The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-01-26
What the President Knows.
{ New York Worldly

In the opinion of Senator Chamber
lain, smarting under the sting Of a per
sonal rebuke from the White House.
President Wilson docs not know the
truth. = He cannot learn the truth. -
Even his advisers cannot tell him the
truth, because they are situated in
the same position as he is
Who, then, does know the trutho Evi-
IDENTITY nobody except members of a sen
ate committee who have been eagerly
SelZlng upon every fragment of gossip
that came their way and have been con.
Quoting an investigation characterized
chiefly by a complete lack Of anv real
understanding of the war or OF the
methods by which ii Is conducted.
i In seeking an emotional excuse for
tearing passion to tatters, Senator
/ Chamberlain almost sobbed Yesterday
over poor France .bled white, 4" which
I Is furnishing American troops in the
! field with heavy ordnance, field artillery
and machine guns. And so France IS.
! The arrangement was not OF our solicit
ing. It was put forward by the French
government, which insisted that if il
furnished ordnance of which il has a
reserve the prosecution of the war could
be greatly advanced and the American
armies could be brought into effective
action much sooner To meet the wishes
of the French, the military policy of the
United States was changed almost over
night, in spite of the confusion that the
change inevitably created. From that
\ dayson the United States has been keep
ing step with the wishes of the French
and British, so far as they could be as
certained.
Many difficulties arose during tho
summer owing to the failure OF the
French and British governments ia
agree upon a definite program of Ameri
can undertaking. One day there would
be demand for men, the next dav for
supplies, the next day for food. and SC
on. When the Paris conference was hello
the house mission worked out with tn,
British and French representatives
comprehensive program. The govern
ment at Washington is carrying out it,
, part OF that program and viii continue
to carry it out if congress will keep it.
hands off. The President knows exactly
what must be done and is doing it.
This fact is not a great state secret
although the details are necessarily
| withheld from publication. But tn,
| President has gone so far as to say tina
| the United States will have twice a
| many men in France in June as original
| ~ planned. The President : words hav
| been supplemented by statement iron
| Secretary Baker saying that the pro
| gram of the war department . has bee
a constantly developing one and man
| difficulties or limitations have been r.
| moved or overcome.
Nothing could be more ridiculous tina
| Senator Chamberlain s statement tina
President Wilson does not know TIL
truth about the war. There is no ma
| i'll the world who knows more about
| than President Wilson, or has a kecne
| appreciation of the great responsibiltit
that rest upon the United States.
There is no evidence that the Chan
bcrlain investigation ever sought IL
| broad facts about the conduct Of I'll
war. 1t was engaged mainly in mucl
raking the war department, in listenin
to the complaints of disappointed coi
tractors and in finding minor shortcon
ings to criticise. 1t was not loekir
for chance to help, but an opportunit
to censure That was the spirit of Sen
tor Chamberlain 5 shocking New Yol
speech, in which he charged that the IN
itary establishment of the Unit,
States chad almost stopped functio
! ing. That was the spirit of the W