Evening star., 1922-09-21
Criticism Has No Place in Work of
Reference.

Taat criticisms whether justified or
not, are entirely out of place in q
work Of reference. is the opinion Of
the nations editors who discuss the
structures which the Encyclopaedia
Britannica places uD on the work OF
Newton D. Baker, Secretary OF War
under President Wilson. For the
most part. also. the editors. without
regard to their political Affiliations.
resent the slurs upon Bakers official
acts and point to the fact that he had
the loyal commendation' of men like
Gen. John J. Pershing as completely
refuting them. Only one or two
papers indorse the paragraph, while
the great majority insist tnat
should be revised in later editions:
Among his own people. those OF
different political faith and unsympa-
thetic toward many OF Mr.: Bakers
views. join with his friends in de-
nouncing the article. which is absurd
the Newark News. 'Mr. Baker needs
no testimonials. The record OF the
war is his vindication and his monu.
ment. No war was ever conducted
with greater efficiency and less scan
dal." The article is not alone un.
the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. which
suggests that ''it may or may not be
Significant that the authorship OF the
brief Baker biography is concealed
That kind of history writing lends
itself to anonymity. 1t reads like
1920. republican campaign book. rather
than the deliberate judgment OF men
who would be chosen to edit great
publication like the Britannica Such
an attack will not hurt Mr. baker
nor influence the place he Will nnaliy
occupy in the history Of the war. 1t
is however a serious reflection on
the encyclopedia and an injustice to
every one who reads the article un-
critically" This is the view OF the
Knoxville Sentinel. which also points
out that this cheap performance VIII
not do former Secretary Baker any
harm. 1t will only serve to bring
out strongly and publicly the real
character of his services to the coun-
try and the world in the great war
and can only rebound to the discreolt
of the Encyclopaedia Britannica
The Cincinnati Times-Star, owned by
Chief Justice Taft's brother. points out
that Mr. Baker was a pacifist. and too
tender to so-called conscientious 90.
jectors, and must share with his chlel
former President Wilson, and certain OF
not having the nation better armed
when war came. although public policy
and tradition was the chief culprit. But
when America drew the sword Newton
D. Baker was a real War Secretary.
The vast mobilization OF the nations
forces and the fiinging OF two million
armed men upon European soil in time
to decide the issue showed his quality
and that of the chief whose plans he
executed. 1t was great work. Tne pan
who performed it may be politician,
but is he not also a statesman Author
rt,S ,Sy,r - fha atf oh
Petersburg Progress and Index Appeal
thinks, believeing that should the iden-
tity be made public eventually It Will
be found that he Is a bitter political par,
tisan. opposed to Woodrow Wilson and
to all of Mr.. Wilson'S friends and to all
he stood for. and stands for. In the
meanwhile we probably shall see a
great falling off In the sales OF the bri-
tannica in America" The veteran Spring
field Republican is inclined to hold that
udice is responsible for this and other
instances OF injustice"
The manner in which Mr.. Baker dis
missed the incident is praiseworthy ana
will make him many friends, the Nor
folk Ledger Dispatch argues, as had ne
been a vainglorious individual he
would have hurled angry words at the
publishers, but being wise man he re-
Trained and spoke only of the world war
as an American who took no credit 10
himself, but placed 1t where 1T belonged
to the people as a whole. His example
is one worth following, for he STOOD
an acid test and spoke like a man
In the opinion of the Charleston Mail,
"prejudice and partisan malice" have
no place in such a publication. ana
it recites that "the Mail has never
been a partisan of the War Secretary,
even if of a different political faith,
and has at times criticized him; put
1T believes it is its duty to dissent
strongly. from such a warped ana
biased account. which appears on the
very face of 1t to be not only e1-
tremely unjust, but In most wretcned
taste" The Indianapolis Star Is IN
clined. however, to wonder now
much additional fuel is provided TOT
the controversy by the Irritating fact
that in the next column appears
very favorable account of Arthur
James Balfour, the noted Briton. The
fact that Mr.. Baker clung SO tena-
ciously to his post tends to eliminate
him as one who was influential IN
shaping the policy OF this govern.
ment as, an ability to suhmerge al
individuality was one of the require
ments for a position in the wilson
cabinet"
Square opposition to the general
view is assumed by the Akron Beacon
Journal, which holds that "the editor