Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-02-15
JAMES REBUKES
WILSON'S CRITICS
Kentucky Senator Declares
CHARGES Like Chamberlain's
Give Comfort TO Enemy.
WASHINGTON, Fen. Is.

WASHINGTON, FEn. 10.
Senator Ollie James of Kentucky spoke
for two hours yesterday afternoon, reply
nc 10 Senator Chambcrlain's charge
hat the war machinery had fallen down.
The kentuckian arose to flights of fervid
,.looucncc ~ he defended President
Nilsson against critics OF his admins
tratiou.
senator James warned the country
against criticism calculated to encourage
germany into tho belief that America
i not united in the war.
lsing a figure of speech, the Ken
tucklan IN his pcroration pictured the
President in this way:
President Wilson walks the tight
rope II reaches across the sea with its
wreck and desd-he holds in his hands
the richest treasure ever lodged in the
keeping of one man since God said let
there be light. The treasure If our very
life, our liberty, our institutions, our
homes, our resides, our all
Gentlemen, let me plead with you,
with all Americans do not shake the
rope. DO not badger him. Do not
hcckle him. Do not annoy him. He
will make the journey safely over this
ocean of blood and peril. Keep silence.
Hold your tongues.
When the kentucky Senator finished
~taId rule Of the Senate, broke into APP
plauSc
Senator James started by quoting from
the speech of Senator Chamberlain In
New York that the war establishment
had fallen down because of inethciency
IN every biycau and in every depart
mcnt The Orcgonian, he said, had
impressed his audience that he spoke
mot rs a Democrat, but rs an Ameri-
can.
DEMOCRATS AND AMERICANS.
The Senator seems TO make some
strange and weird distinction between
- Democrat ana an American citizen.
commented Senator James. For myself.
| have ALWAYS believed that TO be
good Democrat is TO be good American,
and II | did not believe that would
sever ~ once my association and al
lcgiancc from that body.
III the course Of tins remarkable |
speech the Senator diverted long enough
"a pay high tribute To the former PrcSi-
,icnt of the United States Colonel Roosc-
Welt and hc paid high tribute 10 former
senator Root hut throughout that speech
rot one word of tribute did ne paw 10
hc President Of course. | recognize
the -urruurding and attendant circum-
stanc,. There was the king of the
Iupslc. the hero OF san Juan fill, the
diScovcrcr of the River Of Doubt, and |
imagine though the distinguished SEN
ator told Ils in the course Of a speech
upon TINS floor. stating that he is not
MIR iid of God uan or devil that he at
lea. was given an aphaSia by Colone!
Roosevelt and wrS unable 70 think of
the name Of the President OF the United |
States
At the time that speech was uttered |
the fires OF revolution had just begun to I
blaze IN Austria; 100000 hungry, war
torn workingmcn were marching the |
streets Of Germany crying for peace
without annexation, peace without IN |
dcmnIty. hu can measure the mighty |
force of this utterancc IN the hands of
the kaiser red-lined upon every news
paper N the empire, posted upon every /
billboard. america, giant Of the west,
America, hope Of the Allies, Amenca,
hope Of the world, has collapsed?
Who sand II" The chairman of the |
military Affairs committee Of the United 1
states not the utterance of some ire |
sponsible. bur the deliberate utterance |
made by tins man in tins mighty station !
that America has failed IN tins great war. |
Nho can say and who can measure |
and no can weigh III" mighty lnfiu- |
cncc that these utterances had in quiet
stopping the strike in Germany ana !
sending these men back 10 work? !
can hear The kaiser say: Trust me =
httlr longer. just a little longer, and /
Germany Will triumph over the world. !
II know that my good friend tie
senator from Oregon did not intend
that this speech should have that effect.
but am pointing out the danger OF
such uttcranceS as this. And the truth
J. that II Is not justified by the facts
The senator from Oregon assumes the /
role of the efficient man, of the man
who makes no mistakes, the man who I
wants 10 correct the mistakes of the War
Department, and yet IN this short speech
81 twenty minutes he was forced to
withdrew 80 per cent of his charges
and subject the remaining 10 per cent
10 the terrific battle of dispute; 90 per
cent inefficient himself in speech OF
twenty minutes does not proclaim him
az tie man without the power to make
mistakes.
" bile admitting that America had
made mistakes. Senator James insisted
that her achievements had been worthy
Of American tradition. The organiza-
tIon OF the selectIvc drai, army he
sad, was a tremendous accomplishment