New Britain herald., 1918-02-15
PRESIDENT PLAYS
POLITICS, Charge
BY SENATOR WEEKS
Republican Attack on AdmiDiStra-
toms Stand Against War CaOj-
net Renewed in Upper House
DEMOCRATS GAGGED BY
j. WILSON, HE DECLARES

Member Of Military Committee Refers
h<to 'T1ippant" Reply Made by secre-
!. tary Baker Under Cross Examina-
tion-Accuscs Defenders of Present
Program of ViruIencc Toward
Critics
Washington, Feb. 15.-President
Wilson was charged with deliberately
Scjectin" politics into the controversy
over war efficiency by Senator Weeks,
a republican member of the military
committee in a speech today vigor-
ously crit:cizing the War department
and other branches of the government.
Supporting the military committees
war cabinet and munitions director
Bills us a constructive non-partisan
effort to aid and not embarrass Presi-
dent Wilson in unifying Americas war
forur. Senator Weeks detailed delays
and difficulties of the governments
military preparations He declared
lack of a central body to make and
n
plans is largely responsible for pres
.ent and past troubles.
Gag Applied, Weeks Says.
In his charge against the president
the senator said:
mot a question indicating PARTISAN
ship was raised until the president de-
liberately injected politics into the
situation by an attack upon the chair
Of (Snn1tOT
AS chamberlain, of Oregon, democrat
d and the committee itself and by call
" ing to the White House many demo-
cratic party leaders, not for consulta-
ton purposes but to insist that a dis
cussion of this question on the floor
of the senate be prevented if posi-
Dle Have we come to such a pass
that the question of the most i'm
( portant committee in congress at this
= ,time is to be forbidden by the pres
ident?''
Referring to War Secretary Baker.
Senator Weeks said, after praising
many army achievements:
Neither do 1 wish to unjustly or
unreservedIy criticize the head of the
War department He has to deal with
81 multitude of the questions, the dis
AoSal of many of which meet my ap-
proval. 1t would require too much
slime to enumerate. He has done that
effectively in his speech made to the
committee January %.
Says Baker Is Pacifist BY Nature.
'If l were to criticize the secretary
personally, it would be that he has
undertaken to do too many things
himself some of which might have
" been left to subordinates. If I were
to make further criticism, it would
! relate to his temperamental relation
ship to the war. Doubtless he him
self would admit that he is a pacifist
by nature. For example, even now
he is opposed to universal military
training, and I cannot divorce myself
from the conclusion, based on his
~ own testimony that he has been in
'clined to plan for prosecution Of the
war-and this condition has to some
degree permeated the department.
on the basis that we are 5000 miles
away from the front, instead of has
tening preparations with all the vigor
we would exercise if our borders were
the battlefront"
g. Referring to Mr.. Bakers reply when
asked by the committee if other men
could not have done things better,
that he did not know all the men in
the world and could not judge their
capabilities, Senator Weeks said the
answer was somewhat f1ippant" and
that it is impossible to expect a. de-
partment whose head makes such a
statement to make many changes
"a which an outside Investigation have
shown to be necessary.
Bitterness Against Critics.
"One of the notable features of the
situation" Mr.. Weeks contended,
'is the virulence used in attacking
those who favor the committees plan
of centralization.'' Thy are referred
to as plotters, mischievous meddlers
=, and even as servitors of the enemy
Every means of false suggestion has
been used to discredit a sincere and
loyal attempt to make a change
which will materially increase the eff
ficiency of our war administration"
Asserting that it is physically i'm
possible for the president to individ-
ually coordinate and direct all of the
governments functions, Senator
] Weeks added:
Can it be possible the president
will be embarrassed by such a cab
met? It would seem as if he would
he embarrassed to q greater extent by
q perpetuatiOn OF the disiointed sys4
tenn which now exists, a system which
failed TO produce ships, notwithstand-
ing the shipping plans; which has
failed to deliver coal, nOtlvithstandine, {,
the unboundcd coal supply we have;
which has been responsible for a fail
Uro to protect our soldiers HguinSt