The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1921-01-28
@ @ g g g G G G G 10000
g UNCLE TED'S BEDTIME. G.
@ STORIES. G.
@ g g @ @ G @ CO 100000


"Oh! please Uncle Ted" pleaded
Jack. Johnny and have been play
ing all afternoon with out tin soldiers
and we do want to hear a story"
You're an awful tease sometimes,
Jack" replied Uncle Ted. And you
know | get tired once in while. Well,
you have given me an idea. You say
you have been playing with your tin
soldiers all afternoon, so I'll tell you
story about the United States army
and the worst friends it ever had"
"Who is that?' asked Ruth, who
had joined the interested circle.
None othe rthan the man to whom
President Wilson has given the job of
looking after the army, Newton d.
Baker, Secretary of War. Before we
went to war with Germany Mr.. Baker
was one of our best little pacifists. In
fact, it was due to him probably as
much as to any one else that the
country found itself in such an utter
ly hopeless state of unpreparedness
whe we faced war. The story of the
cost of that brand of pacifism you
know very well. 1t cost the country
an awful lost both in lives and money
Now recently, he has become very
vindictice and has fought for an enor-
nous army much greater than the
country needs with the result that
Congress does not trust his views in
the matter"
81 shouldn't think they would"
spoke up Johnny.
THAT'S right, Johnny Mr.. Baker
has given the men in Washington who
make our laws entirely too many rea-
sons for going ahead and doing the
things they know Mr.. Baker doesn't
want. What seems to be the answer
to this change of attitude regarding
the size of the army is that because
millions of voters wenet to the polls
and voted to turn down President Will
sons league of nations, Mr.. Baker
thinks we should have big army"
"Well we didn't have his league be-
fore the war, so why shouldn't we
have had a big army them" asked
Jack.
"Of course, Jack, that is one way
to look at it, but really his argument
isn't at all sound. In 1919 he asked
he asked or rather demanded that
Congress make an army of more than
100000 men. Congress, acting wisely,
cut that down fifty per cent. and
placed the size of the standing army
at 100000 and only made provisions
for enough money to support an army
of ITS 10000 men for 1920 and 1921.
"No wwhat do you suppose Mr.. Ba-
ker did right away? Instead of fol-
lowing the wished of Congress, made
up of the representatives of the peo-
pie of this country, he absolutely
turned up his nose at them and start
ed a campaign to recruit men to the
army, spending thousands of dollars
on advertising, until when Congress
went into session last December they
discovered that he had an army OF
$1,000 men, which had made a deficit
of $40 100000. The Military Affairs
Committees of the Senate ond House
of Representatives got busy. A reso-
luton was offered in the Senate Or
dering him to stop recruiting until
the number Of men had dropped to
$4,000, the figure for which funds
had been provided by Congress and
they found 1t necessary to place Mr.
Baker under bond to keep him from
throwing away the public money,
"Whep Mr.. Baker was demanding
that no less than 100000 men must be
kent under arms at all times General
pershing said that 175,0OO would be
enough. 1t was agreed that General
pershings figures was safe one and
that to go below that might be unsafe
| The enate has now settled on an army
OF 175.0O0, brought about by q resolu'
ton introduced by Senator Harry s
New of Indiana. When the matter was
being discussed in the Senate many
things were said regarding not only
Mr.. Baker but Secretary Of the Navy
Daniels as we'll.
"In fact, it was Senator Reed, Dem
ocrat, who made speech in which ne
said Mr.. Daniels wanted to do away
with all our navy one minute and the
next minute he wanted the biggest
navy in the world"
"What has the House done?" asked
Jack.
1.-THE House, Jack, adopted resolu
ton by chairman Kahn of the Militar!
Affairs Committee settling the ARM
at the same figure, 175,OOO. Their
we're plenty of things said in thu
House too. Representative Mondell. o
Wyoming, Republican leader, saiC
that when Congress appropriated