Arizona republican., 1919-02-04
.WAROFF|CE IS EvAS|vE:
 SAYSALLEN
Republican A. p. Leased Wire1


 TOPEKA, kan., Feb. 3.-ln state- ment issued tonight, commenting on the figures given out by General March, chief of staff. Saturday, regarding ma jor casualties, Governor Allen charged that the war department "is evasive and vague" He also charged that the war department knew when 1t issued the statement-that uninformed people would conclude this was a full state- ment of the casualties"
 "The war department" says the statement, "would have US forget the thousands of maimed and crippled, few of whom are now coming home but many of whom are suffering in the hospitals of France.
 'lt has attempted to divert attention from the real situation by calling at tention to the fact that the dead and missing in the 35th division are 'oniy 1733;' and that this division suffered less than some other divisions. Why was 1t not frank in saying that this di- vision lost practically all of these 1,7S3 in one engagement. while other divis- ions, with which 1t compares the 35tn, were in several heavy engagements? Why did the department neglect to mention that in addition to these 1,732. more than five thousand wounded were in the casualty list of the 18th d. vision?"
 Due T. No Protection Governor Allen again charged that the losses were due to lack of aerial protection, shortage of transportation and other inadequacies of machinery.
 "Al citizens of the country realize that heavy casualties were inevitable and that the report which is gradually being uncovered reveals the fact that our gloomiest expectations were more than realized" the governor says in conclusion. "l believe that thousands of men were lost because there was lack of protection in the air, shortage of transportation which would have made effective artillery support pos sible at all stages of the battle and oth- CT Inadequacies of machinery which sent the American army into that | gloomy forest fighting the best equipped army in the world with little except infantry arms.
 "These facts are we'll known at Wash ington and are well known to officers and men who are coming home. There is no reason for any controversy over facts. The country is entitled to the truth. Why does the war department withhold it?"
 Claims 5000 Wounded
 The governor in his statement re. ferred to the report of the division of ficer in charge of the triage of the 35th division, stating that it revealed that 6,301 wounded men passed through his triage. nearly 5000 of whom were from the 18th division. This officer, the statement save s'-- t',- arepo-t=Ii~ . was so limited, that without waiting for ambulances, trucks belonging to other divisions and to the French were used to send wounded men of the 35th division straight through from the ad- vanced dressing stations to the evac- Uation hospitals, without passing through the 18th division triaqe. This report. the statement further says, dis closes that the unexpecedly heavy rusF of casualties made 1t necessary for meT to lie upon the ground in the muc without filters or blankets, and tha the unexpected shortage of transporta ton made it impossible to triaee all tht men. hence the rport Of narly 5000 doe: not include them all