The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-01-24
BARE FACTS


Continued rom Page One,
the deficiencies in the military estab-
hshment, deficiencies which are clear
ly recognized and proven in a system
that ought to be remodeled for the
proper prosecution of the war and
have these disjointed and unco-ordi-
mated defects weeded out"
In his letter the senator. also, offer
ed to go over the whole situation with
the president, but said he received no
, reply and on the following day the
presidents statement criticising him
was published. The presidents state
ment and Senator Chamberlain's re-
ply then were read to the senate and
the oregon senator observed
IT do not know if any reply to my
letter was necessary. I assume that
statement is the answer.
The statement of the president
challenges me, of course, for proof of
the statement in the New York Times,
to which statement I adhere and re-
peat before this body.
Loves Country First of All.
The people of this country may not
see this as / do, but chairman of
the military committee, as an Ameri-
can citizen and a member of this dis
tinguished body, l felt that / should
say the things that are in me and if l
/ succeed in making rift in the clouds
thru which the American people may
| see. l will feel that my efforts have
not been in vain.
Now that my truthfulness has been
| questioned" Senator Chamberlain
continued, Il feel it my 9rty to tell
the country something might not
have told it under ordinary circum-
stances. l do it as a man who loves
his country best of all and who would
willingly give his life for it. l do it
fearlessly as an American citizen who
| desires to help and not to hinder.'i b..
| He repeated he had not distorted
the truth i'm his speech made in New
York, but owing to the great rush of
| business due to the war, the president
has probably not been able to ascer
| tain the truth and does not know the
truth. From the lips of those closest
| to the president, the chief executive
| cannot learn the truth, not because
| his advisers desire to mislead him,
but because they are situated in the
same p 1sition as he is
Takes Up Bakers Statement.
| 1.-THE secretary of war in a general
| statement to the country, which was
carefully and ably prepared, tells us
that $4,000, 100000 have been appro-
| priated for the ordnance department
| and that contracts for s1,677, 900, 900
! have been awarded" he continued
This is true, but the secretary failed
to tell the country that America failed
! to stand prepared"
] u,
lis furnishing America today and the
troops going abroad with heavy ord
| nance guns, machine guns and air
/ planes. If we relied on the ordnance
/ department in this emergency land
this is a war of artillery the war
got enough to the front. France
agreed to deliver this artillery. To
! win America? Did she furnish it in
| order to invite America ?'
l H. 60 rrtx-
details of American purchases of ord
| nance from the allies, but referred
senators to the confidential testimony
before the committee by Maj. Gen.
Crozier, chief of ordnance.
Failed to Prepare.
'If the administration had wanted
| to be fair to the American people," he
i shouted, why didn't the distinguished
| secretary of war, and l have the high
est regard for him, let the people
| know. so that the people could assist
! in getting ready for this terrible ca
| lamity that confrontS not only Amer
! lea but the whole world" Senator
Cham berlain charged that the ord
nance bureau failed in 1916 to pre-
pare for war when it seemed certain.
There were omens in the sky, that
| America could not keep out. What
was the ordnance department doing ?
| Nothing. 1t was lying supinely on its
| back, not making gauges for manufac-
! turing ordnance nor discovering the
/ possibilities of manufacturing-but
doing nothing, absolutely nothing"
Appropriations for jigs and dies to
make ordnance, he said, had not been
| used.
I'm not blaming anybody in par
| ticular, the senator continued. Il
have high regard for General Crozier.
But we have not been able to do
| what England. France and all our
| other allies have. done, and that is to
retire these gentlemen who have not
proved themselves up to the mark. We
but in other countries they have gone
! into innocuous desuetude.
| This isn't question of personali-
ties. This is not a Question between
the president and myself It's ques-
ton of America, and every man ought
| to make it his whole purpose to see
that America is saved.
Why Reject Lewis Gun?
Take the machine gum said the
senator. IT'S an old controversy.
and much may be said on both sides.
The Lewis gun has been manufactured
here for the British army and there
are 10000 of them on the battle
| fronts. Every British officer l have
seen has expressed approval of that
gun. America was prepared to pro-
! duce them, but with the country
standing on a seething volcano, the
| ordnance department was trying to
decide on a gun. The war depart
| ment did not even adopt gun until
| May, and finally adopted it in June
U91D, 1 believe. and then only on
paper, and it still is gun on paper.