Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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CHAMBERLAIN I CHARGES Oi Says President Wilson D Only Motive is to Spe Cites Cases in Conn Ordnance and Scnitc HP Washington, Jan. 24.?In a dramatic three^hour speech to the senate to. 1 day Senator Chamberlain, chairman of the military committee, replied to President Wilson's statement that he : had distorted the facts in charging i that the government had broken down 1 in its war preparations. He declared the rpeaident had grossly maligned him and not only defended but em' phastically reiterated his assertions, made in a recent address at New York. He said the president did not know the truth and he did. The senator disclaimed any personal rancor against either the president or Secretary of War Baker, saying his only motives were patriotic, to rouse the country and to speed up the war by wiping out inefficiency. In support of his position he cited uiumerous incidents of alleged inefficiency in connection with army ordnance, clothins: supplies and sanitation brought out during the military committee's inquiry. Senators and many representatives crowded the floor and the galleries were packed as Senator Chamberlain j spoke. He began quietly, declaring it was with a feeli: g of sadness that be 1 found tit necessary to rise to a question of personal privilege to defend t his veracity, heretofore unassailed, t but as he launched into the speech he 5 grew emphatic and at times vehement. When the Oragon senator concluded t Senator Kirby, a member of the mili- 4 tary committee, replied on .behalf of t the administration, flatly contradict- r ing the chairman's assertion that facts t brought out ib the investigaioa prov- t war ftennrtment ineffirient. Then the senate adjourned until Monday to j t cut off further discussion. Baker Expected to Answer. : There was no comment either at the i \ white house or the war department on i the Chamberlain speech. It ?is known, ^ however, that administration replies ' are to be made soon by Senator James ^ in the senate and Representative Dent of Alabama, chairman of the military t committee, and Representative Glass t .rvf Vifcnnip in tha house Secretary r ?; !&aker probably will make his answer i on Saturday, when he appears before n the house committee. Representative Bent called at the department late to- ? day and invited him to make a state- r ment to the committee. s The senate committees' bill for a war cabinet, about which the contro- 1 versy centers, was referred without s objection today to the committee. The understanding is that it also will be referred to the naval committee later, j , Senator unamoer'am aeianea tn "is j f speech what he declared was proof of army inefficiency.. He aseilted that not only was the president ignorant of the truth about conditions, hut that i c Secretary Baker also was misled, chal- j lenging from the senate and the coun- ( try to inquire and then deny his assertions. Despite the president's opposi- j . tion, he declared the committee's army investigation would proceed and the j ' committee's plans to resume its in- ! quiry tomorrow by calling Surgeon ^ Gorgas to testify regarding health ; conditions. So Animus Toward Wilson. In beginning his address, Senator Chamberlain said the president had attacked both his veracity and integrity, heretofore unchallenged, but that in replying he did so without any personal feeling against the president. "For twenty-four years," Senator Chamberlain said, "I have served the public in my state to the best of my ' ability and in all that time I have ! never had my veracity called in ques- j, tion nor my integrity impeached, and I have passed through some bitter campaigns. It is, therefore, with some j feeling of humiliation and also some ! sadness that I rise to a question of ' personal privilege when my veracity j has been called in question, riot by an j ordina.rv citizen: not by one of my col- j leagues, but by a \erv distinguished i gentleman who has the love anl ad- ! miration of the people, and who by their suffrage occupies the highest \ place in the gift of the people and, I > may say, the highest place of any n:an < in the world. : "It is, therefore, with much feeling j that I rise to address myself to the attack made upon me, and I do ?o with- j out any feeling of unkindness. "These personal charges against me ' amount to nothing to the American people out arrest pos.nes wuvi may > involve the future of this country, if not the entire world." Senato~ Chamberlain said he had been invited to sre~k before the N:a- ' tional Jerome, accepted on. ehort notice and without time to prei IEPEATS r INEFFICIENCY ' oesn'tKnow. Declarec ed up Preparations. lection withAamy Clothing and ition. pare an address. He recalled that oi the dias with him were Alton B. Park er? Theodore Roosevelt and Juliu Kahn, and that the audience was "j representative body that for patriot ism can not be excelled by any lik body in the United States." He thei -eiterated that he assumed responsi kilifv fAi? tvin Qo ranartoh h-1 JLVi WUV UO * WVU M, iewspapers,and had read to the sen ite a verbatim repor published iJ ie New York Times. Senator Chamberlain, after haviiij ead to the senate a verbatim copy o lie speech for which the president de nounced him, declared that, he adherei .o what he had said. No Reply From Wilson. Upon his return to Washington, Sen tor Chamberlain said he received ? etter from Preside't Wilson contain ng a quotation fronn the 'New Yorl Vorld and asking if the quotation wa: orrect. The president wrote that hi 'id not like to comment on the state nents until he knew positively tha he senator had made them. The letter was recAved too late fo; i reply Sunday, 'Senator Chamberlaii continued, "but in a letter sent to th< :vhite house the follo\vin<r day, he re Mied that he had been quoted substan. lially correct in the World, but askei ;he president to read the entire speed is printed in the Times, instead o >nly a part of it. Senator Chamberlain's letter addec hat he was discussing only the policy 'or lack of policy" of the military es ablishment. After stating his expe. 'ience in the military affairs and tesimony .in the committee's investiga. ions, the senator's letter continued: "I believe I .know something aboul I?e -&5cicn?ie3 in the military estab'"shr^c ts. . deficiencies which are lc?rly recogniezd and proved, * * n a system that ought to be remodled for the proper prosecution of the var, * * * and have these disointed and unco-ordinated defects veeded out." In his letter the senator also offeree1 o go over the whole situation witt ho nroeiHpn.t hut said he received nc eply and on the following day the (resident's statement criticising hiir '*2s published. The president's statement and Sen. tor Chamberlain's reply then were ead to the senate, and the Oregcr enator observed: "I do not know if any reply to mj etter was necessary. I assume thai tatement is the answer." Duty to Country. "Tbo statement of the Dresideii .challenges me, of course, for proof o: ;he statement in the New York Times :o which statement I adhere and re ?eat before this 'body. "The people of this country may no see this as I do, but as chairman o he military committee as an America] iitizen and a member of thiis distin ?uished body, I felt that I should sa; the things that are in me, and if in m'nlrin!? a rift ir> the Cloud through which the American peopl may see I will feel that my effort have not been in vain. "Now that my truthful :ess has bee; questioned," Senator Chamberlain con tinued, "I feel it my duty to tell th country something I might not hav told it under ordinary circumstances I do it as a man who loves his cou;: try best of all, and who would willing ly give his life for it. I do it fear lessly as an American citizen who de sires to help and not to hinder.'' He repeated he had not distorte the truth in his speech made in Net York, but that owing to the great rus: of "business due- to the war the presi dent hns probably not been able t ascertain the truth and does not kno'v the truth. From the lips of t.ho.-> c-losest to the president, the chief ex ecutive can not learn the truth, no because his advisers desire, to mis lead him. but because they are situat ed in the same position as he. 'The secretary of war, in a genera statement to the country which wa carefully and ably prepared, tells u that $3,200,000,<R?0 have meen appro printed for the ordnance departmen and that contracts for $1,677,000,00 have beea awarded," he continued "This is true, but the secretary faile to tell the country that America faile to stand prepared." "France, bled white," he continued "is furnishing America today and th troops goin? abroad with heavy orri nance, machine guns and airplane If v.*e relied on the ordnance depart merit !n this emergency fand this is war of artillery), the war would b romP'eted before we ever got enoug to ?he front. France agreed to delive this artillery. To win America? Di J she furnish it in order to invite Am! erica?" r; Guns Bought From Allies. j It was improper^ he said, to give de. I tails of American purchases of ord ? nance from the allies, but referret senators to the confidential testimon: before the committee by Major Gen cral Crczier, chief of ordnancc. "If the administration had want.ec to he fair to the American people,' he shouted, "why didn't the distill guished secretary of war, end I hav< the highest regard for him, let tha J people know so that the people couh I oonie* ir> o-ottinfr rA9f?v fnr thr-a tArriblf | ao^xot xu s j calamity that confronts nvjt onl] a America, but the whole world?" Senator Chamterladn charged <tha' 0 | the ordnance bureau failed in 1916 t( j | prepare for war when it seemed cer ~ tain. ' "There were omens in the sky," h< continued, "that America couldn't keei 1 out. What was the ordnance depart ment doing? Nothing. It was lyinj 3 supinely on its back, not making * | gauges for manufacturing ordnanc " j nor discovering the possibilities 0] 3. I ! manufacturing?but doing nothing, ab. solutely nothing." Appropriations for jigs and dies t< " : make ordnance, he said, had not beer 1 used. "I'm not blaming anybody i: " | particular/' the senator continued. "] v! have high regard for General iCrozier 3' But we haven't been cble to do wha' 3 I " | England, Frarce, and all our ether al"; lies have done and that is to retire | these <rentlemen who have not prove: j themselves up to the mark. We oughl r j not to dismiss them in disgrace, but in 1 other countries they have gone inic y j " ; innocuous aesuetuae " j "This isn't a question of personal! ' ties. This is not a question between * the president of the United States am] 1 myself. It's a questioo of America f ! and every man ought to rniake it hie j whole purpose to see that America is * saved. "Take the machine -gun." said Senj ator Chamberlain. "It's an old contro! versy and much may ibe said on both ' sides. The Lewis gun has been manufactured here for the British army ani ; there are 70,000 of them on the battle ', fronts. Every British officer I have ', se-^n has expressed approval of that ' gun. America was prepared to pro; auce them, but with the country stand" 1 ing on a seething volcano the ord5j nance department was trying' to de' j.cide on a gun. The war department ' i didn't even ?.c?opt a gun until May, ; and finally adopted it in June, 1917, I ^ i believe, and then only on paper and :'t 1; is still a gun on paper, I^has never ' i had a field test. Maybe fhe Brown5 I ing gun is a good weapon, but the 1 Lewis gun is doing good work. Why not manufacture Lewis guns?" Has Sine Browning Guns# * The secretary of war testified before 1 the committee, he recalled, that in Sep tember the United States had nine Browning guns "with which to go out t j against the millions of Germany." He denounced the cry that investigation gives information to the enemy, t "G-ermany knows more about Amer. f ica today than the men conencted with the departments," Senator Chamber - lain declared. If the goverr.-menl would be frank with the people, "ther t we could rely upon the people to rallj f to the support of the president an( 3 the prosecution of the war," he added Great Britain, he said, did not wast' " I y i t'ime manufacturing guns. The Unite? ? : States could have adopted the sarrn s I kind of a rifle as used by England, a. i nlonfs in fAiintrv xt-oro onninnPi P j [/1UU 1U ^ il * O W J t' V* v s j for manufacturing t.hem, he conti ued j "But, while the house burns," h< ^ ; shouted. "America determines througl j the ordnance ibureau what instrumen ? ' talities are to be adopted." He con e e [ ceded that the rifle finally adopted wa; an imprevemer.t over the British gun but declared it "took days and month to perfect." I i After the engineers of various gun ! making plants had been consulted, ; | gun was finally agreed upon for thi j American army, but "the ordnance bai ^ reau through a very distinguished of * ficer," ordered that the number o parts be increased, which added to th | delay. 0 j "Why shouldn't America know thesi V ' | things the senator demanded. Som 0| people in the west said they believei " l America has all it needs. t j "If they only knew the actual con l " i ditions." he continued, "they woul; " i srive their lives, their all, to protee ! America. Casual readiri"- of the sec i ! reaarv of war's statement gives th< ^ i m impression that we liad everything s | But when we get the testimony of th< " J men who are on the ground, differen ! information is obtained. 0 j Citing the testimony of an arm; 'officer from Camp Bowie, Texas, wh ^ declared there was r.ot a single trend ^ ( mortar there and that other necessar j equipment were lacking, Senato j Chamberlain declared: e i i | Trne of Camp Gordon. ; I "This is true of Camp Gordon an> I riifA*.. Artwn * 4 V? TTri it^/1 Qto fnc '' | cvt'i y k^clih\j hi tin; i un-vu w^uivo. a | "If it hadn't bee- for oiviliai o 1 people who havy come here and give )i | the5** time and service we would' >r have heon anywhere.*' he continued, d | Turning to the quarterir.astr" a;en I IMHMIII?1 - I eral's department., : ator Chamber-! lain said that from Secretary Baker's j general statement the country would i - believe that "everything was lively [ - j and the goose hung high, so far as j 1: clothing is concerned." i j "But when you talk to the men that | - ! command these boys you find it isn't j I there." he continued. "On a ijer cap , 1 i ita basis it is there, hut n?;f. wher ! i comes to effective di t>:iunon. They j - j simp-y haven t got th.? clothing. 2! "I realize the diflSoii'-'.'es of the ' i 2 ! quartermaster ge era1.. Hp has done ' 1 | the best he could uimer the present j 2 j system- The president inherited that . J system and has done the best he! could. The president isn't responsible \ t for the system. But the fact remains \ ) that we haven't any clothing." - , Senator Chamberlain said he pro- ! ! posed to show by Secretary Baker's 1 3 own testimony that the secretary did i >'<not know of actual clothing condi- j - I ticns. t! "That's why I sav," he continued, i ? i "'hat the president didn't know the J tr ith. And I did. He must have gotl ten his facts from the secretary, who. ; - j in turn, got them from somebody else land somebody must have !nd. An1 ) tort's why I say the preside t has not i . been given the truth " i ' .1 i i Strmmg out into the cent.or aisle : -r with an attitude of defiance, lie . : shouted: t; "I feel it my duty to my country j - ! and my conscience to tell the truth. 1 ; I ; have no fear of God. mai or the devil i ? i when mv conscience prompts. And no I t man in the country cnn keep me from ; i telling the truth. The only fear r > have is th?t this discussion may have a bad effect on th.? country But if the ! I i - : conditions exist they ought to be cor- i i j rec-ted and quilcklv. Great Britain , I found the same condition* and cor , | rected them quickly. So did France." i : j Wooden Machine Guns. ( i Senator Chamberlain passed around j . amon<? senators photographs of wood- j en machine guns, rifles and heavy ord- i nance used at cantonments and asked i senators to study them carefully. j "They are of some use,'' he explain- I [ ed, "in training men. But if I had a ! boy training for the battlefield ' j wouldn't want him to have his train- ! j ing with nothing else than a wooden j j cannon." j Trio-land nnrl FYanCfc hp said. Saw | ; the mistake of having army men con- I , trol the ordnance department. ; | "You must go to men who have done ' ,' these things to get results,' he addeJ. j "And congress should face this with- j : out fear of any man, but with duo j ' I regard for the distinguished com-1 j mander-in-chief." * | The commander of Camp Sherman, r Ohrlo, told him there was a shortage | of 7.000 overcoats there. He referred j that statement to Secretary Baker. - - t,? I 1 j "in nis usual piaCKl \%ay ue aai.i, r | 'That's n'>t true.'" remarked, the sen> i ator. ' [ Senator Chemherlain then read from 5 a letter from Secretary Ba.l?:er saying j i j a loter report showed 7.000 overcoats I j were needed at Camp Sherman, hut ! i that they "were in course of shi?i | ment." "That's the way ever since the war t ! started'-, 'in course,' but not getting i | there," he shouted. * j Then placing in the record a chart 1 : submitted to T-he military committee by Secretary Baker showing shortages 3 of matrial at all camps varying from I 1 to 90 per cent, Mr. Chamberlain de_ 3 clared he wished that conditicn to be5 conie known to the people. 1 I "1 want it shown whether I disL ! torted the truth when I said the mili3 1 tary system had broken down." said i j ho. -1 Reading from the table to show - j shortages of overcoats running as 3 j hig'o as 75 per cent, the senator re ' minded the senate tne troops w re ;n 3 the midst cf winter." i "I am going to show that these hun-! dreds and thousands of men dying in a j the cantonments are due to the war e ! department" he declared. - J "This information comes right from - | the men who are on the ground. They f know what they are talking about. I e ! didn't intend to do this, but in view I of the situation that confronts ne an:l 0 ; involves my integrity, I feel it is my - ; duty to ttie country. i ! . j "I am going to call attention to t;:o l :atement of Surgeon General Gorgas that nearly all epidemics could have ' been prevented if the war department had been effective." Senator Chamberlain referred to the 0 warnings given by Major General Grcble, commander at Camp Bowie, Tex_ t as, last summed, against overcrowding j of men in tents. Men at Camp Bowie, the senator declared, "were packed tov ' aether l>:ke sardineV and despite fre[) _ quent warnings disastrous epidemics 1 broke out in December with 8,000 men ( i passing through the hospitals. r | u.Men Died Kecause of System." ' "Men died," he asserted, "without ? ? A.f ?nfl flF? r* ? r\n Dropcr nursing vctauac v-tl uiv.iuv.itucies of the sy?+p- . I challenge you 10 read (lie rpr Oon't take my word n for it. A ' internments are arn teries of ii on. and I hope fo t God that ever.- young man will write his father rr mother and tell them just . that the conditions are, not to stay / patriotism, Li.t to stimulate those in authority to do their duty." General Gorgas' report, he continued. showed overcrowding in virtually every camp. Senator Chamberlain said in Sur gecn General Gorgas' recommendations for greater space for each man had been observed, disease at leJ=t wotil i have been reduceI The senator read a letter shewing that canv:: authorities failed to notify a family of the death cf a soldier and that the body finally came home wrapped in a sheet. "If I ware to print all the letters I get along this line," he continued, "they would shock not only congress, but the American conscience." Senate and eallerdes Avere moved to expressions of emotion as Senator Chamberlain read a letter to Senator Wads worth. The writer, whose name was not given, said he was notified through friends that his son was ill six days after he had besn taken to the camp hospital. He was first permitted to coo liis V>r?v ftirniiph n winrlmv Th?? room and 'bed were filthy, he wrote and the patient hp.d not Veen bathed for eight days. Hj's ierjuests for a nurse or to permit himself to aid his ?on were refused, the writer stated, but finally he was toM he might provide clean clothes. When he returnei his son's face and hands had been washed. hut still were dirty. The next day h* returned again as tbe attendant was trying to give the patient water from a bowl. When the father intervened, the attendant said: "I trnoeo T T-ftttPT* p-pt o fnrmpl '' arvl actually returned wf.th a paper funnel. The father stopped that and suggested a spcon. Fifteen minute? later the bov died. At headquarters of the camp he was told that be might have his son's body that night. Having provided himself with a pass to the hospital, he did not knock, but as he tried to open the door it struck n heavy object. It was his son's body." 'Senator Chamberlain cited what he safd was another instance of inefTi cienry, m tne ianure oe me government to accept wool offered when war was declared. Later, h.? said, after the wool got into hands of speculators the wool was bought by the government at his price. Senntor Vardaman. democrat, asked who was responsible for use of shoddy in the army clothing. Mr. Chamberlain replied Mr. Eisenman (chair'*90 WWD WMBBir 9XKB.'-ri""t ? * - 69 f I ALLBRIGh With "OH! JOHNi OPERA HOUSE S ! ! aillUMl Wl ! ?? 11?11 Mill? ? . ' * ( v.?n of the supplies committee advis- fM :ng the council of national defense*. "What was the excuse?" askel the Mississippi senator. "Conservation of wool," Seuator Chamberlain replied. "I'd rather hav~ M onservation of life." V ^Jiust be no .HeMlIng," Turning to the president's stricture pon him, Senator Chamberlain read . hat part assailing congressional in- ? vestigations. M "With all, due respect to the-presilent, who lias served notice on congress that there must .be no meddling S and must >be no investigating unless :t neets the smile of executive favor." JM said he, "I differ from that view*. We ^ 7AL Fi'VE?CHA.MBERLAND re a co-ordinate part of the government. mt "When I become a rubber stamp irJS my duties I'll sret out of the senat? and public life and let somebody sub-J servient take my place." Senator James interrupted to M -la.:n that the president had referrlH 'o the war cabinet bill in complaininJB hat a bill for a war cabinet was be:ng introduced 'in congress without V insulting him. Senator Chamberlain V =aid he was of the impression that the fl resident referred to the munition di "ertor bill, but he hoped he was mistaken. Senator James said he had a letter crom President Wilson saying that I "enator Chamberlain had teen to see V him regarding a bill for a minister of V munitions, but gave no details and that he had learned from others of the "surprising proposal" for a war cab- ^ 'net. "The president's statement that he was net consulted concerning- the war JM cabinet proposal is true." said Senator James. Senator Chamberlain then stat^M thn.t luct "RVirlnv tVm militnrv committee had delegated Senato^H Hitchcock to lay the war cabinet plan^H before Secretary Baker and he believ. e l that had been done. "But probably the cabinet had not fl met up to the time the president made ?| the statement," persisted Senator James. *'He is absolutely right in his/ , statement." / m Turning to the president's criticism that the Oregon senator appeared to be against the entire administration ? policy, Senator Chamberlain stepped ! far up to the center aisle, raised his ? Ti9n<]s ani. smiling, said: I "Et tu Brute?the most unkindest cut of all." V m aoa?? - i 11 mmm?fa? | " -s' ; - ? IT SISTERS OH!" Newberry aturiay Night Feb. 2 ? * 41 !