The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-02-05
SYSTEM CAUSE
OF WAR DELAY
SAYS SENATOR
WADS W OR 7 H
"A Congregation of Scat
tered Agencies" Character
izes Nation War Machine
in Words of Senator.
URGES A WAR CABINET

war making machinery was pictured
as congregation of ambitious and
scattered agencies" incapable of team
work, in an address in the senate to.
day by Senator Wadsworth, Repub.
lican member of the military affairs
committee.
The speech renewed the debate over
war efficiency, which occupied the
Senate all day yesterday after Senator
Hitchcock, a Democratic committee
man had delivered a similar arraign-
ment of the lack of coordination in the
governments activities. Several sena-
tors were waiting with replies up
holding President Wilson's opposition
TO the committees war cabinet and
munition director bills.
Without detailing army conditions
revealed by the military committee S
war inquiry with which he said the
country Is now fairly fimiliar, Senator
Wadsworth confined himself largely
TO an argument for the proposed legis-
lation for Capitalization of war making
agencies. President Wilson cannot CO.
ordinate these agencies, he said. and
with long war in prospect, radical
steps to unity the nations efforts are
necessary.
"Whole System to Blame"
That great things have been done
cannot be denied" he declared. THAT
other great things have been left un-
done must be admitted. The credit for
the things accomplished can be assign
ed to several individuals. The blame
for shortcomings ought not to be laid
upon any individual. Criticism should
be directed against our system, or
rather the lack of cohesive system"
Recounting difficulties arising
through indiscriminate priority orders
and competition in the purchase Of
supplies; delays on account of depart
mental red tape and the absence of
power in the council Of national de-
fense, the senator continued:
Mind you. I do not attempt to lay
the blame upon any cne, many or any
one department insist that this
painful situation has resulted from an
utter lack of planning-from a lack of
vision. The plain factis that we have
no agency in our government today
charged with the duty of projecting its
vision far into the future, anticipating
the emergencies which may arise and
laying the plans by which we can
meet and overcome them.
mo one in his senses would pro-
pose that any other office be created
to take away from the president the
powers the constitution cCnfides to
him. II cannot be done. II is unthink-
able. But there is no place in Wash
ington where the needs Of the situa-
tion and plans to meet them can be
brought together, coOrdinated and set
tied upon.
"impossible For One Man"
Il realize that some may contend
that the president can make all these
decisions and therefore. there is no
room for any additional element in our
war time machinery. My contention
is that be he ever so able, no presi
dent, no human being, can perform
such a task. II is utterly impossible
for one man to examine into all these
intricate questions. The days and
rights are not long enough"
Referring to the committees In
quiry, Senator Wadsworth said It had
covered only part Of the ground and
that TO investigate all army activities
which might justify inquiry. would not
permit the committee to finish it's
work during the present session OF
congress.
an both the ordnance and quarter
masters departments" nc said, eve
discovered distressing state Of affairs
Those who attended every day became
deeply impressed with the conviction
that purchase and production and ini-
tial distribution Of the vast amount
of supplies must be essentially an In
dustrial operation and that military
men, with rare exceptions, are in,
capable of bringing about the best
results"
All OF the expert civilians appear
ing together before the committee,
Senator Wadsworth declared. testified
in the same direction-"proper cen.
tralization of authority established
preferably by statute whose decisions
may be promptly reached and accept
ed as final"
illustrates Story.
Lack cf preparedness before the war
the senator said. is costing many,
many lives and millions of dollars"
besides proionging the war.
Illustrating his argument from a
large chart hung on the wall with
Secretary Bakers reorganization plan
and that OF. the committee shown to-
rether, Senator Wadsworth called at
tention to the existing vast number of
official, semi-official and purely ad-
visory agencies. bureaus and other
bodies which, he asserted, are not CO.
ordinated, consulting or harmonizing.
On the railroads, the senator declar
ca, goods with blue tagged priority
orders have exceeded normal ship
ments and in the east, sc percent Of
ell freight was so tagged.
What has been tie result" he
asked "A hopeless jam and conges-
ton Of our railway transportation fa-
cilities. A million three hundred thous-
and tons Of munitions and supplies are
riled upon the docks along our Allan
tic coast, billed to France and Italy
clone Some are deteriorating rapid
ly In some places locomotive boil
ers and great piles of shells and other
Continued on Page Five)