
with the British. The excellence OF
our Springfield was so well known that
Just before the war broke out the Eng
/ llsh government was considering adop-
tion OF changes so as TO use cartridges
| like ours.
"The decision came at a o'clock one
night late i'm May I'm my Offices. The
officers present including General
pershing and General Crozler, were
unanimous In selecting the modified
Enfield
General Leonard Wood suggested the
calling out of a large army before rifles
or other supplies were ready, Baker
said. Baker told Wood That would be
foolish In view OF the dearth Of arms
and equipment
General Wood told me, said Baker,
that the men called out would need
many things before they needed rifles
He said they needed to learn how 10
live together, how 10 keep step and how
10 observe rules OF camp sanitation.
"The decision arrived at was TO put
the men i'm camps That they might get
I these elementary underlying principles
Of soldering even before we had the
rifles.
Baker took exception TO the state
ment IN Chamberlain's speech that the
United States had a motley collec-
tion OF rifles"
LAS a matter Of fact, we had 100000
Sprlngheld's. the best army rife in the
, world" said Baker.
"Our decision to use the modified
] and interchangeable Enfield may not
have been infalllble 10 was made
tloughtfully. We might have bought
British Ennelds from factories making
them in this country. so as to give
every man a gun when he went into
camp. But the German recognized
military experts give new men obso-
lete rifles when they start training.
4ut ItSulb ol OhI uttlhluN 10 sud-
ordinate great speed In rife produc-
tlon TO excellence has been that not a
man has gone TO France who has not
a rifle and had training in the use Of
70. Many times the number OF men
have gone TO France than It was ex-
pected would be there by this time
And not man will go TO France with
out first class rifle and training In its
use"
Discussing the machine gun situa-
tlon, Baker declared that criticism Of
the department over the Lewis gun
had been baseless. He said General
pershing did not desire the Lewis gun
for ground work. Every effort Is being
made to get the manufacturers Of the
Lewis gun to speed mp production for
aircraft work, Baker said
He submitted figures TO show that
t40 machine guns had been shipped TO
each camp about November 4.
THESE wero shipped before troops
were ready for them," said Baker. lie
read a letter from the ordnance depart
ment stating that practically all avail
able machine guns had been delivered
to camps.
Senators Wadsworth and Hitchcock
interrupted here to ask about 1900
Lewis guns which General Crozier has
testified were in storage.
Those Lewis guns have now been
shipped to camps" said Baker
Senator Reed pointed out that though
the government guns were shipped No
Vember 1 there was nothing 10 show
! when they were delivered.