Mexico Missouri message., 1918-02-14

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terms Of peace, SO far as they concern
Belgium itself, are absolute political,
economic and territorial independence,
equitable reparation and guarantees
for the future.
The British labor party In conven-
ton at Nottingham declared its posi-
ton in the matter Of war and peace.
A resolution was adopted welcoming
and indorslng the statements Of Prem
Ter Lloyd George and President Wilson
and calling on the central powers to
formulate their war alm1 at the ear
liest possible moment. Speakers gave
high praise to Mr.. Wilson's statement,
and 1t was made clear that the party
would not stand for peace negotiations
with Germany while she holds the ter
rltories she has seized.
-M-
Fuel Administrator Garf1eld's indus
trial shutdown was far from being
wholly successful in relieving the coal
shortage and railway tie-up. For this
the plan was not entirely to blame,
| for heavy SHOWS in the eastern part
Of the country intervened to prevent
the free movement of coal trains.
Consequently Mr.. McAdoo was con-
strained to declare an embargo on
three of the largest coal carrying roads
of the East, forbidding the tranSporta-
ton Of any freight save fuel, munitions
and foodstufts. The situation, espe-
cially on the Atlantic seaboard, still Is
most serious.
-m-
Partisan politics reared It's ugly
head in congress last week and en-
tered into the discussion Of the con-
duct of the war. So far 1t has done
little harm, and perhaps 1t cannot be
kept down in an election year. Sena-
tors Penrose and Stone were the chief
offenders, the former attacking the ad-
ministration and the latter having the
ffrontery-conSiderin his own record
to assail the patriotism Of Colonel
Roosevelt.
Interest in the doings Of congress
centered on the Chamberlain bill for
war cabinet, the introduction Of which
was perhaps hastened, though not
caused, by the investigation of Secre-
tary Bakers department. The presi-
dent had forcefully, even angrily de-
clared his opposition to the measure
and his absolute confidence in Mr..
Bakers ability and efficiency, and the
defeat of the bill was predicted, al
though 1t had the support of many SEN
ators of both parties.
Mr.. Wilson in a public statement ac-
cused Senator Chamberlain of making
ian astonishing and absolutely unjus-
tiflable distortion of the truth" in a
New York speech, in which the Ore
gon senator told of the failures Of the
war department. In replying to this
in the senate, Mr.. Chamberlain reiter-
ated his charges and undertook to
prove them by citations from the In
vestigation by the senate committee.
The senator scored the war depart
ment numerically, and produced docu'
mentary proof that Secretary Baker
when before the senate committee, was
!. ignorant of the actual conditions in the
matter of supplies to the army camps
|, "The president" he said, did moi
know the truth, and did. He must
have got his facts from his distinguish
ed secretary Of war and he In turn got
them from somebody else, and If those
who furnished the evidence knew the
, facts, they lied"
, In the course of his speech Mr.
Chamberlain read heartbrenking let
ter from a father telling of the deatl
: Of his son In an army camp under mos
astounding conditions of neglect. AZ
= terward Secretary Baker said Of thl!
/ that 1t was not a singular case, tha
s there had been several such due to tn,
/, lack of nurses, and that each one hat
t been rlgidly Investigated.
5 The hot discussion over the inefi
: cheney Of our war preparations con
! tinues unabated and is reaching tn,
: stage where 1t becomes personal ant
vicious. The thick-and-thin support
( ers of the administration declare tn
4 critics of some Of its acts are border
!. Ing on treachery because they Civ
0 comfort to the enemy, while those VIII
e criticize assert that only by letting tn
: public know the faults that are beln
q committed can those faults be correct
r ed. Their course, they hold, is die
$ tated by the purest patriotism.
-@-
General Tasker H. Bliss, chief o
= staff, has arrived in Paris to represen
the American army in the suprem
war council. 1t is believed he will urg
o that the allies renew offensive opera
s lions on large scale