The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-07-08
PRESIDENT CHARGED
BY COMMITTEE HEAD
WITH VIOLATING LAW
DECLARES COUNCIL or NATION
AL DEFENSE WAS SECRET
GOVERNMENT or L. ="

national NtltllSt b'l'i' N"' Wv"
clared in absolute violation of law ana
thereby created "A secret government
of the United States which torrhu'
lated war legislation, dictated pohci's
the country was to pursue, ana ne
rliended big business We're made To-
day by Chairman Graham, of the sp''
cial house committee investigating war
expenditures
Minutes of the council We're read To
the committee by Mr.. Graham, To-
gether with report in which he as
serted that the council assumed such
broad powers that MajorGcneral Goe'
thas former chief of the purchase,
storage and traffic division of the war
department, defied it; that cabinet
members protested against its acuvi
ties, and that Judge Gary, chairman
of the board of the United states steel
corporation, accused ii of operating IN
"flagrant violation of law
MIR. Graham declared that the presi-
dent created the secret government
by ignoring and reversing the intent of
congress in authorizing the establish
ment of "A council of national defense
y
gress. he said, the council was to be
composed of six members of the cab
met, who We're to be the real executives
and seven civilians to be selected by
the president, who were to act in a
purely advisory capacity.
Instead of doing this Mr.. Graham
| asserted, the president made the advis-
ory commission the real executives,
| clothing them with unprecedented
| and almost illimitablc powers"
Behind closed doors, weeks and
even months before war was declared" "
he said, these seven men designed
| practically every war measure which
congress subsequently enacted They
| devised the entire system of purcha5-
| ing war supplies, planned Il press cen
sorship, designed a system of food con
| troi, and selected Herbert Hoover as
| director, even determining on the day
| light.saving scheme.
Interested Parties Active
Conceived within the law, but
| brought into existence in absolute Vio-
| lation Of law, it is not surprising to
find this secret government of the
! United States itself persistently Is
nored and even violated the law; that
it allowed interested parties to fix the
prices of war supplies; that it put
the people of the country to incalcu
able unnecessary expense, and carried
things with Il high hand"
Mr.. Graham declared that when Ma
ior General Goethals was called "at the
/, l.
ment from the public obloquy which
was fast settling upon it as a result
of the methods and incapacity of com
missions, he repudiated and practi
cally defied it."
"Our soldiers were actually dying
of pneumonia in the camps because
of lack of proper clothing and blank
| cts" Mr.. Graham said, "and General
Goethals assumed the duties of quar-
termdstcrg general only on condition he
should have free scope in the perform
ance of his duties, unhampered by the
council of national defense
Immediately he took from the mem
bers of that council their power to or
der purchases and fix prices and soon
dispensed with the services of those
members of the advisory committee
who had so deplorably bungled the
counci lof supplies for the army"
Judge Gary advised the advisory com
mission, Mr.. Graham said, that it was
operating in disregard of the Sherman
law, the Clayton law, and "all Other
statutes which are supposed to regulate
business, particularly big business.
When the encouragement was called
upon by the commission to answer Mr.
Gary, Mr.. Graham said, the matters
referred to as violations of law wer,
matters of national policy" rather thar
a legal question.
Buying for Themselves"
"Afterward," Mr.. Graham declared
"when there was evidently a discussion
in congress as to the illegality of mem
bers of the committees on the counci
buying from themselves, the counci
discussed this general policy and It was
suggested that this embarrassment
might be removed by the plan of tn,
committee reorganization now under
consideration
The minutes show that on account
of this so-called embarrassment the wal
industries board was created. and com
mittees We're appointed by the Nationa
Chamber of Commerce, so the letter o
the law might be complied with. bu
i'm which scheme no part of the method
of buying was changed in the slightes
degree, so far as | can observe"
Citing cases in which he said th'
council formulated Legislation befor,
war was declared. which Legislation
later was considered by congress, Mr.
Graham declared that on Feb. 10, 1917
the council discussed the draft system
and considered "A report from Commits
sioners Samuel Gompers and Howard +
Coffin relative to the exclusion of labo
| from military service; on the same da!
recommended that Herbert Hoover b,
employed by the government in connec
ton with food control. and on March 3
. endorsed the daylight-saving schem'
and recommended a federal censorship
of the press.
Organized TO Sell Supplies.
/ About the first thing the commission
did was to take up the matter of ar
/ ranging an easy method of communi
cation between the manufacturers ant
r the government" Mr.. Graham cor
. Continued on page p