The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1918-02-12


them to the attention of the War
Department instead"
81 have done so," replied Senator
Hitchcock. ~ have done it without
avail"
Senator Hitchcock was "thunder-
struck he said, over what he called
the calm assertion of Secretary Ba-
ker that he could land 100000
more men in France by the end of
the year. Only if there were 5000
600 tons of shipping available and
it was used necessarily, without loss
from sinking by submarines, the
Senator said, would it be possible to
accomplish such task.
"I am curious to know" inter-
posed Senator Penrose, whether
any explanation has occurred to the
Senator as. to how the Secretary of
War was so sadly apart from the
facts. Had he not been informed
or did he allow his sanguine dispo-
sition and hopefuln ature and opti-
mism to predict result the facts
did not justify?" ;
Thinks Baker Does Not Know Facts
"I would not like to attempt to
explain the motives which led the
Secretary of War to make such a
statement" replied Senator: Hitch
cock. 'I think it is a terrible thing
to mislead the people when facts are
ascertainable. My own opinion is
that the Secretary of War has not
been in touch with the Shipping
Board; that there has been nothing
to coordinate the Shipping Board
with the other functions Of Govern
ment, and that there has not been
knowledge in high places of the ac-
tual facts. 1t is a miserable thing
for US to live in FOOLS paradise
and think we can do the impossible.
I do not think the Secretary has de-
liberately misled the people; he sim
ply doesn't know" ,...
Insisting that he was loyal to the
President, Senator Hitchcock said
that, in the main, he had supported
the Executive in all his legislation
in Congress. 49,. ....
"On great occasions our President
rises to heights of greatness" said
Mr.. Hitchcock. "The two greatest
men in the world today are Lloyd
George and Woodrow Wilson. But
President Wilson cannot do all the
work of the war for us alone. He
needs help; he needs machinery. He
does not know the real situation. He
hears only one side of it. If he
knew both sides of it, he would not
stand against measures that would
help him win the war"
In opposing the War Cabinet bill
Senator Williams said that it's ad-
vocates appeared to "want to give
the President brains"
That he said, could not be done
through legislation, if the President
was not endowed with them. Mr..
Hitchcock and the other Senators
who attacked the Administration, he
said, had been looking for ."specks",
they had magnifed trifing faults.
He went on:
Jeremiah and his lamentations
are not In 1t with the Senator Irom
Nebraska. He begins away back be-
yond and tells US we have no ships,
nor this, nor that, nor the other
thing that we need. He has drawn
an indictment against the executive
department of the Federal Govern
ment that is very strong. During
the course of his remarks he has
said that he might be accused of
giving information useful to the
enemy if he disclosed all he knew.
He has disclosed about all he knew
and he gave information very use
full to the enemy"
Undertaking, Says Williams.
Senator Williams was tired, he
said, of the Undertaking" of the