Evening star., 1918-02-15
ASSERTS PRESIDENT
INJECTED POLITICS
Senator Weeks Discusses the
Controversy Winch Arose
Over War Efficiency.
SCORES SECRETARY BAKER

President Wilson was charged with
deliberately injecting politics into the
controversy over war efficiency by SEN
ator Weeks. a republican member of
the military committee. in a speech
today vigorously criticizing the War
Department and other branches of the
government.
Supporting the military committees
war cabinet and munitions director
bills as a constructive, non-partisan
effort not to embarrass President Will
son in unifying Americas war force.
Senator Weeks detailed delays and diff
fculties of the governments military
preparations He declared that lack
of q central body to make and direct
all the governments war plans is
largely responsible for present and past
troubles
Holds President Responsible.
In his charge against President Wilson
the senator said:
Not a question indicating partisanship
was raised until the President deliber-
by an attack upon the chairman OF the
committee, Senator Chamberlain of Ore
gon tdemocfat) and the committee itself.
and by calling to the White House many
democratic party leaders not for consul
tation purposes but to insist that a dis
cussion of this question on the floor OF
the Senate be prevented IL possible. Have
we come to such a pass that the action OF
the most important committee in Con-
gress at this time is to be forbidden by
the PRESIDENT
Referring to Secretary Baker. Senator
Weeks said, after praising many Army
achievements:
Neither do I wish to unjustly or unre-
servedly criticise the head of the War
Department He has had to deal with a
multitude of questions. the disposal Of
many of which meet my approval II
would require too much time to enumerate.
The Secretary has done that effectively
in his speech made to the committee
January 2S.
Attempts to Do Too Much.
'Tf 1 were to criticize the Secretary
personally it would be that he has
Undertaken to do too many things him
self. some of which might have been
left to subordinates. If | were to make
a further criticism it would relate to
his temperamental relationship to the
war. Doubtless he himself would ad-
nit that he is a pacifist by nature.
For example. even now he is opposed
to universal military training. and l
cannot divorce myself from the con-
clusion, based on his own testimony.
that he has been inclined to plan for
prosecution of the war-and this con-
dition has to some degree permeated
the department-on the basis that we
are 5000 miles away from the front.
instead of fastening preparation with
all the vigor we would exercise il our
borders were the battlefront"
Referring to Mr.. Bakers reply when
asked nv the committee if other men
could not have done things better, that
he did not know all the men in the
world and could not judge their capa-
bilities. Senator Weeks said the answer
is Impossible to expect a department
whose head makes such statement
to make many changes which an out
side investigation has shown to be
"One Of the notable features of the
nresent situation" Senator Weeks con-
tended, "is the virulence used in attack
ing those who favor the committees S
plan of Capitalization. They are refer
red to as plotterS. mischievous med
dlers and even as servitors of the enc
nv. Every means of false suggestion
has been used to discredit a sincere and
loyal attempt to make change which
will materially increase the efficiency
of our war administration"
Asserting that it is physically inn
possible" for the President to individu-
ally coordinate and direct all of the
eoyernments functions, Senator Weeks
added:
"Can it be possible the President will
be embarrassed by such a cabinet? 1t
would seem as if he would be en-
barrassed to greater extent by a per-
petuation of the disjointed system
which now exists. system which has
failed to produce ships. notwithstand-
ing the shipping plans; which has fall
ed to deliver coal. notwithstanding the
has been responsible for a failure to
protect our soldiers against sickness
and furnish them with suitable CLOTH
ing"
in aeorplanes, and yet we have no
aeroplanes. We have the greatest
steel works in the world. and yet we
have few guns. We lead the world
in automobile manufacture. and yet
we are just commencing to obtain
system we have is responsible for not
having heat, water or sewerage"
Success Due to Gen. Sharpe.
Furnishing OF food to the Army.
Senator Weeks said. has been a tire
mendous success. due to Gen.
Sharpe" He also praised Gen. Crozier.
chief of ordnance. saying he has often
asked Congress for more ordnance ap-
preparations. but that sentiments in
the country prevented appropriations
Gen. Crozier. he declared. was partly
responsible for deficiencies in machine
guns and light ordnance.
Reliance upon France for ordnance
and other materials, he said, was very
doubtful wisdom" and the powder
situation was DESCRIBED as acute. with
half of American production under con-
tract to the allies and our total ca
pacity not half of our needs"
Aviation work. the senator con-
ceded. has been carried out intelli-
gently and systematically.
Promise of Rapid Production.
while the actual number of machines
he said, does not COM
pare favorably with the impression
given the public. it is represented that
production will be very rapid"
Although praising efforts of the War
toward reorganization,
Senator Weeks said Edward r. Stet-
tinius. the civilian surveyor of pur-
is in an Impossible position"
and that the administration is throw
ing away an opportunity to make an
effective organization" by rejecting the
plan for a munitions director.
Most of the republican senators and
about half of the democrats followed
Senator Weeks remarks. to which
Senator Kirby of Arkansas, democratic
member of the committee. planned to