The Washington herald., 1916-02-10
BLAMES BUSINESS
men FOR errors
Red6eld Says Incorrect Rec
ords Of Department Are Due
to Lack of Frankness.
HITS SHIPPERS HARD
Secretary Defends Himself at Session
of United States Chamber
of Commerce.

The lack of frankness on the part of
business men, especially shippers, and
the antiquated laws under which the
department is operating. were yester-
day blamed by Secretary of Commerce
Redheld for errors, both of commission
and commission. which he said had
crept into the records of the depart
ment,
In a speech. which carried an under
current of bitterness, before the United
States Chamber of Commerce at the
New Willard, the secretary asserted
that the errors cannot be charged to
himself, his predecessors, or any en-
ploye of the department
The appearance of the secretary was
a distinct surprise to the delegates TO
the convention and Immediately pre-
ceded the report of the committee on
standards and statistics, which was a
compilation OF the standards and sta
tistics of the various branches Of the
work of the Department of Commerce.
Mr.. Redfield bitterly condemned GER
tain alleged misstatements, which he
said have appeared in the newspapers
of the country. in regard to errors
claimed to have been found by this
committee. and criticism of himself
and department He cited instances
in which he claimed that every mega
used in a certain speech had been
struck out and the speech printed en-
tirely In the Affirmative.
Calls Charge Base sIander.
Edward A Filene, of Boston. declared
that the charge that the chief interest
Of the American business men in the
European war is the chance 1t gives
them Ito coin the agony of Europe in
to increased dividends. Is lie.' he con-
tinued: The lie is effectively given to
this base slander by the recent ref
erendum of the Chamber Of Commerce
of the United States on economic re-
suits of the war and American busI-
ness"
DR.. Wellington Kee. Chinese Minister
to the United States, addressed the
chamber at the morning session on the
trade relations between China and the
United States The International High
Commission and Pan-American Rela-
uons," was the subject OF an address by
Senator Duncan u. Fletcher, of Flortao.
Intense interest centers around the
election of a president to succeed John
II. Fahey, who has announced that he
will not accept denomination. r. G,
Rhett, of South Carolina, chairman OF
the executive committee, is more prom
lnently mentioned than any other per-
son for the position. 1t is expected that
Mr.. Fahey will be unanimously elected
an honorary vice president.
In making the report of the Federal
Trade Committee, Chairman Harry
Wheeler read a letter from the Attorney
General of the United States in which
1t was asserted that no complaint or PRO-
ceeding against any company would be
instituted until after a full. fair. and
complete investigation.
Chairman Frank Trumbull, of the Com
mittee on Immigration, urged that the
teaching Of tie English language be
made universal among the aliens in the
United States
President Wilson will be the principal
speaker at the banquet to be held at
the New Willard tonight. More than
LOO applications for reservation has been
received by the committee. The banquet
will be held in the large ballroom. which
will seat only 800 persons.
The representatives of the Chamber of
Commerce of Portland, Ore, last night
gave an illustrated lecture on the ''Colum-
bia Highway"