Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-01-08
BAKER may NOT
. HOLD CABINET JOB.
SECRETARY or WAR UNDER FIRE
FOLLOWING DISCLOSURES OF
INEFFlciENcY.
HAS MERELY ACTED AS
WILSON'S MAN FRIDAY

| SAUSS'oU AUo NPPVVvas W VNOS'NO's-
Wilson Appears Satisfied Despite
Demands For Change Coming From
Men ia High Places.
[Arthur Sears Henning in Chicago
Tribune.l
Washington, Jan. 5.--Will Secretary
of War. N. D. Baker be retired after
the continuing disclosures of ineffi-
cheney in the, war department?
That Secretary Baker has failed is
the contention of an increasing num-
Der of men, many of whom have
maintained from the beginning that no
pacifst is constitutionally qualified to
direct the warmaking forces of the
nation now. Mr.. Baker came to the
war department as a leader Of pacif1sts
and has not changed his views, which
include apprehensions of the spread
of "militarism" on American soil.
| congressman Asked to Urge Change.
The demand for the retirement OF
Mr.. Baker is beginning 80 be echoed
in various parts of the country. News
papers have taken up the cry, and the
mail Of senators and representatives is
crammed with letters urging action to
force his dismissal.
Many Of these say the country needs
| Theodore Roosevelt on the war min
listers job.
Mr.. Baker has his defenders, and
| they are numerous. They assert that
the war secretary may have been
pacifst up to the time his country be-
came involved in war; but that there
upon he became a militarist and de-
Evoted his, keen analytical mind and his
genius for organization to the task OF
building a war machine in remark
ably short time.
President Satisfied So Far.
| Whether congress will be satisfied
| with the defense remains to be seen.
Certainly there is intense dhssatisfac-
| ton at the capitol with the revelations
of bureaucratic ineptitude, sluggishness
red tape and general inefficiency, ana
the secretary of war has frankly stat
ed that he is responsible. Incidentally
| it may be stated, he has the courage
of his convictions.
l. Whether. Mr.. Baker shall go or stay
is a question that will be decided by
President Wilson. At this writing the
president, I can state authoratively, is
entirely satisfied with his secretary OF
war and has no thought of parting
| with him. This does not mean, however
that Mr.. Baker will remain in the
cabinet indefinitely. Circumstances
may develop which will make his re-
tention impossible, whereupon the
public may expect to read the usual
correspondence, consisting of letter
from the secretary Of war announcing
his desire to retire and relieve the
president of embarrassment and the
reply of the. president reluctantly ac-
cepting Mr.. Bakers resignation.
Faithful to Wilson.
The president has good reason to
be satisfied with Mr.. Baker. There
| is no member of the cabinet who has
carried out the presidents policies,
complied with the presidents instruc-
tionss and reflected the presidents
more faithfully than Mr.. Baker. When
Mr.. Baker expresses his opinion on
military question the public may rest
assured that what he says comedies
absolutely With the presidents view.
No decisions of major Importance and
many of no Importance have been
made by the secretary of war without
the knowledge and express consent OF
the president. The fear of doing some
thing that will not be approved by
President Wilson pervades the war de-
partment Many decisions have been
held up for weeks, and occasionally
for months, until the president has
passed on them.
When war was declared on Germany,
friends of Mr.. Baker undertook to
warn him that sooner or later there
would be, tremendous war scandals
and that there would be an attempt to
make him the sacrificial goat Mr..
Baker replied that he intended to take
exceedingly great care to avoid be-
coming anybody's goat.
President Fully Satisfied.
AS matters stand now. it will take
storm Of public dissatisfaction to blow
Mr.. Baker out Of Office. Not only does
Mr.. Baker stand high in the estimation
OF the president, but Mr.. Wilson, am
able to state on hts own authority, Is
entirely satisfied with the conduct OF
1.-the war and with the preparations that
have been made for putting an army
in France. The president does not
hesitate to say that he is proud Of the
record.
With the revelation of inefficiency
and with the various criticisms of his
administration, the president has no
4 patience. AS he said in his speech to
| the Buffalo convention Of organized la :
| Dor he would like to "deport all
4 critics"
There has been no inefficiency in the
war department, in the opinion of the
j president. True, the administration
hastily created a war council and
shelved General William Crozier, chief
OF ordnance. and Quartermaster Gen
eral II. q. sharp. 4, 8. 8
True It As that the war department
reorganized the ordnance department,
placing its most important functions
under civilian control. when the ex-
posures led ito increasing demands for
| the creation OF department or minis
try OF munitions. But these steps. In
view Of the president, were not due to
inefficiency but to the desire to make
efficiency more efficient
Had the Grip Three Weeks.
with January comes flagrippe. Linz
eering colds seem to settle in the ,sys-
l%an, causing one To ache all over. feel