Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-01-25

less smoker started the flames.
adopt a gun until May and finally
adopted it June, 1917, I believe, anG
then only on paper, and it still is z
gun on paper. 1t never has had field
test Maybe the Browning gun is q
good weapon but the Lewis gun i.
doing good work. Why not manufac
ture the Lewis gum
The secretary of war testified be
fore the committee, Mr.. Chamberlain
said, that in September the United
States had nine Browning guns with
which to 90 out against the millions
of Germans"
He denounced the cry that investi
cation gives information to the enemy
GERMANY KNOWS SECRETS.
Germany knows more about
America today than the men con
nected with our departments Sena
tor Chamberlain declared. IF the gov.
eminent would be frank with the peo-
pie then we could rely upon the people
to rally to the support of the presi-
dent and the progress Of the war"
Great Britain, he said, did not waste
time manufacturing guns. The United
States could have adopted the same
kind of a rifle as used by England. as
plants in this country were equipped
for manufacturing them, he contended.
'But while the house burns" he
shouted, america determines through
the ordnance bureau what instru-
are to be adopted" He
conceded that the Enfield rifle as fin
ally adopted is an improvement over
the British gun but declared it "took
days and months to perfect" After
the engineers of various gun making
plants had been consulted, gun fin
ally was agreed upon for the American
army but "the ordnance bureau
through a very distinguished officer"
ordered that the number of parts be
which added to the delay.
SAYS PEOPLE ARE DECEIVED.
"Why shouldn't America know these
things?" the senator demanded. Some
people in the west, he said, believe
America has all it needs.
IF thy only knew the actual condi.
TONS" he continued, "they would
give their lives, their all. to protect
America. Casual reading of the sec.
rotary Of wars statement gives tha
impression that we have everything.
But when we get the testimony Of the
men on the ground, different informa
ton is obtained"
CAMPS LACK EQUIPMENT.
Citing the testimony of an army off.
Ger at Camp Bowie, Texas, who declar.
ed there was not a single trench NOR.
tar there and that other necessary
equipment was lacking, Senator Cham
berlain declared:
"That is true of every camp in the
United States. If it hadn't been for
the civilians who have come here and
given their time and service we
wouldn't have been anywhere"
Turning to the qpartermaster gener.
ais department, Senator Chamberlain
declared that from Secretary Bakers
general statement the country would
believe that Everything was lovely
and the goose hung high so far rs
clothing is concerned"
SYSTEM is WRONG.
"But when you talk to the men who
command these boys you find it isn't
there" he continued. "On per cap
tia basis, it is there. but when it comes
to effective distribution they simply
haven't got the clothing
81 realize the difficulties of the quar-
termaster general He has done the
best he could under the present sys-
TEN. The president inherited that sys-
tenn and has done the best he could.
The president isn't responsible for the
DIT }ka Co f IN hot
haven't the clothing
Senator Chamberlain said he propos.
ed to show by Secretary Bakers own
testimony that the secretary did not
know of actual clothing conditions.
PRESIDENT NOT INFORMED.
"That is why say" he continued,
"that the president did not know the
truth. And | did. He must have
gotten his facts from the secretary.
who in turn got them from somebody
else and somebody else must have lied
And that's why say the president has
not been given the truth
Striding out into the center of the
aisle with an attitude OF defiance, he
shouted:
81 feel it my duty to my country and
have no fear of God, men or the devil
when my conscience prompts. And no
man in the country can keep me from
telling the truth. My only fear is that
this discussion may have bad effect
on the country But if the conditions
exist they ought to be corrected and
quickly Great Britain found the
same conditions and corrected them
quickly. So did France
WOODEN WEAPONS IN USE.
Senator Chamberlain passed around
among senators photographs Of
wooden machine guns, rifles and heavy
ordnance used at environments and
asked senators to study them care
fully.
"They are of some USE he explain
ed "in training men. But if / had a
bow training for the battlefield / would
not want him to have his training with
nothing else than wooden cannon g
England and France he said, saw the