The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1918-02-05
Congress Did M Yesterday 1T
HtehcOcks Strong Attack on the ADMINISTRATOR War Pro-
gram Why and How Il Failed Collapse Of the War Cabinet
Idea the Senate-The New Treasury Bill for Relieving Banks
and Controlling Business Senate Railroad Bn-AIien
Citizenship Suffering for Coal
Bv W. V. BYARs.

The ablest attack on the Wilson
Administration made in public since
the beginning Of the war, was made
in the Senate yesterday by Hon.
Gilbert NJ. Hitchcock of Nebraska,
Democrat.
Senator Hitchcock spoke as a
member of the Senate Committee on
Military Affairs, not for the COM
mittee, but on the assumption that
knowing the evidence taken before
the committee, he was bound by it
to support the two bills, framed by
a majority of the committee, re-
organizing the Administration by
the appointment of a director of
munitions, to make all war pur-
chases and of a war cabinet, to
take over" and direct the conduct
of the war.
Following the general lines of
Senator Chamberlain's speech on
his question of privilege with the
President, Senator Hitchcock made
an able summary of evidence before
the committee, as it was most ad-
verse to the Administration on the
issue of preparedness" He spoke as
friend of the President, rerretfully
forced to the conclusion that Mr..
Wilson and his Cabinet are so over
taxed that the successful conduct
of the war requires the passage of
the measures proposed to relieve
them of responsibility it is assumed
they have been unable to meet. This
is the responsibility of ''unifying
and co-ordinating" everything that
concerns the work of the war.
Senator Hitchcock made a num-
Der of points of great interest, not
before emphasized
AS these relate to extravaganza OF
worse in handling war funds in bill
lions, he dwelt on enormous numbers
of gas masks, ordered presumably
when not needed. and of contracts for
twenty-one million pairs of shoes
when only a million men were to be ,
shod. But the natural question of
why so many?" he left unanswered. |
It appears otherwise that in the |
case of the gas masks, certain worthy |
manufacturers (say OF corsets) were |!
in state Of business depression, cal I
culated to induce gloom, il not posi- |,
tive suffering. 1t appears that when
put to manufacturing large numbers
OF gas masks, which may be needed /
if we go on fighting long enough, !;
their sufferings ceased under the eff
feet Of the money from the Treasury. |
The logic of the method is a contract !
for every sufferer and a sufferer for |
every contract. =
It also appears otherwise that this |
method of using money from the |
Treasury to promote optimism and |
stabilize" business, was seriously |
proposed as a system by the great |
volunteer financial experts who were |
at times by red tape"
in the departments as constituted by |
law-especially in the Navy Depart !
ment, where their relief system was
not practiced at all How far this sys-
TEN of panaceas for suffering and |
promotion for optimism connects
with contracts for twenty-one million
pairs of shoes does not yet appear. |
II may connect with the exorbitant !
prices Of shoes for the general public !
and also with very great deal of |
high financial and patriotic history !
yet to be written. At present, such |
suggestions as this serve only to ex-
plain why arguments 30 able, so |
connected, so forcible as those OF
Senator Hitchcock left the impress
sion Of failure.
They did fail. There can be no
doubt of II. They marked the high |