New-York tribune., 1910-12-15
A WAR SCARE IN
THE CAPITOL
House Gets Secret Report Show
ing UnpTeparedness to Meet
Foreign Invasion.
RETURNS IT TO DICKINSON
Secretary Points Out Weakness
of Fortifications and Asks for
Council of National Defence
Wood Agrees.
lFrom The Tribune Bureau.I

oN'foN@~'N's~'
report from the War Department. show
ing how the country was inadequately
protected against invasion by foreign
forces. was sent TO the House to-day az
:, secret document. and. after n'irneer
OF conferences and hurried telephone
ms ssages. was returned to the War De-
rartment on the ground that the House
could not receive a secret report
With sol members of that body. the
contents of the report would stand h
chance of leaking out Immediately. m
the opinion of those who conferred on
the subject when. the remote contingency
of a secret session of the House was
mentioned
Members of Congress who saw the
document before it's withdrawal say she
report of Secretary Dickinson points OUT
that the country is wholly unprepared'
that there is a woful inadequacy or mes'
of guns and of ammunition: that the
army should be reorganized ana that
CounciI of National Defence, with the
Secretary of War at its head. shouid 10
created bv Congress. A report iroi''
General Wood. accompanying IL, marhed
..,.e.nAdantiaI- dealt with these subjects
and gave Official admission TO matte
that are Of more or less common hho"i
edge among army and navy experts III
This country and abroad In fact. the rear
sfonihcance of the document is that "
makes official admission of condltiohs
already well known among army ai'"
md d.
Holds no Secret Sessions
President Taft. the Secretary of wal
the chief of staff and the secretary 10 tii'
President learned for the first time late
,n5s afternoon that the House of Repre-
sentatives does not hold executive seS
sions. has held none for nearly a cen
turv and has no means of hanoiihg d"
executive or .-confidentiaf commune
tion when acting on contrary
t5cu Secretary Dickinson with the ao-
vice of tbs. Pre- sident. forwarded to tne
p1o,,sa TODAY a .'confidentiaT' reply u
4ra resolution of Representative Nc
r acbtsu of California. which calls on
tts eecretarv OF War for a statement Oh
tho nreparednsss. or the reverse. OF thiS
] country for, war. Mr. MeLaehlan Is oh4
81 those uatriots whose nightly slumoerS
are haunted by the appearance OF Jap
snese fleets on the horizon, and "hose
baIIigerent apprehensions are sec0hd
only TO those of Representative HoDsoii-
who is said always to sleep with cu'-
lass between his teeth and howftzer at
his bedside. because of his uncontroii
Gov Of Jap3UpSe INVASION
The startling information that the
tr.o,,r,- sbandoued its secret sessions ap-
InroximateIy a century ago was brought
tn the officials of the administration oS
means of q communication from tnT'
Sceaker. addressed to the secretary Oh
War and with which was returned iIe
Secretary's reply TO the McLachian reSo-
hutton Sneaker Cannon quoted at some
l1enptb the House rules regarding Sc
| cret sessions" executive communities
tions' ant; printing" and explained
that il would be impossible for the
House.. with it's present rules and ma
cbinery to treat as confidential a
eo,,,r,,nication from the Executive or
any member of his Cabinet Under
these circumstances. Mr.. Cannon SIG
ccsted that the Secretary might WISH
to revise his communication before "
was made public In conclusion. the
Sneaker fntima ted that perhaps the best
possible way to- obtain the widest pun
Iicitv for the facts submitted by the Sec
retarv of War would be to have his re-
rort printed as confidential dccr-
ment'' of the House.
Secretary Dickinson received this ist-
ter late 10 the day. and consequent
withheld his answer until Tomorrow
II is probable that he will eithhold from
the House the appendices To- the origins ]
rcport (which. after all. contained the
only really confidential NATTER and re-
submit the document. emitting the in
junction of confidence
/ A Tempest IN the House.
The mere receipt cf the Secretary's y
confidential document which is the Sc
ond reply he has prepared To The Me
tI.achlan resolution. created tempest
at the House end of the Capitol The
lrepIy. which SITS forth in graphic terms
the urpreparedness for war of this cOun-
try the iriadequacy OF the army, etc.
was sent through the usual channels %
the executive document room at the
C&pitol. where IL lay for an hour before
IL. White Busbey. the Speakers sec
rotary. learned that strictly comb
DENTAL communication was So easy OF
access.
Meanwhile. nothing save the scrupr-
IOusness of the correspondents in ire
press gallery. who are accustomed -
handling confidential documents which
may never become public. prevented The
premature publication of the report and
the sensation which it might have
created.
AS soon as Mr.. Busbey learned IN
tactical error he dashed for the doCu
ment room and took charge of the re-
pert. A hurried consultation was held
at which the Speaker, Chairman Tawne,
of the Appropriations Committee. Mr.
McLaehian and Asher Kinds. parliamen
tartan of the House. w.'re present MI
Tawney. who is consistently opposed q
larger expenditures for military pEr
, pcses, insisted with much warmth thu
. the report should not be made public. NJ,
: McI.achlan coutended that the countr
p Was entitled tc know it's contents ar
Threatened 10 take the matter to the hoo
II TN" House. Tho report would show
he declared. that conditions we're eve