New Britain herald., 1918-02-05

Astor last night, declared that, in his opinion, the progress that the United States has made in the last ten months in preparing to do major part in the European war has been one of the most marvellous things in history. He eulogized Pres ident Wilson as a man with whom no other American could be compared as a moral leader. and urged the more than 1000 persons present to realize that success depended on united America, and, he added selennly that, should the war be lost, everything for which the United States stood would have passed from the earth.
 Senator George F. Chamberlain of Oregon had expected to attend the dinner, but he telegraphed at the last minute that he was unable to come owing to the fact that the war cabinet and director of munitions bills, the enactment of which he de- sired, made it impossible for him to leave Washington at this time. Senator Borah said that had Senator Chamberlain been present it had been his intention to take issue with some recent utterances of the Ore- gonian, particularly the now famous contention of Senator Chamberlain that the war department had fallen down" in the present war.
 Senator Borah spoke at the close of the dinner. He had been preced- cd by ex-A1nbassador James w. Ger ard and Bainbridge Colby Of the shipping board.
 Much has been said tonight" said Senator Borah, regarding criti- cisn and investigation. It is quite true that some Investigations have been made and I have tried in the line of my official duty to keep in touch with every angle of those in- vestigations. I do not think that I will be charged with being 6 preju- diced witness in favor of the admin istration at Washington, yet I must say that in my opinion it is a mis- take to say that America has broken down in this war.
 "The United States for more than one hundred years has been a peace loving nation. It never had reason to expect that it would be drawn into 8 war such as is the one upon the winning of which we are now engaged. Iet by the invasion Of our just right and through the brutality of a foreign foe it became necessary that this peace-loving people of ours should be transformed into a, vast fighting machine. We had to accomplish the transformation in a very few months. And it was a task so great that it was impossible to do it without nak- ing some mistakes. And mistakes were made, but I do not consider them fundamental, nor do consider them irreparable. And whatever the mistakes which may have occurred, I am sure that in the erd the congress and the administra- tion will get together and will correct them.
 ''To me the wonder has been that greater and more funda m ental mis- takes have not been made. It had been my intention to say some things regarding these mistakes which I shall now leave unsaid. I had in- tended to make these remarks had Senator Chamberlain been present. And here, and before I proceed fur ther, l want to say that in all Am ca, there is no more high minded senator or more patriotic American than George F. Chamberlain of Oregon.
 Tn my judgment it will be but a few days when everything that he. happened in the way of cantious criticism will have disappeared and we shall have all been united in co,,
 mon purpose which will be tha or sanitation of our great war nacbira on a scale of efficient that c4err.ry will see and realize once and for all