The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-01-25
WILSON DID NOT
KNOW THETRUTH
Senator Chamberlain Stands
by Guns in Criticising
Conduct of War
"NOBODY CAN KEEP Me
FROM TELLING TRUTH"
No Trench Mortars, Machine
Guns, Howitzers at the
Army Camps

Washington, Jan. 25.-Standing firml,
by his charge that Americas military
establishment was enmeshed in inefl
cheney, Senator Chamberlain of Oregon
chairman of the military committee, re
piled in the Senate yesterday to Presi
dent Wilson's denunciation of his recent
New York speech, by repeating the state
ments which had drawn forth the presi,
dents fire and declaring that the presi-
dent himself did not know the truth.
Senator Chamberlain rose to ques.
ton of personal privilege in the Senate
yesterday and epled TO President vii.
sons recent statement charging that the
senator, in speech in New York advo-
eating government war organization and
declaring inefiiciency existed in all
branches of the government, had made
IAN astonishing and absolutely unjusti.
fable distortion of the truth
Senator Chamberlain, after having
read to the Senate verbatim copy of
the speech for which the president de-
nounced him, declared that he adhered to
what he had said.
In beginning his address, Senator
Chamberlain said the president had at
tackled both his veracity and integrity,
heretofore unchallenged, but that in re-
plying he did so without any personal
feeling against the president.
For "a years." he continued, IL have
served the public in my state to the best
of my ability and in all that time ! have
never had my veracity called in question
or my integrity impeached, and | have
passed through some bitter campaigns.
1t is, therefore with some feeling of hui
initiation and also sadness that | arise
to a question of personal privilege when
my veracity has been called in question
not by an ordinary citizen, not by one
of my colleagues, but by a very distin-
guished gentleman, who has the love and
admiration of the people and who by
their suffrage occupies the highest place
in the gift of the people; | may say the
highest place of any in the world.
1T is, therefore, with much feeling
that | rise TO address myself to the at
tack made upon me and do so without
any feeling of unkindness.
"These personal charges against me
amount to nothing to the American peo
pie, but affect policies which may involve |
the future of this country, if not the en-
tire world"
Senator Chamberlain said he had been |
invited to speak before the National Sc
cnrity league accepted on short notice
and without time to prepare an address. I
He recalled that on the dais with him
were Alton B. Parker. Theodore Roose-
welt and Julius Kahn and that the au
dience was "a representative body that
for patriotism could not be excelled by
any like body in the United States"
He then reiterated that he assumed
for the speech as reported
by newspapers and had read to the SEN
ate verbatim report published in the
New York Times.
Senator Chamberlain declared he would
show that the deaths of the hundreds
md thousands of men at cantonments
md camps were due to the war depart
nent and that all epidemics could have /
been prevented if the war department
lad been effective"
Mr. Chamberlain, when he returned !
o Washington. found letter from the !
PRESIDENT asking if his New York speech !
lad been quoted correctly in the New
FORK World. He replied that it had been :
with substantial accuracy in !
The World but asked the president to !
cad the whole speech in The Times. He 4
dded that he had been criticising only
he policy, or lack Of policy of the mill q
airy establishment. Mr.. Chamberlain :
wrote that he believed deficiencies of the a
military establishment were clearly rec .
gnzed and proven and that the system h
ught To be reorganized to remedy its n
condition. He asked for an Q
pportunity to go over the whole sub i
sct with the president, but received no Ii
eply to this.
France, bled white he told the SEN
te, is providing heavy ordnance, machine
uns and aeroplanes for America. If we =,
,lied on the ordnance department, the |,
ar would be over before we were sup
lied. He could not properly give fig B
res, but referred senators to the conf
entail testimony of General Crozier as :
purchases of ordnance Mr.. Chamber .
in became, emphatic and asked why the
if it wanted to be fair
} the American people, had not told
lem of the situation and helped them
prepare for calamity He charged that
1916, when war seemed certain, the
dnance department had failed to pre-
ire for it.
Blaming no one in particular and ex-
essing high regard for General Crozier
ID Secretary of War Baker. ,he won
red why America had not, like her al
Is, gotten rid of men who had been
oven not up to the mark He would
It, however, dismiss them in disgrace