Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1918-01-31

IS AND TIMES: THURSDAY.
what the current expectation of the
country was. The editor of the Metro
poiitan Magazine was protesting
against what he believed to be the
Intention of the government at that
time"
READS FROM METROPOLITAN.
Here Senator Weeks interrupted to
ask II that was the magazine Of which
theodore Roosevelt IL associate edi-
tor. Secretary Baker replied that Mr..
Roosevelt was q contributing editor
and continued:
"This magazine came out in August,
1917. and this editorial says:
"'Since Il IL our war, we want to put
everything into II so as to finish It in
the shortest possible time, DO that the
world may be restored. To our mind
the whole plan Of the war department
has been favored with a desire to hold
off until the allies finish, the war for
u.s.
"You see the editor was dealing
with what he supposed to be the in.
tantion of the war department at that
time, that we were holding off so fal
az actual military operations were
concerned, and letting the allies do the
fighting.
"Whnt he says We should have done
and I ask your particular attention &c
1t. is this:
1--WE should have strained every energy
to have gotten from $1,000 to 100000 mer
IN Franco this year.
"rhat is, the year 1917. tell no secrets
hut II IL perfectly we'll known to every.
body in this group that we have far ex,
ceeded what in August. 1917. was re-
garded as a program 30 ideal that thu
editor of this magazine refers to It os 9
thing which we ought to have strained
every nerve in a vain but hopeless effort
to accomplish"
In response to o question by Chairman
Chamberlain the secretary said the Uni
ted States did not have more than thu
minimum number Of men In France ir
August, 1917.
Ho continued:
"And then the editor goes on:
"'And by next year, 1913, wc coult
have had $4,000 men to send over, Of
any part Of 100000 men which we coult
ship
ALL EXPECTATIONS EXCEEDED.
Nov. instead Of having $1,000 or 100. 0o
men in France in 1917. we have man,
moro men than that in France, and in
stead Of having O half q million men whom
we could ship to France II we could fnt
any way to do II in 1918. we will hav,
more than one-half million men In France
early in 1918, and we have available Il
- o. Ill tnoAr .
to US. and the prospect Is not unpromis
ing. one and one-half million who II
1918 can be shipped to France"
Senator Weeks asked whether the sec
rotary knew who wrote the editorial and
Mr.. Baker said he thought It was at
tributed to Mr.. Wiggin. the editor-in
chief.
"Why," asked Chairman Chamberlain
"have you not felt it proper to let tn,
people into your confidence with refer
ence to these things that you are telling
now?"
GERMANY STILL MYSTIFIED.
Senator. confess have hesitated an,
I still hesitate" replied the secretary
II have here a statement from Field
Marshal Won Hindenburg, in which he Il
quoted as saying in a German newspaper
In contemptuous fashion Of us, that ",
have advertised our preparations for THU
war in an unworthy manner"
do you think, for a moment. Secre
tary Baker," said the chairman, "tha
there has been any time within the las
year that the German secret service
has not been fully advised as to every
thing we have doneT
''Yes. senator. I know. II may rel,
which we get from conhdentia
mystihed az to the number Of men w
have in France. or have had there q
any time"
MUST KEEP MILITARY SECRETS.
The chairman said he doubted this
After some discussion as to the polio,
OF governments in announcing militar,
secrets, Mr.. Baker said It was not tn
policy Of the American or other gov
ernments to do SO. and added:
II am saying this now, because 70,
have asked me why have held bacl
these facts until now. I am sayinl
to you that you could not get fror
Great Britain at this minute, I do no
know whether I could get the numbe
Of soldiers Great Britain has in Franc
or at home. I could get an approx
nation: I could get whatever informa
ton might be deemed helpful to tn
immediate military object to be &C
complished, but I could not get fror
Great Britain or France, either ons
the actual number Of troops they hav
at the front.
1T may be that that precaution
unnecessary. and yet that is the pre-
caution which military men have oh
served, and I have no further point t
make in the matter Of the number o
| troops there than to show, as I wa
showing when read that extract, tina
our original intention was to make GU
military effort in 1918; and in Angus
Of 1917 a Jealous advocate Of imme
date military activity laid down as tn
maximum obtainable program a thin
| which has since been multifold sue
| ceeded.
TRIED TO HEARTEN FRANCE.
"Why did we decide to send some troop
to France in 1917? It Is no secret. Whe
Marshal Joffre came to this country fror
France. when the British mission cam
from France. they told US Of situatio
which we had not up to that time full
appreciated. There had been In France r.
Gently conducted before that an unsuccess
full major offensive. The French peop|
had suffered. Oh. suffered In q way this
not only our language 10 not adapted {
describe. but our Imagination cannot cor
ceive. The war Is in their country. Thi
wolf has not only been at their door,
but he has been gnawing for two year
and a half at their vitals. and when thl
unsuccessful offensive in France had gon
on there was spirit not Of surrender. bu
Of fate. about the French people. abou
the mighty military engine which the
had seen prepared to overcome than IL