The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1918-02-04

Il. "
.e>unass bat not altogether unns,
~ first place, the president be
toos q the school Of political philoso.
Q9ofs who adhere to the belief that al
tloortsnt legislation should originate
VIII end be proposed by the executive
III eoanot subscribe 10 this scheme oI
government although Il has some OBJ
vious advantages. in that II provide,
leadership, order and program.
Exceptions In This Kind Of Rule.
Since he became president Mr. VIII
con has enforced his view upon congress
10 a large degree and generally with
good results. In the main ] have been
one OF those who have followed his
leadership and supported his policies
and ] expect TO do 20 in the future
Nov and then, however, an exception
mus be made.
"1his is one Of those cases The
question at issue Is not partisan Mel
ther Is any principle involved The
question whether We can improy, the
matter at ISSUE is purely a practical
efficiency Of wal administration by
adopting business methods in buying
supplies and whether WE can get order
out OF confusion and action, instead Of
delay. by co.ordinating great govern.
ment bureaus now running almost in
~dependently and often al cross purposes
Il agree with Senator Chamberlain
that the president does not know the
real situation. He cannot give two
months TO an Investigation such as W.
have done. Like q king, surrounded by
. court. he hears practically only one
side, The people who complain do not
reach the president. nor even members
OF his cabinet They come TO senator's
and representative The president and
secretary Of war have evidently real
iyed the defect Of the eNistinr system
end Representatives. Tie president and
%islaiion hut without success"
Stettinius Without Authority
Praising Edward Ste,tiniu,, the war
departments new surveyor NJ pur-
chases. Senator Hitchcock said he IS
without legal authority, like all the
other voluntary agencies and that q
legally constituted director wa needed
Senator Hitchcock said Great Britain
and France both had been forced TO
remedy government weakness by a sys-
ten similar TO the war cabinet and sug-
eested that the president, under the bill.
would appoint and direct the war cahi-
net and il he p%leaseS, could appoint
Secretaries McAdoo, Baker aud Daniel,
as the members.
Obsolete Methods.
The wal departments obsolete meth
DDS, the senator said, had brought the
expected results, Confusion OF u
thority, red tape, eircumlocution and
incapacity" and he cited evidence given
in the military committees inquiry OF
clothing, rifle and equipment shortages
and sickness and deaths in camps as
the result OF oyer-orowding and lack Of
ave found we must depend on over
worked and over-strained France for
machine guns for German use until
nearly the end Of this year" he said
that the first American-made
heavy artillery will not he received UNI
Ill June and "not much before 1919 can
expect to use in France American
heavy artillery in any great quantity"
No Powder Before August.
"We found" he continued, that only
now We are just beginning work on two
great powder plants TO cost b0J0O0i0N
and cannot get powder from these
plants before August.
"We found that though the medical
asked for hospital supplies
last July. they have not yet been or
Tered.
81 do not deny that we also found
much that was ereditable and salts
factory. The task undertaken was
huge n and much Of the work
has been ably done. Some war de-
psrtment officials most severely
erieitiied have worked desperately
hard. This comment covers the
secretary himself. This leads me to
hold a defective organization re-
sponsible for the shortcomings, to
greater degree than any individual
or group OF individuals,
Two courses were open TO the com
nittee as a result Of the investigation"
raid Sanatot Hitchcock-"to report CON
ditions,-making a few s~capegoats and
removing the greatest evil Of the ef-
machinery or recommending
legislation to give the presiden, IN up
war-msking organization"
Then Debate Begins.
Senator's on both sides gave Senator
Hitchcock close attention.
Senator Kirby, democrat, asked il the
military committee for " had ma9c
any findings or whether the speech req
resented the Nebraska senator's in
dividual views.
Senator Hitchcock said the decision
10 report the two bills was by member
who had attended all OF the commit
tees meetings. Senator Kirby did not
attend the Investigation early in Janu-
AIRY.
Senator Williams Of Mississippi,
an administration spokesman, asked
Senator Hitchcock for his author
ity Tor a statement that N000,000
pairs of shoes have been ordered
Senator Hitchcock said it amt
from eivil n officials in high posi-
ton.
"Then its were hearsay after ALP"
Senator Williams replied. The Ne
brssks senator added he understood
seven million more pairs had been or