The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1919-12-06
SECRETARY Of WAR BAKER SAYS
He FAV0RS UNIVERSAL TRAINING

forces, the indemnity of which must
| be preserved" The method of CO.
operation with the allies was left to
his discretion and, MIR. Baker said.
that the authority thus conferred
was never in any particular modi-
fled or diminished"
''There we're elements in the prob
lem which might well have caused
grave apprehension" the report said.
"The armies of France, Great Brit
ain and Italy had borne for three
years the furious and deadly as
saults of the great German military
machine, the toll levied by battle
upon the mar power of these ma
| tions had been appalling, and it was
becoming increasingly difficult for
them to maintain their divisions at
full strength. The submarine peril
menaced the supply of munitions of
war and of foodstuffs to great civil
populations.
Meanwhile the German armies
had crushed lo%ng-planted offensives
by the allied armies with apparent
ease, and by the collapse of Russia
were daily being strengthened by
divisions of trained soldiers brought
from the eastern front until the
menace of superior numbers and ap-
~parently in~exhaustible supplies of
! the munitions of val haunted the
| councils of the allied powers.
but those who visited General
Pershing's headquarters during the
war know that from the beginning
there was resolution and a clear
| sighted knowledge of the size of the
task. 1t would have been idle to
plan for a small American army. On
! the other hand, it required imagina-
ton and daring to plan for a large
One-to take a million American
men to France, separate them from
home by 5000 miles of ocean,, and
subject them to the hazard of the
uncertain and diminishing food sup
plies of Europe. And there still re-
NAMED the I further question: Ii
these difficulties could be overcome,
could they be overcome in time?
General Pershing and his assO-
ciates gave no DON to doubt and
accepted no counsel except that of
determination. When the critical
hour came and the combined ener-
gies of the United States and Great
Britain did surpass all previous es-
Inmates and land 100000 men In
France, the arrangements made for
their reception and for their main
tenance were found Adequate; and
had the war gone on and the So
division program been carried out,
the Imagination and daring of these
early plans would still have been
adequate.
"It is a wonderful story and ex-
hibits at it's best the confidence in
their institutions which Americans
may justly have"
Mr.. Baker opposes creation of a
department of the air because of TIE
undeveloped state of the industry,
ne~cessitating federal regulation
as we'll as because of military con-
siderations. 1t would be just as
fatal to separate forces from the
army, he maintained.
Since June 80, 1918. the report
shows, it has been found necessary,
to use federal trops on 16 separate
! occasions to preserve law and order.
The incidents listed range from In
dustrial Workers of the World ac-
tivities in Arizona to srecent move-
ments in the coal fields. Mr.. Baker
concludes his report with an appre-
citation Of the services of General
Peyton c.. March. chief of staff.
81 would be wanting" he said.
imagination. the unremitting energy,
the firmness of purpose with which
he has pressed forward the pro-
gram. Without his strength and
vision much hat was done could not
have been done. AS it is, can only
record the successful conclusion of
the great war, the splendid efficiency
of Americas participation and an
enlightened treatment Of postwar
problems which has gone far to
rescue the industry and commerce of
the country and to close up our fl
nancial and business relations in an
harmonious and satisfactory way"