The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-22
IN WAR DEPARTMENT

lnefIlciency Tn the war department iS equally notable. 1 am told that the outbreak of pneumonia is because those in charge will not use ordinary methods of preventing the disease.
 Senator Penrose then turned to the coal situation, declaring Fuel Adminis- trator Garfield, a college president, who probably never saw a coal mine."
 Men wonder to what deplorable depths of inefficiency the government has dropped said he.
 "In my opinion there has been no neces- sity for shortage of coal in any place, ," Senator Penrose said. 'I don't think that in the few months we have been in the war we have reached the point where we need to interrupt the currents of com merce. We are possessed with fads and everything we read about from foreign countries is brought to Congress by bu- reau clerks and it is passed I think ths time has come when that should stop.
 Senator Lewis followed Senator Pen rose, saying nothing could do more to frustrate the works of Colonel House than criticism from the floor of the Senate giving the impression that he was a man not entitled to the confidence of the country
 Colonel House is not such deli cate piece of -brac," interrupted Senator Penrose, that he must be kept under a glass case in order to avoid criticism"
 He added that Colonel House went to Paris without even being under an oath of office.
 Senator Lewis resented the Pennsyl- vania senator's reference to Colonel House as q Texas lobbyist" and de- manded what proof the senator had that would permit him to make such charge.
 The senator from Illinois takes the matter entirely too seriously, I be- lieve," Senator Penrose replied
 T touched very lightly on Colonel House in an effort to determine his diplomatic experience. I thought, per haps, that this experience might have been obtained as a member of the governors staff or he might have ob- tained the experience in the Texas leg islature." Senator Lewis insisted that Senator Penrose should either prove his charge that Colonel House was a Ioobyist in Texas or withdraw 1t. He owes 1t to the Senate to withdraw it and if he doesn't he stands in con tempt of the duty he owes to gem tleman," said Senator Lewis, declar- Ing that the term lobbyist implies criminality.
 The term is not necessarily one of opprobrium," said Senator Penrose. "No man in pubic life" said Mr. Lewis, could better know the mean ing of the term lobbyist"
 Senator Lewis said Presidents Idn- coin and Cleveland both had appointed personal representatives on diplomatic missions. Senator Penrose replied that Americans Of rank in diplomatic serv- Ice equal to the foreigners conferred with should have been named.
 Senator Lewis said Colonel House had represented the President on a number of missions and was the only man in this country who had a per sonal acquaintance with those men representing the various allied nations at the conference. As the two sena- tors continued their colloquy induging in personalities. there was so much laughter that the vice president warned the galleries that all demon strations must cease. Later he ordered the sergeant-at-arm to clear the gal leries, but Senator James raised d point of order, declaring practically all the laughter was among the mem bers on the floor and the vice pregi- dent rescinded his order.
 senator Lewis declared that all the officials examined in the war department investigation were appointed by repre- sentatives and were working under the system provided during representative regimes
 T not only admit that" Senator Pen rose interJected, but also state that army and navy officers are most bitter in private denunciation of the heads the President has put over them"
 Senator Lewis declared that when the present administration came into power after 16 years of republican rule, i've were in no position to protect ourselves against the attack of Mexican beons"