The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1918-02-22
Senator Weeks Bitterly AS
sails President and War
secretary.
TELLS SENATE WILSON
DEMANDED SECRECY
RidRulcs Statement of Secretary
Baker As To Conditions
In Army.


Of var efficiency by Senator Weeks
d Republican member Of the Military
Committee. in u speech tday vigor-
Ously S,criticizing the War Department
and other branches Of the Govern
ment.
Supporting the Military Committee
War Cabinet and Munitions Director
bills as a constructive non partisan CT
fort TO aid and not cmbarr;,ss Prcsi-
dent Wilson in unifying America S
war force, Senator Weeks detailed de-
lays and difficulties OF the Govern
mcnt's military preparations. He de-
clared That lack of central body to
make and direct all Government plans
is largely responsible for present and
past troubles.
In his charge against President Will
son, the Senator said:
Not a question indicating partisan
ship WAS raised until the President de-
liberately injected politics into the
situation by an attack upon the chair
man of the committee (Senator Cham
belain Of Oregon, Democracy and the
committee itself, and by calling to
the White House many Democratic
party leaders, not for consultation pur-
poses, but to insist that 4 discussion
of this question on the floor of the
Scratc be prevented if possible Have
we come to such a pass that the action
of the most important committee in
Congress at this time is to be for
hidden by the President"
Referring to Secretary Baker, SEN
ator Weeks said after praising many
army acnietcncllIS:
Neither do | wish to unjuStly OF
unrescrvedly criticisc the head of the
War Department. He has had to deal
with Il multitude of questions, the dis
posaI of many of which meet my APP
prevail. 1t would require too much
time to cnumerate. The Secretary
has done that effectively in his speech
made to the committee. Jan. IS.
Referring 10 Bakers reply when
asked by the committee if other men |
could rot have done things better, that |
he did not know all the men in the /
world and could not Judge their capa- /
bilitics, Senator Weeks said the an
sNyer was somewhat flippant" and
that it is impossible to expect de |
partmcnt whose head makes such al
statement, to make many changes that
an outside investigation have shown
10 be necessary.
Asserting that it is physically i'm |
possible" for the President to indi-
viduaIly coordinate and direct all of
the Governments functions, Senator
Weeks added:
Can it be possible that the Pres-
dent will be embarrassed by such al
Cabinet? 1t would seem as if hci
would be embarrassed to a greater
extent by pcrpetuation of the dis
.loiEtcd system which now exists. al
system which failed to produce ships,
Notwithstanding the shipping plans;
which has failed to deliver coal, not
withstanding the unbourded coal sup
ply we have; which has been response
BILE for failure to protect our soldiers
against sickness ard furnish them
with suitable clothing.
We are the inventors and leaders
in airplaneS. and yet we have no air
planes. We have the greatest steel
works in the world, and yet We have
few guns We lead the world in au-
tomobile manufacture, yet we are Just
commencing to obtain motor trucks,
and worst of all, the system we have
is responsible for camp. hospitals not
having heat, water or sewerage"
Furnishing of food TO the army,
Senator Weeks, said, has been ire
mendous success, due to Gen. Sharpe:
He also praised Gen. Crozier, Chief
of Ordnance, saving he had often ask
ed Congress for more ordnance appro-
priations but that sentiment in the
country prevented appropriations.
General. Crozier, however, he declar-
ed, was partly responsible for defieien-
cies in machine guns and light ord
nance.