The Washington times., 1918-02-07

forced by the Roosevelt Arranged
don Reserves came to acute crisis
yesterday in a very quiet and decor
Gus way. There was nothing SEN
sational on the surface. The Baker
hearing, opening at half past ten
before the Senate Military Affairs
Committee, was notable chiefly as a
society event. The ladies were out
in force. They were Of all ages. but
they were all extremely patriotic
and most of them also extremely
good looking.
I They showed their extraordinary
patriotism by the vigor of their
knitting. incidentally this also dis
played to the greatest possible ad-
vantage some OF the most extraordi-
nary SOLITAIRE diamonds (not to
mention clustersl lately seen at any
great political event in the Capitol.
! Out of regard to the ladies, Chair
man Chamberlain requested that
there should be no smoking.
Before a merely political audi
ence, Secretary Baker, when under
cross-eXamination, smokes cigars
continuously, and thinks while he
smokes, before answering a pecu-
liarly disagreeable question. He
did almost as well without tobacco
as he usually does with it. But
for the first time, he had help from
members of the committee itself.
This came in a way which changed
the nature of the hearing from
social to a political event. to the
discontinue of his enemies.
When the Secretary took the stand
the cross-eXamination. opened BY
Senator Weeks, related to the num-
, Der OF men sent or TO be sent 10
France, as it was assumed the Sec
rotary had previously given an eX-
aggerated estimate. The question
underlying the examination was of
whether there was shipping actu-
ally available for transporting and
supplying half million men in
France, TO be followed by another
army OF million men, with possibly
half million more before the close
OF 1918. AS subsequently appeared.
the Secretary had made no such
statement
Mr. Weeks had been informed that
~ 900 tons Of shipping were avail
able last October. Putting the total
at 100000 tons. he wished to know
the ratio OF this tonnage per head Of
men moved or supplied. Secretary
Baker was glad Of the opportunity
to have such figures tabulated for
the private information of the COM
mittee. He said thet in various WAYS
100000 tons Of additional shipping
had become available in the last ten
days.
The examination was proceeding
along the line Of development. for
exact numbers of men in France
in relation 10 exact statements OF
tonnage for moving and supplying
them, when Senator Reed OF Missouri
interviewed Without champiOninP
the Secretary, he made it very incon-
venient to press him further for
cold figures" before the brilliant
social gathering. assembled to wit
ness what some in the audience NAV
have expected as the immediate and
public removal Of his official head.
Senator Hitchcock agreed with
Senator Reed that it might he wiser
to await tabulated official statistics,
to be considered I'm executive ses-
sion. In the meantime, he REINFORCED
Senator Weeks by questions based on
the theory that the Secretary must
have figured accurately the number
OF ships and the total tonnage re-
quired for the number of men in hun
dreds Of thousands and millions the
Secretary was supposed TO be land
ing statistically in France before the
close Of the year.
Reed suggested that the questions.
If answered, would develop publicly
the entire story of our preparation.
Kirby of Arkansas then openly
look the Secretary's part. He did
not approve the idea of putting the
Secretary before the public as if he
were compelled to justify himself.
He showed that he meant to be as
disagreeable as he thought neces-
sary. After another twenty minutes
he returned to the attack by asking
how it would help the Senators if
they could prove positively that the
United States were not prepared to
support even as MANY as a hundred
and fifty thousand men in France.
If that sort of thing was what they
we're trying to demonstrate, where
was it getting them?
Before the novelty Of ;.ttacl in do
Tense Of the Secretary of War from
one Of their own members, the ma
jo.ity of the committee. represented
by Senators Weeks and Hitchcock,
was retiring to its third line
trenches. when it was rc-cnforccd by
Senator Frelinghuy sen. before whose
vigor Reed and Kirby were Temporal
rily checked.
Senator Frclinghuyscn had a ques-
ton Of interest to the entire Amcri-
can public he proposed to ask, and
nobody was entitled to suppress him.
Nobody did. But it had nothing