The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1918-01-24
WILSON FIGHTS
PROPOSED BILL
Strongly Denounces Senate Plan
for Formation of War
Cabinet.
STATEMENT IS ISSUED
Directs Reply at Senator Chamber
lain in Which He Says Reor-
ganiza.ion Now Un-
necessary.

Washington, Jan. GA statement
issued by President Wilson mas
SWEPT away all doubts as to his views
OF proposals in congress for reorgani.
cation of the governments war-mak-
ink machinery. The President said the
wal department had accomplished a
task Of unparalleled magnitude and
difficulty with extraordinary prompt.
ness and efficiency. He denounced
the congressional war investigations
and declared reorganization by leg.
lsiat"n was proposed after effective
measures of reorganization had been
perfected
On the statement most observers
at The capitol saw the collapse o.
what promised to be historic stru:-
Gle Senator Chamberlain. whose
committee has framed bills to create
a war council all powerful under the
president and to provide one-man con.
troll of munitions and supplies. declared
he would continue his fight in spite
OF presidential opposition. 1t was
rather generally conceded, however,
thai tho measures would have but lit.
tie chance.
Senator Chamberlain made a state.
ment in reply to the president. say
ing he spoke eXtemporaneously in
New York and that his criticisms
We're directed at the war department
only and not at other branches of the
government.
Presidents Statement.
when the Presidents attention
was called to the speech made bv
Senator Chamberlain at a luncheon in
New York on Saturday he immediate.
iy inquired of Senator Chamberlain
whether he had been correctly re.
ported and upon ascertaining from
the senator that he had been. the
President felt it his duty to make the
following statement.
Senator Chamberlain's statement
ns to the present inaction and inef.
fectiveness of the government is an
astonishing and absolutely unjustifi.
able distortion of the truth. AS a mat.
ter of fact the War department has
performed task of unparalleled mag.
nitude and difficulty with extraordi.
nary promptness and efficiency.
There have been delays and dis.
appointments and partial miscar.
riages of plans. all of which have
been drawn into the foreground and
exaggerated by the investigations
which have been in progress since the
Congress assembled - Investigations
which drew indispensable officials of
the departments away from their
work and officers from their com.
nands and contributed greatly to the
delay and confusion which had iney.
itably arisen. But in comparison
with what had been accomplished,
these things, much as they were to
be regretted, were insignificant and
40 mistake has been made which was
repeated.
"Nothing Helpful Developed"
Nothing helpful or likely to
speed or facilitate the war tasks of
tie government has come out of such
and investigation. under
stand that reorganizations by legisla-
ton are to be proposed have not
"en consulted about them and have
earned of them only at second hand
but their proposal came after ef-
"et tive measures of reorganization had
cen thoughtfnlly and nlaturely per-
I-cted and inasmuch as these meas
res have been the result of exyeri-
nee. they are much more likely than
ny other to be effective. ii The Con-
ess will but remove the few stat.l-
~ obstacles of rigid department or
which stands in tleir way.
The legislative proposals I have
aeard of would involve long addi.
ional delays and turn our experience
nto mere lost motion. My association
nd constant confidence in the secre-
AIRY of war have taught me to re-
ard him as one of the ablest public
officials | have ever known. The
.ountry will soon learn whether he or
is critics understand the business in
and
Ito add as Senator Chamberlain
lid, that there is inefficiency in every
department and bureau Of the gov.
Is to show such ignorance of
lctual conditions as to make it i'm
possible to attach any importance to
lis statement. ! am bound to infer
hat that statement sprang out OF
opposition to the administration
whole policy rather than out Of any
serious intention to reform it's prac.
ice"