Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1922-09-28


in midwinter, there was a shortage in
nine military camps of 10000 over
coats and $4,000 wooden blouses, and
recruits were drilling In summer UNI
derware, using wooden rifles and
dummy machine guns. There were
camp hospitals, crowded with soldier
patients, which lacked heat, water
supply and plumbing Pershing's ex-
petition landed in france without. a
piece of artillery, heavy or light
every machine gun and cannon his
troops had was supplied by the AL
lies, and the commander-in-chief
bought 100000 uniforms for them in
England because he could not get
enough from home.
The first definite order for new
rifles was not placed until June l.,
seven weeks after we entered the
war. The commander Of on canton
ment reported in December that his
forces were short of machine guns,
100 per cent; of rifles, SO per cent;
of three-inch guns, SO per cent; of
infantry equipment, 70 per cent; Of
artillery ammunition, 80 per cent. In
the same month Pershing cabled
from France that "the failure to land
supplies of winter clothing has pro-
duced serious situation"
The aircraft scandal made long
chapter in the discreditable record.
For this arm congress appropriated
S640, 100000. In October, 1917, Bak-
er announced that the 10000 air
planes of the program were ain pro-
cess of manufacture" and that the
forces in France would be amply
equipped. Yet in April, 1918, one
year after we entered the war, sem
ate committee found after inquiry
that the manufacture of combat
planes had been "a substantial fail
ure"; the total output had been fiji
teen machines, of which one had been
sent to France. At that time not a
single American fighting plane was
at the battlefront. Nor was there
one in July, during the terrible or
deal Of the American troops; this
fact was officially recorded by
Charles E. Hughes, appointed by
President Wilson to investigate the
scandal.
The Baker failure in matter of
ordinance was not less pitiable. Con-
gress appropriated for this purpose
S4,S37 100000; yet no American big
guns ever reached the battlefront,
and only thirty-day supply of
small shells, chiefly shrapnel. Some
guns were sent over-without ammu-
milton to fit them; some ten-inch
guns delivered behind the lines lack
ed mounts and shells Not a single
high-explosive shell above three-inch
caliber reached France before the
fighting ended; not an American gun
| Of six-inch caliber or over went into
action. The Germans never saw an
American tank; the American tank
corps was not even organized until
March, 1918, and not a machine
reached the battlefront.
And at the close of the war the
record was completely corroborated
| by no less competent witness than
General Pershing himself. In >. his
| preliminary report, dated November
20, 1918, were these passages:
Our entry into the war found us
with few Of the auxiliaries necessary
for its conduct in the modern sense
Among our most important deficien.
cies in material were artillery, avia-
ton and tanks. In order to meet oul
requirements as rapidly as possible
we accepted the offer Of the French
government to provide us with the
necessary artillery equipment fol
thirty divisions. Altho we soon be.
gan the manufacture of these class.
es of guns at home, there were nc
guns of the caliber mentioned, manu-
featured in America, on our front al
The date the armistice was signed
The only guns of those types produc-
ed at home thus far received ir
France are 100 three-inch guns.
In aviation we were in the same
position, and here again the French
government came to our aid. We
obtained from the French the neces.
sary planes for the training of oul
personnel; they have provided u.
with a total of 2,676 pursuit, observa.
ton and bombing planes. The first
airplanes received from home arrived
in May 1918. The first American
squadron completely equipped by
American production crossed the Ger
man lines August Z. AS to tanks
we were also compelled to rely upor
the French.
Such was, in part, the concrete re-
cord Of Mr.. Baker, whose friends are
resentful because the Encyclopedia
Britannica records, the fact that he
was condemned for his failure t.
prepare adequately" They complain
too, because his career is summar.
lied in 200 words. We must admit
that that seems a meager allowance
it permitted no proper account Of al
administration which thru unrepared
ness at the beginning and uncom
petence to the end prolonged the wal
and was responsible for the deaths
Of thousands Of Americans and the