Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-12-30
CONDUCT OF WAR
SCORED IN SENATE
Chamberlain Asserts Coun-
try Is Unprepared to Care
for Returning Soldiers
GRAVE MISTAKES MADE
Lifting of Lid, Senator Saws.
Nindicates His Charges of
a Year Ago

Washington. Dec. 3O.--"Amcrica is az
unprepared today to take care of the
returning soldiers as she was a year
ago to expedite their departure tc
France Senator Chamberlain. cha irmar
of the Military Committee, today de.
clared on the floor Of the Senate.
God only knows how many lives have
been sacrificed because of our unpre.
paredness." he said
! Now that the war has been won and
our soldiers are coming back armless,
legless and eyeless, America is as un-
prepared to take care OF them as she
was a year ago"
A score OF soldiers. some with over
seas service stripes oil their arms. sat
in the galleries and listened to every
word as Chamberlain reviewed what he
charged were grave mistakes Of the
past, with warning that they he not
repeated in the future
Charges Proved, lie SAYS
Now that the lid has been lifted we
have learned that every charge made BY
the Military Affairs Committee was
true said Chamberlain. referring 10
the investigation oc year ago that
followed his famous speech that stirred
the country
lie then had read into the record
General PerShings statement to Secre-
tary Baker. published in the annual re-
port, tending TO show that the lack Of
equipment and ordance in the early DAYS
in France was as great as had been
pictured.
Reading further from Pershlng's re-
port Chamberlin showed how in the bat
tie Of st. Mihiel the American army was
dependent on the French and British
both for artillery and aircraft
cites the Hughes Report
chamberlain quoted from { harles f..
Hughes report OH his aircraft inves,iga-
ton concerning misleading statements
given the public regarding the shipment
Of Anerican-built airDIanes TO France
The American people were led 10 be
Iieve We were sending airplanes abrosd
in quantity" said chamberlain. AS
matter of fact General Pershing tells ny
the first American squadron did not
cross the German lines until August :.
1918"
chamberlain declared there was much
ineftiCiency injustice and loss of man
training planes for young American
aviators. He told how they were sent
to France TO be trained and got no
training. Those who went first had their
morale destroyed. Chamberlain declared
because they got neither training nor
fighting and later on were shunted aside
by other young men trained in this
country and sent abroad.
Appealed to March
lie cited the cases Of two lieutenauts
WHO appealed to him after their COM
missions had been revoked when they
asked for transfers TO some branch Of
the service where they could get into
active service.
II got nowhere because Of the red
tape until took the matter rp per
sonally with General March" said
Chamberlain. lie relnstated the two
boys and transferred them to the tank
corps. But thousands of others did
not get the same redress these two got.
General Pershing, IN the nature Of
things, could not know there were men
in the American forces abroad who we're
not getting the training they Went over
for. would no say word in criii-
cism Of Pershfg His handling Of the
war was magnificent. II has seldom,
II ever. been eqUaled and never sur
passed. Rui I call attention to this sI,u-
alton 10 show the ineficIency which
existed
Unless something is done TO correct
conditions now, these men, when they
come back, will make themselves heard
aud felt AZ they should" warned Cham
berlair.
Cannot Oct Action
senator poIndeXter, Of Washug'on.
asked II II were not a fact that the
Presiden' was responsible for the acts
OF the executive departments. Senator
chamberlain replied that the President
could not be held responsible for all the
acts Of the departments
I'm the failure TO pay salaries Of
soldiers and the failure to construct
hospitals, would not one word from the
President remedy the whole matter"
senator POtnteXter asked.
Yes" said the oregon senator. "aud
one word from the secretary Of War
would remedy II also and II IL that
word that | am trying to get."
But the people Of the Cnitrd Srrrs
do no, know the Secretary Of War"
Mr. Poindexter insisted "Thry did not
elect a Secretary Of War; they elected A
President and did not know who was 10
be Secretary Of War"
Borah Seeks Information
Senator Borah, Of Idaho. asked
whether criticism which had been aimed
at the War Department IN connection
with the publication Of casualty usls
was Justified. adding; II have never
been able TO explain why seven weeks
after the armistice was signed casualty
lists were stiil coming out"
Senator Chamberlain said part Of This
delay was due to the Governments de +
sire TO verify the names Of men Killed
wounded or missing Testimony yre-
sented 10 the Senate Military Committee.
h" said, showed that the Red Cross had
Information regarding many cases be-
fore the War Department had, but for
some reason or other the Red Cross was
not permitted 10 give this information
out