New Britain herald., 1917-07-24

nlttee or. congress on expenditures Tn ] the conduct of the war "as arising from lack of confidence in myself" /" In letter to Chairman Lever of the house agricultural committee, the president declared that section 23 of the food administration bill contain 1 ing the senate provision for joint committee on expenditures in the con- duct of the war would if enacted 1 into law render my task of conducting l this war practically impossible Earlier in the day it was announced semi officially that the prasid ent { would oppose to the uttermost the substitution by the senate of a three
 man board of control for the one man control carried in the house bill. No reference was made to this, however, in the presidents letter to Chairman
 Lever. Administration senators who
 were believed to have secured the
 tac1t consent of the president to the
 supst1tutlon were surprised at this
 announcement, which, however. seems to have been vitiated by the executive attention devoted 4 to sec- tion 23 in the presidents letter
 Cites IincOln's Case.
 MT. Wilson wrote to Representa- tive Lever Tn response to a letter promis- ing to hasten the food bill through conference and asking advice on the war committee provision The presi- dents reply follows:
 NIL Il am very much obliged to you for your thoughtful courtesy in stating to me the circumstances of the present action on the administration bill, and am particularly obliged to you for calling my attention to section 23. deem it my duty to express my opin- ion about that section and dts effect upon the whole administration of the war very frankly indeed since ], the public interest manifestly demands that I should do so. 4
 Section 23 is not only entirely for eign to the subject matter of the food administration bill in which it is in- corporated, but would, if enacted into law, render my task2of conducting the war practically impossible I cannot believe that those who proposed this section scrutinized it with care or analysed the elects which its opera ton would necessarily have. The con- stant supervision of executive action which it contenplates would amount to nothing less than an assumption on the part of the legislative body of the executive work of the administra- ton.
 There is very omnibus precedent in our history which shows how such a; supervision would operate. I refer to the committee on the conduct of the war constituted by the congress of the administration of MT. Lincoln. It was the cause, of constant and dis dressing harassment and rendered MT. Lincoln's task all but impossible.
 II am not, I beg you to believe in any way. questioning what might be the motives or the purpose of the members of such a committee, I am ready to assume that they would wish to cooperate in the most patriotic spirit, but cooperation of that kind is not practicable in the circum- stances. The responsibility rests upon the administration
 There are abundant existing means of investigation and of the effective of that responsibility. sincerely hope that upon the recon sideration of this matter both houses of congress will see that my objec- lions rest upon indisputable grounds and that I could only interpret the final adoption of section 23 as arising from a lack of confidence in myself" The presidents announced refusal to acquiesce in any cooperation be- tween the legislative and the execu- tive departments as provided in sec ton 23 is regarded as the most omi- nous note yet sounded in the storm which has been gathering at the cap itol over the attitude of the president toward congress and the obvious lack of CO -ordinatfon; of executive agencies for the tremendous war expenditure.