The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-02-08

such 4 backward policy. But Baker
thought it Il proud achievement ana per
suadcd the senate committee that II wa
all that could possibly be done win ~.
the 2ist Of March. l9l$. when tn" BRIT
ish Fifth Army. was DESTROYED ana I'M
rnedatcly 1t was found poSSi5t" I" SNIP
six times $4,000 men across IN Il Mon'n:
only been making Il sixth part OF our
possible effort.
So again about Siberia. Roosevelt De-
licvcd That intervention by way OF SIDE
rim mot by SIurlnanSk or ArchanEcD
WAS poSSiblc. There was 4 strong anti
Boish"vist nucleus in Siberia and plenty
of food But We needed All Allied army
Of 100000. men IF whom at least av'""'
should have been American. Ana We
needed 4 leader with political as wsIl az
military ability. Roosevelt called lor
$4,000 men as q maximum with Leonaru
Wood in command. We sent about i.uup
men with 4 man utterly untrtco IN w
teruational affairs III command. Result
a miserable failure. The excuse was tha'
We didn't have the m"n or the SHIPS lor
Rooscvelt'S plan unless we starved thr
Western front. Just the same sort o.
argument had been used against SrHu-
ing Il real army to France. frt "n'il
the emergency stared us III the race anu
We were forced to act we FOUND the
men and the ships. The fact is that no
one ever look the trouble even 10 LOOK
for the men and ships in the case OIL IN"
Siberian expedition. Certainly Mr.. bakrr
did not look for Wood. Now when IN
utility of that Siberian expedition -
exposed Roosevelt is again seen 10 nave
been right.
How often was he pressed to 20 to
Europe during the war and how WISE!
he refused. When he was denied me
firrhf when
sumn,er of 1917 things were not golns
too we'll with the .\llies-RuSsla was out
of the game and America was slowly ar
riving-we thought it might q" some
thought he might speak w!ih, greater
authority hero if he had seen the front.
I consulted Bob Collier who was Il great
friend both of Roosevelt and OF the
Metropolitan: and between US we per
suaded Lord Northcliffe to back the
plan. SO one not day escorted the
Colonel to the fifteenth floor of the Co
than Hotel where We met the head OF
the British War Mission in his snirt
sleeves Northciffe did his, part very
well. He said it was the duty OF al!
leading statesmen to so to the front ana
see things for themselves. Lloyd
George. he said. owed his hold over the
British people largely to the fact that
he was constantly visiting the front: >.
That's a different thing altogethcr,
SaiC ttooSeEeIl QuiShiS' tAe
sees and has power TO act. I can DO
nothing. They would give me great
reception and I might buck them up Tor
about one day and a half. After that
they would want to know how soon we
were going to have q million men at the
front. I couldn't tell them the TRUTH
and + wouldn't lie. Besides I have a
horror of being spectator while other
men arc fighting. They would have TO
show me around and pay. some attention
to me- and 7 should simply be most
dapaably in the way.
He promised to think it over because
Northcfiffc was So insiStcnt. but Il
knew he wouldn't 20. And I knew that
he was right and we Were wrong.
The last time I saw the Colonel was
on the Monday before his death when I
went TO Oyster Bay with an Engiishman
who has lived in Russia for some
months under the Bolsheviks. We talk
ed at length on the Russian situation.
the Colonel being strongly against In
tervention in Russia itself. Il am per
fectly willing. for my own part" he
said. ITO 10 in for a policy of disinter-
it can't be done. Our people won't send
their boys TO police Russia: there Is no
reason why they should Siberia Is an
other matter. We haye incurred obli-
cations there. and we have to help out
the Czecho-Slovaks. and any law and
order movement that has relied on our
support. 1t is a comparatively easy job
and should be done by volunteers. There
are plenty of soldiers at home waiting
, for a consolation prize. Do you want me
to touch on that in. my next article? All
ri ctt Come out ntB:t Monday ami
bring Ian Hay Beth and I'll have the
artlcei for YOU then"