Evening star., 1918-02-04
HITCHCOCK
ASSERTS Mr.. BAKER
HAS EXAGGERATED
Calls Secretary's Statement
to Military Committee About
Troops Preposterous.
LACK OF INFORMATION. IS :.
CHARGED TO WAR HEAD
President Himself "Does Not Know
Real Situation" Declares Nebras.
kan, Defending Proposed Bills. !

KAN Defending Proposed Bills. ]
Secretary Bakers recent state.
ment to the Senate military COM
mlttee that the United States
would have half million soldiers
IN France early this year and that
prospects were not unpromisine
for ships to carry a million more
who would be ready during the
year, were characterized by Sen,
ator Hitchcock in an address to
the Senate today as absolutely
preposterous and So
exaggerated as to convey an en-.
tirely false impression as to what
we can do and what we are do.
ing"
Supporting the committees bills Tor
war cabinet and munitions director.
Senator Hitchcock declared that Sec.
retary Baker was no doubt sincere, but
was misled by lack Of information rss
garding scarcity of ships into making
sanguine predictions. He said Presi.
dent Wilson himself docs not know
the real situation" and cited this sit.
uation as an Illustration Of the ab.
sence of government coordination
Administration leaders prepared 70
reply to Senator Hitchcock, whose
speech launched the debate which has
been impending since Secretary Baker
made his statement and the President
made known his opposition to the milk
tary committees plans for reorganix.
ing the governments war machinery. :.
All senators on both sides remainAA
IN the Senate and gave Senator Hitch
cock close attention when he begsN
He spoke low and earnestly. being ha116S
pered somewhat by hoafsenees. I---sssss-
Galleries of the Senate were pras.'
dca1ly filled. 80
Army conditions found" in the com.'
mittee's investigation. Senator Kirby.
Arkansas, another democratic commit
tee member. interrupted to ask il the
ings or whether the statements repre-.
sented the Nebraska senator's indi.
vidual views. 7p-
Senator Hitchcock said the ..indinss-
bills were by members who had a..
tended all OF the committees meetfnrn
Senator Kirby did not attend the iu-
vestigatfon until early in January
Believes Change Imperative.
conceding that much of a big task
has been creditably done, the Ne.
braska. senator insisted that central.
lied and co-ordinated war operations
through a war cabinet and centralized
purchasing through a munitions direc.
tor are imperative. He asserted that
the President and Secretary Baker had
tried. but failed to attain the object.
and that the governments system was
obsolete. The committees legislation.
he argued. would not embarass or in.
terfere with the Presidents direction
Of the war
Sharp criticism Of many government
war activities was made by tho senator
In illustrating his arguments, but
without attacking individuals Blum.
ders that almost surpass BELIEF have
occurred in the War Department, he
said, and the ship building situation he
described as a farce and almost Q
crime"
He declared the transportation sys-
tenn has broken down." and is "a ef-
gantic wreck" with 2,00O,0 900 tons OF
freight piled up at New York without
shipping facilities; that the fuel ad-
ministration's orders have paralyxed
distribution also has been inefficient
In fatty denying Secretary Bakers
statement that the government hasa
plan for the war. the senator said the
military committee was thunderstruck
by the War Secretary's optimistic ass
sertions.
Predictions Wild Exaggerations.
Il am afraid to go too deeply into
shipping figures" he added for one
might be charged with giving fnforrna.
tion to the enemy. All who are in.
formed as to the present supply of our
shipping were thunderstruck at the
statements of Secretary Baker. His
predictions as to our ability
to ship men to Europe and supply
them when there are exaggerations Of
the widest sort.
ITO supply a million men in France.
supposipg We could get them over
there, it will require 5,000 900 tons OF
in constant use. Where is that
coming from and when is it coming.
We all know the total tonnage now
available is nothing like that amount.
We all fear it will not approximate
that a year from now.
Yet the Secretary of War is so out
Of touch with the shipping board and
authorities that he makes a
statement that Is absolutely prepos.
ferrous 1 have no doubt of his sincern-
ity, but his act indicates again the e&.
tent to which one department is out OF
touch with another department"
Turning to Secretary Bakers war
plan, Senator Hitchcock said:
Secretary Baker says we have planA
I am sorry tos disagree with him. II
there is one thing more conspicuous by
its absence than any other In the op-
grafton of the various departments and
bureaus in Washington. 1t has been
for the future. / do not deny
that the various departments have
planned as far as they could In adj
vance, but who has prepared the master
plan which will harmonize all the otheR
plans? Nobody. Nobody could" sE
Presid MT Has Responsibility.
Referring to the Presidents opposa.
lion to the. two committee bills, the
senator said it was on the ground
hat the President alone has responsi-
,ility for conduct of the war, adding:
The mere statement presents an alb
,urdity."
Asserting that Congress has a large
measure of responsibility, Senator
Hitchcock said 1t would be "rnonstrouss
o hold the President responsible for
he 1000. 200 tons of freight piled u
n New York. for the breakdown of
the muddI0
md iunbIS of priority shipmenfs. ~