The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-02-04
Reply in Preparation.

Reply in Preparation.
Administration leaders prepared to
reply to Senator Hitchcock, whose
speech launched the doubt which has
been impending since Secretary Baker
made his statement and the president
made known his opposition to the mill
tary committees plans for re-organizing
the governments war machinery
Conceding that much ia big task
has been creditably done, the Nebraska
senator insisted that centralized and CO.
ordinated war operations, through a war
cabinet, and centralized purchasing,
through a munitions director, are inn
perative. He asserted that the presi-
dent and Secretary Baker had tried, but
failed, to obtain the answer and the
governments system was obsolete, The
committees explanation, he argued.
would not embarrass or interfere with
the presidents direction Of the war.
! Sharp criticism of many government
war activities was made by the senator
in illustrating his argument, but with
out attacking individuals. "Blunders
that almost surpass BELIEF have oc-
Cured in the war department" he said.
and the shphuilding situation he de-
scribed as a farce and almost a crime"
He declared the transportation system
! has broken down" and is a Gigantic
wreck" with 100000 tons of freight
piled up at New York without shipping
facilities; that the fuel administrations
orders have paralyzed war and other in
dustries and that food distribution also
has been inefficient.
In fatty denying Secretary Bakers
statement that the government has a
plan for the war, the senator said the
military committee was thunderstruck
by the war secretary's optimistic as
sertions.
81 am afraid to go too deeply into
shipping figures" he added, 'for one
might be charged with giving informa-
ton 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
sanguine predictions as to our ability
to ship men to Europe and supply them
are exaggerations Of the widest sort.
Need 100000 Tons of Shipping.
"To supply a million men in France,
supposing we could get them over
there, it will require 100000 tons of
shipping in constant use. We all know
the total tonnage is nothing like that
amount. We all fear it win not APP
proximate that a year from now.
yet the secretary of war is so out of
touch with the shipping boards and
shipping authorities that he makes a
statement that is absolutely preposter.
Gus. l have no doubt of his sincerity
but this act indicates again the extent
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 plans
7 I am sorry TO disagree with him. II
t there is one thing more conspicuous by
/ its absence than any other. in the oper
e alton Of the various departments anG
4 bureaus in Washington, it has
< been planning for the future. I do moi
deny that the various departments
e have planned as far as they could il
a advance, but who has prepared the
|, master plan which will harmonize al
the other plans? Nobody. Nobody
could"
! Referring to the presidents opposl
y. ton to the two committee bills, thu
;. senator said it was on the ground tina
4 the president already has responsibilit,
!. for the conduct of the war, adding:
a. '"The mere statement presents an All
o surdity."
" Responsibility on Congress.
Il Asserting that congress has a larg
:, measure of responsibility, Senate
" Hitchcock said II would be mon strnns