The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1914-12-09
WILSON HINTS AT
MILITARY LOBBY.
Believes Effort is Made TO
Stir Up Discussion
fAVORS A FULL INQUIRY

President Declares His Correspond
ence Shows Widespread Opposition
to Militarism.
Washington, Dec. 9. - President
Wilson told callers at the White
House that he favored the disclosure
OF all facts connected with the pre-
paredness of the United States for ma
tional defense. and believed that
while the subject should be discussed
as fully as possible the whole ques-
ton hinged on the method OF lnVesu'
alton. The commission plan proposed
~ Representative Gardner he disap,
proves.
The president said he had no spe-
cial knowledge of the existence OF
any lobby for stirring up military dis
cussion at this time, but he lntlmated
that ne believed there was an organ
lied effort. He declared that his cor
respondence shows widespread oppo-
sition to any efforts to involve the
United States In a militarist move.
ment.
The president refused to say
whether he believed partisanship en-
tered into the efforts to investigate
the question because he thought par
tisansiip should not be mentioned by
government officials in connection
with a subject concerning foreign re-
lations.
Representative Henry, chairman OF
the house rules committee, will confer
with the secretaries of war and the
navy preparatory to answering Repre-
sentative Gardeners request for
hearing on his resolution.
1t goes without saying that, with
President Wilson opposed to the spe-
cial inquiry, his two cabinet officers
will discourage any suggestion that
the resolution be considered. This
disposition appears to be that of Mr..
Henry himself. While he has not
stated what course was likely to be
taken by the committee on rules, Mr..
Henry seems to have made up his
mind that the resolution should be
pigeonholed.
Mr. Gardner has made statement
in reply to that issued from the White
House disappearing his proposal for
a national security commission. Mr..
Gardner says:
1.-THE president has overlooked the
fact that my resolution calls for re-
port as we'll as an investigation. Four
different committees are charged
with the duty of laying down our mil.
itary policy. How can such commit
tees adequately investigate them.
selves and make an intelligent re-
port?
"In effect, the president suggests
that Mr.. Hay, chairman of the mill
tary affairs committee, shall investi
gate and report on Mr.. Hays work;
that Mr.. Sherley, chairman of the sub
committee on Notifications. shall in.
spect Mr.. Sherley's work: that Mr..
P.edgett, chairman of the committee
on naval affairs, shall give the o. K.
to his committees accomplishments,
and that Mr.. Fitzgerald, chairman OF
the committee handling the sundry
civil bill, shall pass on the fortified.
lions he has provided for the Panama
canal?
But Mr.. Hay and Mr.. Sherley have
both announced already that they
have inspected their own work and
found it excellent, and Mr.. Fitzgerald
sees no need of an investigation.
What the public wants to know is |
not what Hay, Sherley, Padgett and
Fitzgerald think of their own and
their predecessors work, but what
somebody else thinks of 1t. 1 doubt
whether former Secretaries Dickin-
son, Meyer, Bonaparte and Stimson
will care to come to Washington to
be harried piecemeal by four differ
ent committees, all of whom are them
selves practically under fire."
A. - a "a Al