Omaha daily bee., 1917-06-28
OMAHA APPEALS +
CAMP SITE ISSUE
TO Law MAKERS
Hitchcock and Lobeck Will In.
troduCe Resolutions Asking
War Department to Go,
Into Whole Matter.
Washington Bureau
Of The Omaha Bee,
1875 Fourteenth Street, n. W.


(By Staff Correspondcnt,)
Washington, June H.-(Special Tel
egram, THE sbruptncss with which
the War department today turned
down the claim OF Omaha for consid-
Grafton for selection as one of the can-
tonment sites was one OF the greatest
surprises the War department. has
sprung during the entire period since
the selection of the various camps
throughout the country have been un-
der consideration
To the members OF the Omaha
Commercial club, who have exhausted
every effort to lay before the depart
ment the merits of Omahas location
and facilities for a cantonment, the
brusque telephone announcement to-
day by Secretary Baker to Senator
Hitchcock that General Barry's orig
inal recommendation of Des Moines
received at the department this
morning would receive the endorse
ment of the secretary, was in the ma
ture of blow beneath the belt, for it
was felt that the decision adverse to
Omaha had been reached before the
dpartmnet had had time fairly to con-
slider the arguments for Fort Crook
presented to the department yester-
day by Senator Hitchcock, Congress-
man Lobeck and the individual men,
bers of the Commercial club.
Brown Is Surprised.
President Randall K. Brown, OF the
Commercial club made this state
ment to the Bee correspondent to-
night:
Naturally, the committee is great
ly disappointed, also is greatly sur
prised, especially at the part the
president of the Chicago and North
western railroad is said to have
played in stating that the site chosen
was sufficient and adequate in rail-
road and drainage facilities.
However, we are game: we shall
try to forget our disappointment OF
today and we feel that inasmuch as
the Omaha sites were palpably not
properly reviewed by the military
examining board, that instructions
are Omaha is to be held in reserve for
some other military purpose. While
we have been eliminated from can
tonment sites, General Barry surely
has in mind providing certain other
valuable purposes for the sites VIC
have offered.
Troops in Due Time.
"Keen as is this disappointment,
we feel that Omaha will receive in
due time its full quota of troops for
war purposes of all descriptions.
Il can state that the entire com
mittee of the Commercial club can
only feel that the action of General
Barry and the military committee OF
investigation and the individual action
of President Ashton of the North
western can only indicate that Omaha
will be favorably taken care of in
other directions. The entire exclusion
of Omaha from consideration in the
present matter, we feel, could only
have occurred because of other i'm
portant views of location for large
bodies of troops of which Omaha
will receive its quota"
Senator Hitchcock introduced in the
senate today and Congressman ,Lo-
beck in the house resolutions calling
upon the secretary of war to transmit
reports of the boards of officers ap-
pointed to designate the cantonment
site which resulted in the selection
of Des Moines.
The resolutions were introduced as
result of reports that certain rail-
road courtesies had been extended in
connection with viewing candidates
for cantonment sites.
President Randall Brown Commits
sioner Manlcy and Fred Davis will
remain in Washington for few days,
Ward Burgess leaving tonight for
New York, Mr.. Birmingham for Chi
cago and Mr.. Haverstick for Carlisle,
Pa, to visit his mother.
Up to Baker, Says Barry.
Chicago, June H.-(Special Telc-
gram).-Conference with General
CONTINUED on Page Two, Column