The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1918-01-03

if not criminality, in his Department,
many of the concerns which secured
contracts for clothing and other sup
plies for the army reaped enormous
profits and gouged the Government
out of millions of dollars. General
Sharpe has now been replaced by Gen.
George w. Goethals, the man who SO
successfully directed and carried to
completion the work of construction
of the Panama Canal. General Goe-
thals is strong man of great execu
tive ability. He will bring successful
experience, intelligent comprehension
of the work to be done, business sys-
tenn, and great dynamic energy to the
Quartermaster's Department. Under
his direction it will be very different
and more efficient Department of the
Army than it has been heretofore. The
tremendous work Of the Quartermas-
ter's Department is certain to be done
with promptness and despatch while
General Goethals is in charge.
General William Crozier, chief of
ordnance, also rendered lamentably
poor account of his stewardship in
the ordnance department. While Gen
eral Crozier is undoubtedly a great
ordnance expert and is the distin-
gulshed inventor of some of the most
important ordnance used in modern
warfare, including the disappearing
gun carriage, he appears to lack the
foresight and the broad executive
ability to direct the highly important
work of promptly supplying a great
army with the necessary ordnance for
present day warfare. General Croz-
Ter should be relieved from his present
duties and he should be replaced by
some man having more real executive
ability and energy and one who will
unfailingly see to it that our soldiers
and our armies are supplied with ord
nance so that they will not be obliged
to use broomsticks for rifles in drill
ling or borrow artillery or ammuni-
ton from any of our Allies in order
to engage in battle.
Shortly before the adjournment for
the holidays, little coterie of eastern
bankers and insurance men, assisted
by "Uncle Joe" Cannon, successfully
blocked by objections in the House,
the passage of the bill for an appro-
priation of two hundred million dol
lars to aid the Federal Farm Land
Banks to complete payments to farm
ers for farm loans that have already
been approved and accepted by the
banks. "Uncle Joe" stoutly maintain
ed that his objection to the considera-
ton of the bill at the time it was call
ed up was because in his judgment not I
enough time was to be taken in de-
batting and considering the bill in the
House. "Uncle Joe's" explanation of |
his objections brought forth smiles
from the older members Of the House
who distinctly recalled the time when
"Uncle Joe" in the hey-day of his
power in the House, railroaded great
revenue bills and great appropriation
bills through the House without Civ /
ing to them one-tenth of the time for
consideration that was proposed to be
given to this bill for aid to the Fed
eral Rural Credit system. Notwith-
standing the fight that is sure to be
made against the bill by certain reac- |
tionaries and by a coterie of eastern
bankers and insurance men, the true
friends of the Rural Credit system are
very hopeful of being able to have the
bill passed early in January.