The Washington herald., 1918-02-02

Much misinformation has gone
forth with regard to the Senate Mil
itary Committees estimate of Sec
retary Baker.
Some of the misinformation has
been spread by special correspond
| ents whose duty 1t is to defend
| Cabinet members in front page
| features.
Some of II comes from friends of
Secretary Baker who want to at
tribute questionable motives to
| those who are honestly trying to
improve our war machine against
| Germany.
The position of the Military Com
mittee. therefore. should be made
known. according to patriots in
both parties, at the Capitol.
In the first place Senator Cham
berlain has never suggested the re-
| moval of Secretary Baker. Neither
has any Senator. Neither has any
member who had a hand in drafting
either the munitions dictatorship or
| the war cabinet legislation.
The members have repeatedly said
that they are not trying to get rid
| of Mr.. Baker. but to take a load of
his shoulders.
They want to make the war work
more efficient because it is impos-
sible for one man TO conduct It. and
do it successfully. The Military
Committee has taken the position
all along that individuals should
not be made the goats of their in
quiry.
The committeeman have insisted
l,nf 80 i've innr1irv
into affairs should come not the
harpings upon driveling details or
petty fault-finding on account of
small things gone wrong.
These committeeman wanted to
| bring forth. as a result of this hear
| ing. big principles which could be
woven into our war fabric and
make il stronger. better to help us
| in our fight against the foe.
The trouble has not been so much
with men here and there, as with
| the system. That is what the mill
tary committeeman insist-and that
! is what they have written into the
| two bills which it appears a ma
| jority of the committee will sup
port.
The pleas of demagogs that big
business is interfering, or that per-
nicious profiteers are near to" the
opposition, is all wrong-foolish-
ness of the most lurid variety. Men
who shout that opposition to it have
other opposition which they are not
willing to have brought out into the
| daylight.
The war cabinet bill may not
contain the plan of reorganization
that will eventually come. But
some plan is bound to come. The
| efforts of our war machinery are
ditected toward one goal-that no
one will deny-but they are running
wild, and the innocent bystander
could not tell from where he is that
they will ever reach the goal 1t
is. seriously, a time to consider the
matter-and the matter will be con-
sidered, we may be quite sure. The
| people are impressed with the doc
trine that principles and not men
shin be altered just now-it is a
bikger task than remodeling men to
meet our vast problem. We have to
remodel our policies and will have
to be about the task very soon.
with all the ardor that typifies
the ideallst Senator owen, of Okla
boma. is seeking to have Congress
speak it's mind on our peace aims.
The effect, he thinks. will be good
on the other side of the water.
The President has done well, ac-
cording to Senator owen. but what
is needed as a supplement is the
concrete expression of those who
represent the great body of Ameri-
can citizenship.
But Senator owen finds little en-
couragement just now. His 'docu-
ment, strongly worded that It is.
is another Declaration of Inde-
pendence, but may not be so readily
adopted as was the latter dotu-
ment. -
Just now word is awaited fen
the white House to see what the
President wants done with the
owen resolution. 1t is thought by
some of the members that inasmuch
as the President is charged with
the duty of telling our war aims
and has done so two or three times
his effort may be considered to be
sufficient for the time being. es-
pecially in view of the fact that
the Presidents statement finds such
general Endorsement at the hands
OF the A merican people.
Several months ago when Con-
gress was pondering over the mat
ter of making ssuccinct appeal
ing statement TO the people. the
Owen resolution. II Is believed BY
some Of the members. would have