The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, February 12, 1918, Page THREE, Image 3
? / / ? '
WILLIAMS ANSWERS
- ON HOW
r
? (New York Times.)
Washington, Feb. 4.?Senator
Gilbert M. Hitchcock of Nebraska,
opened the fight for the passage of
the Chamberlain War Cabinet bill
with a three-hour speech in the Sen-j
ate today in which he attacked thej
Administration as having failed to
co-ordinate the war activities of the:
nation. He maintained that Presi-!
V '
dent Wilson "does not know the|
real situation," which Senator j
Hitchcock characterized as "worse i
than alarming."
Senator Hitchcock spoke of the;
President as belonging to a "school |
? t ?1 _ .11 j. _ _ j
IB oi pnnosopners wno aunei e iu me
I belief that all important legislation |
\. ought to emanate with the Execu-j
9 tive." While expressing loyalty to
I the Executive, the Senator assertI
ed the right to bring to light defects
I in the war administration which, he
I said, menaced the ultimate aim of!
I , victory over the enemy.
I
I Challenging the statement of SecI
retary Baker that the War Depart[
ment had achieved a triumph in the;
I work done in the last nine mo-nths,
Senator Hitchcock asserted that the !
yt\ : . . ,
; Secretary was "out of touch" with
details of department activities.
, I Mr. Hitchcock declared "exaggerl
ations of the wildest sort," the
"sanguine predictions of Mr. Baker, J
as to our ability to ship men to Eu-1
rope and to supply them when
[ there."
In reality, Senator Hitchcock contended,
the problem of getting men
* . ' a Pvnnno nroe nvfromoll7 (TfflVP. HTlH
(I iiv x* xajiiv^ nuo vawa
r v c. " ; , .
[ he expressed doubt whether the Secretary
realized the difficulties ahead.
k He calculated that 5,000,000 tons of
f shipping would be needed to supply
1,000,000 men in France, if the
men could be got there, and he said
that nowhere near that tonnage
would be available. "I cannot believe,"
said the Senator of the Sec ,
retary's prophecy, "that he intended
it as a gigantic bluff to Germany
or to deceive us, but he was out of
touch with conditions'.'
I' Williams makes Repiy.
3 Senator Hitchcock's attack on the
I Adminsitratioh brought a rebuke!
| 1 from Senator John Sharp Williams |
I ' of Mississippi, who criticised the
. War Cabinet bill and the bill to;
I create a directorship of munitions"
of munitions as "stupid." He char-l
~ . acterized advocacy of the measures
I v as an effort to "put the President in
a hole."
? Senator Williams referred to the
? attitude of Senators, among whom
was Senator Hitchcock, in the early
\ * '
, days of the war, in favor of a measure
to declare an embargo against
shipping munitions to the Allies. At
that time, Mr. Williams insisted,
they were "playing the German
game." Now Germany's sympathiz
ers in this country, Senator Williams
said, are "muckraking the Admint
istration.'
"You know these two bills can'
not pass this Senate," the Senator
went on. "Why do you insist on
forcing them in this way? Show
where you stand. Are you trying
to pass them so the President will
have to veto them and you can
make him temporarily unpopular in!
the country? If that's it, say so." j
"Let us not wage this war as Re-1
publicans or Democrats," Senator j
_ Williams went on. "Let us not wage j
it as Southerners or Northerners, |
but as Americans."
Senator Reed of Missouri expressed
sympathy with the efforts of
S*enator Chamberlain, Senator Hitchcock,
and the others standing with
them to uncover War Department
. delinquencies, but stated his opposition
to the proposed measures as
interference with the constitutional
right of the executive to assume, un
hindered, the authority of Com-i
mander in Chief of the Army and I
Naw. To foist a War Cabinet or ;
(Director of Munitions upon the executive,
Senator Reed argued, would
be to usurp his prerogatives.
The statement by the Missouri
Senator of his opposition to the bill !
was the first intimation that he!
would align himself with the Admin- j
istration Democrats. As a member
of the Military Affairs Committee,
Senator Reed may be able, with his
vote, to keep the War Cabinet bill!
from being reported to the Senate. J
Aside from the brief speeches of f
Senators Reed and Williams, thej
stage in the War Cabinet contro-;
*?W?i
k .
! HITCHCOCK ^
TO WIN THE WAR *
versy was held by Senator Hitch- p
cock. Tomorrow Senator Wadsworth a
of New York, another member of
the Military Affairs Committee, will g.
speak for the Chamberlain measure. *1
In the meantime, the appearance of ^
Secretary of War Baker for cross- n
examination before the committee y
has been put off until Wednesday. q
The galleries were jammed when
Senator Hitchcock began his speech, f
Democratic Senators interrupted g
him several times to ask questions. a
At one time Senator Martin, the
Democratic floor leader; Senator p
Myers of Montana, Senator Williams a
and Senator Kirby of Arkansas, were g
on their feet to demand why the ^
Nebraskans had not conferred with f
the Administration on delinquencies 0
which, he said, existed in the con- s
duct of the war. n
"Oh, I've done that," replied Mr. d
Hitchcock. "I have made a nui- ^
sance of myself taking these matters
up with the Secretary of War.
He hasn't time to bother with de- g
tails. No one man could do the g,
work he has before him." .
Senator Hitchcock challenged Sec- t<
retary Baker's assertion before the a
Military Affairs Committee last week t]
that the War Department had a war b
plan. After listening to the Secre- j
tary, he said, he was convinced that t<
no plan exists. ^
Mr. Hitchcock called the delays n
in the shipbuilding program as k
"worse than a farce." "It's noth- ti
ing short of a crime," he said. He f<
spoke of the whole war administra- a
tive machinery as "obsolete and I
cumbersome," and contended that li
the War Cabinet and munitions di- P
rectorship plans would insure the co
ordination that now was lacking, p
He went into the equipment of sol- tl
diers, presenting evidence of insuf- tl
ficient clothing and ammunition as ir
proof that the War Department had
failed to meet the necessities of the .
time. jy
In speaking of President Wilson's n
opposition to the War Cabinet and Q
Munitions measures, Senator Hitch- p
cock remarked: . w
"His attitude is unfortunate, but n
not altogether unnatural, since \he d<
believes that all legislation should h
originate with the Executive." k
When Senator Hitchcock early in si
his speech spoke of 21,000,000 pairs h
of shoes having been ordered for
an army of 300,000 in France as S
showing haphazard methods in' the v
War Department, Senator Myers in- tl
terrupted.
"It seems to me you are going in- ^
to figures that might be questioned." ^
said Senaotr Myers. "Can you vouch ^
for their authenticity?" ^
"I do and I can verify them," s*
said Senator Hitchcock. tl
"Who made that statement about H
21,000,000 shoes for 300,000 men?"
demanded Senator Williams. a:
"I carmot reveal the name," said N
, Senator Hitchcock. "I am not at y
liberty to, but l can assure the sen- n
ators that I am speaking from tl
facts." a:
"The Senator is making state- d
ments upon hearsay," and this h go- ir
ing out to the country," insisted tl
Senator Williams. "It would be sj
wiser if the Senator had not re- g
peated this hearsay stuff." e:
"I am perfectly willing for the H
Senator to dispute it and bring vin a:
any evidence to the contrary," re- fi
torted Senator Hitchcock. "The innnirv
T V>nvp mnrlp as t.r* this find
some other'matters has been among si
men who have come here to serve A
the Government during the war, and t<
I dislike to get any of the men int& o
trouble. But they are in position ei
to know what the records show." p!
Mr. Hitchcock told of 150 tons of ti
meat being spoiled on the way to
France because the refrigeration ri
plants aboard ship had not been op- S
erated. The meat was shipped back w
to Hoboken. Senator Martin wanted
to know where he got that in- cr,
formation, and Mr. Hitchcock said d:
that it had been widely published jr
and never denied. Senator Weeks
interrupted to say that the 150 tons s}
of meat incident had been put up p
to Secretary Baker or the Quarter- u
master General before the Military ni
Affairs Committee and that the wit- tl
ness said it was true. w
"The Senator is mentioning these ir
things on the floor of the Senate," w
protested Senator Martin. "It
- - .
\ .
eems to me he should have brought
hem to the attention -of the War
)epartment instead."
"I have done so," replied Senator
[itchcock. "I have done it without
vail."
Senator Hitchcock was "thunder-,
truck,' 'he said, over what he called
tie calm assertion of Secretary Baer
that he could land 1,000,000
ior^ men in France by the end of
lie year. Only if there were 5,00000
tons of shipping available and
; was used incessantly, without loss
rom sinking by submarines, the
ienator said, would it be possible to
ccomplish such a task.
"I am curious to know," interosed
Senator Penrose, '"whether
ny explanation ha^ occurred to the
Ienator as to how the Secretary of
Var was so sadly apart from the
acts. Had he not been informed
r did he allow his sanguine dispoition
and hopefuln ature and optilism
to predict a result the facts
id not justify?"
'hinks Baker Does Not Know Facts
"I would not like to attempt to
xplain the motives which led thej
ecretary of War to make such a
tatementj" replied Senator. Hitchock.
"I think it is a terrible thing
3 mislead the people when facts are
scertainable. My own opinion is
fiat the Secretary of War has not
een in touch with the Shipping!
loard; that there has been nothing j
5 co-ordinate the Shipping Board
dth the other functions of Govern-!
lent, and that there 'has not been
nowleage in high places of the acjal
facts. It is a miserable thing
or us to live in a fool's paradise
nd think we can do the impossible,
do not think the Secretary has deberately
misled the people; he simly
doesn't know."
Insisting that he was loyal to the
Resident, Senator Hitchcock said
lat, in the main, he had supported
le Executive in all his legislation
1 Congress.
"On great occasions our President
ises to heights of greatness," said
[r. Hitchcock. "The two greatest
ten in the world today are Lloyd
eorge and Woodrow Wilson. But
resident Wilson cannot do all the
ork of the war for us alone. He
eeds help; he needs machinery. He
oes not know the real situation. He
ears only one side of it. If he
new hoth sides of it. he would not;
and against measures that would !
elp him win the war."
In opposing the War Cabinet bill
enator Williams said that its adocates
appeared to "want to give
le President brains."
That he said, could not be done
irough legislation, if the President
as not endowed with them. Mr.
[itchcock and the other Senators
ho attacked the Administration, he
lid, had been looking for "speck3",
ley had magnified trifling faults,
[e went on:
"Jeremiah and his lamentations
re not in it with the Senator from
ebraska. He begins away back beon
d and tells us we have no ships,
or this, nor that, nor the other
i
ling that we need. He has drawn j
n indictment against the executive
epartment of the Federal Goverotent
that is very strong. During
le course of his remarks he has
lid that he might be accused 011
iving information useful to the
nemy if he disclosed all he knew,
[e has disclosed about all he knew
nd he gave information very usej1
to the enemy."
Muckraking-, Says Williams.
Senator Williams was tired, he
lid, of the "muckraking" of the
dministration. Senators who tried
> put an embargo on munitions and
ther supplies to the Allies in the
arly days of the war, he said, had
layed Germany's game. He co:nnued:
"The German game now is muckiking
the Administration. If tliei
enator from Nebraska is right in j
hat he has said, we are whipped I
Iready; we are out of this war
ame .right now, because he has
rawn and attempted to prove an
idictment against the executive aulority
of our Government which
lows not only inefficiency, but stu-|
idity. He comes here with a measre
to invest the President with
lore power in order to prove that
le President can become efficient
ith more power when he has beenj
lefficient, in the Senator's opinion,
ith less power.
"These Aulic Council propositions
have been tried from time to time
everywhere. Even the Austrian Empire
that runs riot had sense enough
to do away with the Aulic War
Council. If the Senator wanti, he
can find that of all the assess that
ever existed the worst was the typical
council of assess that came very
near ruining Lincoln and Grant in
the civJJ war. The Senator could go
a little further back and find that
the continental Congress came very
near ruining George Waijhington
with a committee on the coi^uct of
the war. If there is anything that
any man ought to know who has any
sense at all, it is that Congress or a
committee cannot furnish the brains
to anybody else to carry a wax on.
"Here is this stupid bill, a situpid
thing demanding three 'distinguished
men of demonstrated ability' to be
or?nniw+or1 V*ir fVio Praoi/lnn 4* f a
u^^Wlll bVU Kf J 1/1IV A. XWOIU VIJV wvr VU1 i. J
on the war. 'Distinguished' by
whom? 'Ability demonstrated' by
whom? After you are through with
it as the Senator has confessed, it
has to go back ot the President to
'distinguish' these men and their
ability. And here is the President
already not only armed with a duty,
but charged with the responsibility
of distinguishing men and of recognizing
'demonstrated ability.' ,
"If the President is a fool, how
are you going to give him brains by
an act of Congress? If the President
is not a fool, what is the need,
of your legislation? Just say what
'it' is. Are you trying to embarrass
t? u,o4
IImi; JLd vital/ iv?
"The Senator quoted from somebody
in the Bible, 'Thou are not able
to hold up thy hands by thyself
alone and they shall hold his han^s,
one on the one side and the other
on the other.' Who is going to hold
up the hands of the President? Is
it to be the Senator from Nebraska
and the Senator from Pennsylvania
(Mr. Penrose) who will do it?
"The President has already selected,
in. his opinion, a Secretary of
the Navy, a Secretary of War, a
Secretary of State, who are three
'distinguished gentlemen of demonstrated
ability.' You tre talking
about the need of business abilityI
in connection with this -vrar. I venture
to say ,right now, you cannot
name three men that you would
dare offer to take these places."
A Colloquy Over Co-Ordination
"I shall not undeitake to do it,
anyhow," volunteered Senator Hitch
cock. "I never expect to be elected
President of the United* States, and
until I am I certainly would not undertake
to do jt."
Senator Hitchcock went on to say
that what he sought ws.s' to establish
co-ordination of the departments.
<
"I am here to say," he went on,
"that the President doe3 not and
cannot, on account of the limitation
of the human system, co-ordinate
them."
Senator Williams wanted to know
how it would be possible for the
President to select fit men for a War
Cabinet if he was not able to pick
them from his present Cabinet.
"The trouble is the chain lacks the
link. It is not together. I want to
bring the chain together," insisted
Mr. Hitchcock. "You have not only
two pieces of chain, you have a doz
en."
"And a chain is only so strong
as the weakest link in it," replied
Mr. Williams. "I do not want to add
another link to the chain. The Senator
is not proposing to take off any
links."
Senator Williams insisted that the
President with his present powers
might appoint any men he wanted
to effect co-ordination.
"He cannot," replied Mr. Hitchcock.
"They cannot have any power
unless it is granted by Congress.
I am not criticising the Secretary
of War or the Secretary of the
Navy or any other Secretary. I
have endeavored 1;o avoid personal
criticism. I am excusing them. I
say that the system is such tnat 11
the Secretary of War or of the
Navy and the Food Administrator
run their departments well they are
all doing it separately."
If the War Cabinet bill passed,
Senator Williams said, President
Wilson would veto it. "And if the
Senate passed it over the veto and
I were President," he added, "I'd
refuse to obey on the ground that it
would only make worse confusion to
have that war cabinet."
"Does not the Senator think that,
if the President declined to act under
the bill, as he indicates, it would
subject him to impeachment. proceedings?"
suggested Senator Gallinger
of New Hampshire.
"Oh, Congress might try to impeach
him by brute force," assented
Mr. Williams. "It was tried with
Andrew Johnson."
"And they came near doing it,"
put in Senator Gallinger.
"And no page in American history
is more shameful, more shameless
than that one," retorted Senator
Williams. \
"That may be the Senator's opinion,
but other men honestly differ
with him,' replied Senator Gallinger.
Senator Williams again styling the
War Cabinet bill "stupid", turned
to Senator Hitchcock and asked:
"What do you know about running
this war? You know less than
I do, and I know nothing. General
Pershing and General Bliss can be
depended upon to fight it out over 1
there, and if they can't do it, we can I
get some other Generals who will i
and can. Let them alone, and let t
the President alone. They know ]
what to do." t
Decrying partisanship in wartime,
Senator Williams urged that Demo- *
crats and Republicans alike should ^
"stand back of the President." Turn- y
ing to the Democratic Senators, he y
urged' that the effort to "embarrass
the President with legislation he -y
does not want" be abandoned, j
Turning to the Republican side, he i
) 1
exclaimed:
"Is there any Republican Senator c
who does not believe in this war, ex- z
cept a few fool pacifists who are
pretty near to passing out of politi- <]
cal existence?" \
Reed Asrainst Impugning Motives
Senator Reed expressed the hope i
that motives of Senators, who i
sought to make the war machinery
more effective, would no longer be ^
challenged as unpatriotic. While
opposed to the war cabinet and mu- I
nitions bills, he said he had faith in \
the integrity of the Senators who
advocated them. c
"I have no patience with the im- J
pugning of the motives of men who, (
seeing faults, seek to correct those 8
faults," said Senator Reed. "Nei- 1
their have I patience with those who
describe the conditions that have *
been disclosed by these invetigations 1
as mere flyspecks on the firmament, *
or as slight defects in the heel of
the perfect statue. _ *
"If 7.000 men in the cold winter ,
are compelled to leave- their homes J
and are not furnished with sufficient
clothing, that is not a fly-speck. ,
J
That is a serious matter. It may be ^
,a matter calling for denunciation or
punishment, or itNmay be a matter
subject to much palliation because
of the conditions which had to be
met. If soldiers are permitted to ,
J
die in hospitals because of a want of
proper medical attention, if their
bodies are allowed to lie upon the
floor, that is not a speck. That is a
' I
tragedy, all the sadder because it
befell one who was willing to yield ^
his life in the service of his country, j ^
"If cannon that might have bee'n i
provided have not been provided, j ^
that is not a speck. It may mean the |
lr.ee nf a hofflp flTlfl thousands Of I
lives may be sacrificed. If ships *
have not been bunkered with coal,
and the coal was available, that is
I
not a speck. That is of vital import- ^
ance in carrying on this war, and
whoever is responsible for that
blunder has at least shown himself
' r
capable of bluudering, and it might
well be questioned whether he should
further hold authority.
"I utterly decline to accord with ^
the view that thes6 matters are trifles.
They are matters of serious, \
of grave, of almost tragic import- r
ance. They should be so met, so con?v>
J ft/ifinn o p Pnn ffTflcc
siuereu anu ouwa ouwvu g
should take ought to be taken. rj
"But I think we ought to be_. a
little more generous in giving credit
for that which has been accomplished.
It must be borne in mind
that we were plunged into this war t
without preparation, and it must be r
borne in mind that every man in d
this body believed, as did the Presi- a
riant n-t tlio TTnitpd fit.at.ps_ that, wp n
would escape being drawn into this b
war.' e
As to*the War Cabinet bill, Sena- a
tor Reed said that if it were passed is
it would take from the President d
powers given him by the Constitu- ii
tion. ' si
"I think there is a very clear dis-j b
;inction," said Senator Reed, "ber
;ween the passage by Congress ?pf
;he bill which will have to do wi{h
;he furnishing of supplies, with the
"urnishing of money, with the creaion
of the machinery that ultimate- /
y results in the making of an army
ind navy, and another clasl of legislation
that proposes to -control- the irmy
and control the navy -after
hey have been created. When we
some to the. latter, 1 believe ., the
Resident is, as the Constitution.*airs
he Commander in Chief, and hp*
he right to say where the ?9gpy
iha.ll go and where the navy MiutU
ro and how tbey shall fight and in
vhat manner they shall proceed.
"If you put that power in the War
Cabinet, and if the War Cabinet wcircises
that power, what is 4bera
eft for the President? Instead of
jeing the Comander in Chief of the
irmy with the power to mate plans
:or the advance of the army or the
etreat of the army, or the - move^ .y
nent of the army, plans are <to be
/. rv . V |m ; ' f
nade by a war council, and it i?
riven the power and authority to ^
jrocure and direct the execution of v v
he same."
k V V vvvvvvvvvv\v
V
LONG CANE V
k , . .A
Long Cane, Feb. 9.?Mr. and
y. S. Bosler's little daughter,- Li&ioo
Hay, is sick at this writing. Wo ('.
lope for her an early recovery.
Mrs. J. A, W-oodhurat of
:ity, spent the week-end with <$fr.
ind Mrs. W. T. King.
Miss Linnie Beauford spent lot t : ;
rhursday night with .Mr:-' and. Ma. '-'j
V. S. Bosier. *
Mr. John Stewartspent Thursday
n the Cold Spring community, with * J
tfr. and Mrs. John Stone. :V;j
Mr. W. T. King was a btnrin?
isitor to the city Holiday.
Misses Linnie and lone an? Viola
Jeauford spent Saturday evening ^
nth Miss Eva Finley.
Miss Nina Beauford spent Sater- }
lay in the city with Mr.anAJMta.
r. M. McKellar.
Mrs. Charlie King and children
v r , t * ,<?k
pent the week-end of last "week with v
At. and Mrs. W: T. King.
Mrs. W. D. Beauford and dsofher,
Miss lone, spent Thursday oi
ast week with Mr. and Mrs. W. S
hosier. /l,
Mr. Robert B.eauford of Bethia,
' U T '*.7, '
s visiting Mr. Thompson Beauforg. ' ^
Mr. and Mrs. J. M. McKeiiar or A : ^
;he city, spent the week-end with
tfr. and Mrs. W. D. Beauford.
Mr. Walter hughes and uater, $
iliss Lizzie, of Cold Spring, spent v/i
;he week-end with Mrs Mattie Stew? %
?*
Mrs. W. D. Beauford and daug|t- vfra
' . , ?. '!-4w
;ers, Misses Linnie and Nina, and ; ,
Ulie, spent Friday with Mr. -and -fj
Urs. L. F. Finley. ,
Miss Nina Beaufjord:spent..Sunday
vith Mr. and Mrs. W. S. Bosler. :
After an illness of seve&J . dajp, ' M
ilr. Marcus Keller died at the hom*
>f his parents, Mr. and Mrs. W. W. . a^|j
j. Keller, on last Friday. <Mr. dueler
made his home in fche.xity. and
vorked as a salesmah in their ptor*
mtil a few days ago,, when h?*3M
aken critically ill and was syffflyad ' ^
o the home of,his parents, ? ytyf
le endured his suffering iaithfpjly ,
intil death came to his relief 'Frigiqr
ifternoon at two o'clock, Feb. .8, i'-f.918.
Mr. Keller was a young roan, of
loble character and he has wo*
.... ... '"-Kai
nany friends in and throughout <&d- ^
leville county. ^ The funeral .j**- ^
'ice was held at the Methediit
hurch at Abbeville, Saturday . ^
ended by a host of sorrowful mis- 7$
ives and friends. The inteznunt "^gj
/as at Melrose cemetery. The Jb?eaved
family has our sympathy.
Mr. Bob King of , BloConaiek,
pent Thursday . night with Mr. W. :v|
\ King.
BACK TO SUSPENDEftS.
One of the incidental result*
his war for democracy may b* * ;
eturn to the general use of juutfjlers.
These supports, once wora /,*j|
11 men have in late years been, paerceded
almost eveiywhere "by th*
elt. New York,physicians who.have "> ?<?
xamined thousands of drafted ty** /*'/?
re reported as saying that tb? ball -&$j
! harmful to health, cawjn? ?jpj(JM?
icitis, stomach trouble and otiui '
iternal disorders by unduly ?oa?
,io .-v't i * * . ^
tricting the central pfurt of tt* ^
ody.?Anderson Daily Mail. I ' ;i$
; o ; !ar.?' i
- ^'4fi
-ai