The Glenwood post. (Glenwood Springs, Colo.) 1897-current, 1921-01-29
uae'e Tets Bed Tine Stories
Current Events For the Children
and 0rown-ups, Too
THE WORST FRIEND OF
THE UNITED STATES ARMY

"Oh, please, Uncle Tcd,' Pleaded
Jack. "Johnny and 1 have been play
ing all afternoon with our tin soldiers
and we do want to hear story"
"You'r re an awful tease sometimes,
jack replied Uncle Ted. "And yoa
know 1 get tired once in q 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
a story about the United States army
and the worst friend it ever had
"Who is thatl'' asked Ruth, who
had joined the interested circle.
None other than the man to whom
President Wilson has given the job Of
looking after the army, Newton D. b.
ker, secretary of war. Before we went
to war with Germany Mr.. Baker was
one of our best little pacifsts. In fact,
is was due to him probably as much as
to anyone else that the country found
itself in such an utterly hopeless state
of preparedness when we faced war.
The story of the cost of that sort of
pacitiism you know very well. 1t cost
the country an awful lot both in lives
and money. Now recently he has be-
come very vindictive and has fought
for an enormous army, much greater
than the country needs, with the result
that Congress does not trust his views
in the NATTER
81 shouldn't think they would"
spoke up johnny.
"That's right Johnny. Mr.. Baker
has given the men in Wa hington who
make our laws entirely too many
reasons for going ahead and doing the
things they know Baker doesn't want.
change of attitude regarding the size
of the army is that because millions Of
voters went to the polls and voted to
turn down President Wilson'S league
of nations, Mr. Baker thinks We should
have big army"
well, we didn't have his league
before the war, so why shouldn't we
have had big army then?' asked
Jack.
"'Of course, Jack, that is one way to
look at it, but really, his argument is
not at all sound. In 1919 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 10000 men for
1920 and 1921.
Now what do you suppose Mr.. b.
ker did right away2 Instead of fol
lowing the wish of Congress, made up
of the representatives of the people of |
this country, he absolutely turned up
his nose at them and started campaign |
to recruit men to the army, spending
thousands of dollars on advertising, ur-
til when Congress went into session last |
December they discovered that he had !
an army of 100000 men, which had |
made n deficit of $40,000,00O. The |
affairs committee of the sen.
ate and house of representatives got |
busy. A resolution was offered in tile |
senate ordering 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 It necessary to place Mr..
Baker under bond to keep him from
throwing away the public money.
"When Mr.. Baker was demanding
that no less than 100000 men must be
kept under arms at all times, General
Pershing said that 10000 would he
enough. 1t was agreed that General
Pershing's figure was safe one and
that to go below that might be unsafe.
The senate has now settled on an army
of 10000, brought about by resolu-
ton introduced by Senator Harry u.
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
as well.
"In fact, it was Senator Reed, Dem