Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-01-24
STAND BY PRESIDENT,
SAYS FRELINGHUYSEN
mo Time to Talk Partisan
Politics." He Tells New
Jersey Senate
WANTS MUNIT1oN CHIEF
Senator Praises Patriotism of Cap
tains Of Industry in Time Of
Need

TRENTON. Jan. 2S.--A brief session
~ the Senate, held primarily 10
advance measures for consideration next
week was featured by the presence Of
United States Senators FrcIiughuyseu.
Of New Jersey. and sherman Of Illinois.
Both addressed tho Senate. Senator Ere
linghuysen particularly absolyug tho
present and previous National Admins
trations from responsibility for unpre-
paredness at the time the United states
entered the world war.
We have no time now" asserted
senator Frelinghuysen. TO talk partisan
politics. It Is now the time for every
citizen to get into the fray and bacl; the
government In this war into which we
were plunged while uurrcparcd. 1t H.
quite true that there have been differ
ences of opinion as to the handling Of
the war program. II is true the Com
mittee on Military Affairs has pointed
cut mistakes that have been made. and il
II also true that there has been some
Misunderstanding The Senator con-
tinued:
I'VE were plunged into this war uu-
prepared. We werc nprcparcd because
or repugnauCc on the part Of the
American people TO anything aavoriug
Of militarism. We may sccl; to- place
the blame for this condition upon provi-
Gus Administrations or upon the present
Administration, but the trouble does not
lie there. We have been sleeping while
the best equipped nation in Europe has
been preparing for forty years Tor a
war which It thought would be one oc
conquest
srhe leadership oc Germany has been
defeated no matter what may be the
nfifCnpna pf tho tE,nNi4t
entering the war we were confronted
suddenly with the problem not only ol
feeding and clothing our army but with
that OF transporting our soldiers and
preparing them for th" modern methods
ri warfare which have been 50 effective
i'm the war.
For a nation uuprepared 20 be obliged
10 do what we have done, Il Is only
natural that mistakes would he made.
We are year behind our shipping pro-
gram. We are uinc months behind I'm
our aircraft program and while it Is
true we have made mistakes the people
responsible for those mistakes will be
held accountable by the country But
we must make certain whether or not
these men are incompetent and that
their mistakes We're not due TO Dircum-
stances over which they had no con-
troll
Senator Freylingnuyseu declared him.
self as heartily in favor OF the selection
Of n unition director and expressed
the hope that President Wilson would
agree to the solution proposed for the
future handling of the war program In
conclusion he praised the spirit OF tho
captains Of industry, declaring they had
displayed their patriotism by shutting
down their plants without protest in
response to the Garfield order
Among the few bills passed by the
Senate was that eXempting soldiers ana
sailors from poll tax and the payment
Of taxes on personal property up 70
$500. Another bill passed would relieve
the Governor from consideration of ccr-
tain details relative to approval of plans
and expenditures Of which he has no
parsonRl knowledge. This is one oT a
Il serfts OF bills empowering the Gov
>ernor TO delegate authority to some
state official.