New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-20
Goethals Showed Very
Poor Judgment" Sen.
ator Charges
Weeks for General
Urges Joint Committe to In
vestigate Controversies
During War

Washington, June Ex-senator Stone,
Of Missouri, to-day contributed to the
record Of the Denman-Goethals con-
troversy when he charged on the floor
of the Senate that the Steel Trust had
been guilty Of a "cold-blooded attempt
to rob the Treasury of the United
States" in trying to foist steel plates
on the government at S95 a ton, and
that General Goethals in countenanc-
ing the proposal had shown very poor
Judgment
The Missouri Senator further de-
clared that the Panama Canal, for
which General Goethals has been given
generous credit. was far from being
an engineering success.
This outburst from Senator Stone
brought Senator Weeks, of Massaschu-
etts. to he defence of General Goe-
thals. The Bay State Senator said that
while he held no brief for General
Goethals, and he believed s95 was
igh price for steel, he thought the
Senate had no Information which Jusu-
fed the kind of discussion in when
Senator Stone had INDUCED. He
further reminded the Senate that some
weeks ago ne had introduced a joint
resolution TO provide a Congressional
Joint committee to pass on just sucn
controversies as had arisen in the
Shipping Board.
Such committee, with powers of
investigation, would do much to clear
up such a misunderstanding as now
surrounds the shipping situation, he
said. He further stated it to be his in
tention to renew his efforts for vote
on the joint war coNmittee resolution
if he had to offer it as an amendment
to the pending food bill.
Senator Weels's Speech
Senator Weeks said in part:
at seems to me that it is particularly
unfortunate that the name of a great
public servant, a great engineer, should
be dragged into this kind of con-
troversy. / have no brief TO say any
thing for General Goethals, but II will
surprise the country and will surprise
the engineering profession when they
read what the Senator from Missouri
has just said that the Panama Canal
is not an engineering success. have
never heard 1t suggested that 1t was
not an engineering success so far as
engineering capacity could perform the
work.
ut is true that nature has played
some peculiar freaks with the terri
tory through which the Panama Canal
passes, but no engineering skill could
have prevented the slides and other
conditions which have prevented the
canal from being a complete success.
Friction Well known
81 did not rise, however, to discuss
the Panama Canal, or even TO discuss
General Goethals, but to say that it is
we'll known 20 every one in the Capitol
that there has been friction between
General Goethals and the chairman of
the Shipping Board ever since General
Goethals's connection with the enter
prise.
81 DO not know anything about the
merits of the case; do not know
ANYTHING about the prices of steel. IL
would seem that S95, $50 or even 500
was a very high price for steel.
do not know how many strings there
are on that; | do not know what the
conditions of its supply are; nobody
seems to know about 1t; but TO try
the case like this, and in some degree
to jeopardize the well established rep
utation of great engineer in a cur
sorry discussion of this sort. seems TO
be entirely unjustiilable.
"This brings me TO the suggestion
which | think should be brought to the
attention Of the Senate at every oppor-
tunity, and | think | shall offer it as
an amendment to this bill, OF a COM
mittee to really investigate such re-
ports as this and to give the public
the information.
Investigation is Urged
mot long ago | introduced a joint
resolution providing for a committee
on the conduct of the war. One Of the
functions of that committee would be