The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-02-18
Kansas Governor Tells of Last
Few Hours Fighting.
Says Many Lives Were Need
Iessly Lost in West.
LETTERS READ TO COMMITTEE
Col. Ristine Tells of No Blankets
Summer Underwear.
Forced To Eyacuate Stretcher
Cases by Using Trucks.

Washington. Feb. 1S.-American
boys were ncedlessly sacrificed in the
last hours of fighting on the west
front, Gov. Henry j. Allen, Kansas,
told the house rules committee today.
Col Carl Ristine. 139th infantry,
in a letter TO Allen read before the
house rules committee, said:
Had No AmbuIances.
Someone ought to tell about the
things over here; how we were strip
ped of blankets and had summer un-
oerwear and no overcoats for the Ar
gonne fight-during which wounded
men almost froZe to death. No am
balances for thirty-six hours and then
only six to nine small ones to haul
$500 wounded in six days. These
ambulances frequently took as long
as thirty-six hours to get to the field
hospital and many died on the way.
We finally evacuated the stretcher
cases by the hundreds in trucks we
were ordered to leave our kitchens
behind and they sent us to the firing
line beef. cabbage, egg plant and
toilet paper as food and for a long
period after we came out of the fight
they sent US bully beef in tins and
other field .rations which we should
have had in the fight
Kirby Tries to Stop 1t.
When Allen later appeared before
the senate military affairs committee,
Senator Kirby Democrat. Arkansas
asked the purpose of Aliens testimony.
I'VE won the war, didn't we?" Kirby
asked.
YES. but at a fearful cost that we
would be foolish not to find out where
the money went and why our boys had
to meet with their own bodies the
German troops" Allen answered
Pass Investigation On.
among Kansas and Missouri troops of
the 35th division in the Argonne fight
ing which Governor Allen charged
were unnecessarily heavy because of
inefficiency and lack of artillery, will
go over until the next session of con-
gress.
Governor Allen completed the pre-
sentation of his request for an inquiry
to the house rules committee today
and the committee in executive ses-
sion decided that the time was too
short to permit a comprehensive in
Quiry al this session Chairman Pou
said a general inquiry into the whole
conduct of the war probably would be
ordered by the next congress
Called for Y. NJ. Report.
Before you get thru 1 would like
for you to give us report on the eff
cient work of your organization. the
Y. NJ. c. A. l have heard more COM
plants about the inefficiency of the
Y. NJ. C. A. than any other organiza-
ton in France" said Senator Kirby.
We had to meet a certain amount
of criticism" the governor replied
The Y. NJ. c. A. was the only organ
ization that sold anything in France.
We took over the army canteens and
there were many charges of prOfiteer-
ing
Governor Allen also referred to the
''inexplicable condition of mail" in
France.
He presented : number of envelopes
returned from the central postoffice at
Tours, operated by Americans which
bore notations that the soldier to
whom they were addressed was sick
or wounded and was at a certain hos
pital
Brig. Gen. Charles I. Martin. an
officer of the 35th division who was re-
the beginning of the Argonne fight.
B appeared with Governor Allen before
the committee but did not testify.
New Yorker Also Heard.
Representative Siegel of New York.
author of a resolution for a general in
Vestigation of conditions in the army,
appeared before the rules committee
to urge action on his measure He
said that conditions in at least one
New York division were similar to
those of the 35th. Protesting that
no arrangement had been made by
the war risk insurance bureau to pay
the monthly allotments of crippled
soldiers Mr.. Siegel said the bureau
was four months behind in it's work.
He declared he had seen crippled
soldiers in uniform begging in the
streets of New York because of fail
ure to get government allotments.
Chairman Pou questioned this
statement. saying, THE people would
not stand for a crippled soldier in
uniform being seen begging in the
streets"
But SiegeI insisted it was true.
Women Back of Wilson.
Stockholm Feb IA resolution