New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1919-02-28
DEMOCRATS IN j. S.
SENATE. EXPOSE
SECRETARY BAKER
CHAMBERLAIN LAYS BARE
FAILURES OF PACIFIST
WAR OFFICIAL WHICH RE.
SUITED IN DEATH AND
DISASTER TO SOLDIERS

DISASTER TO SOLDIERS
from Official Congressional Record
!, CONTINUED from Last Week.)
j Who 10 Responsible
| Mr. Poindexter Mr.. President will
the. Senator from Oregon yield te
me a moment9
Mr.. Chamberlain. Yes.
| Mr.. Poindexter. Mr.. President.
can aid the Senator from Oregon.
think. in following out the conclu
sion that he is looking for as to who
Is responsible.
Mr.. Chamberlain. I should like tc
know. for ] do not know.
Mr.. Poindexter. The one man who
IS responsible for the executive de.
Partments Of the Government is the
President of the United States.
M. Chamberlain. Yes; that i,
true; but that begs the question,
win say TO the Senator from Wash
ineson: The Pseiident is responsible
Tor the execution OF all these
laws; but the Senator knows
very. well that the Presiden,
could not give these matters his Der.
sonal attention. ! know the Senator
from Washington wants to be fair
but that is hardly fair way to put
Mr.. Poindxter. l certainly do no,
want to be unfair; but would like
to ask the Senator from Oregon ii
he takes the position that the Presi.
dent of the United States, who is ele-
cted by the people and who has the
appointment of the different Cabinet
officers who have charge of the bust
ness of those departm is not to
be held responsible for any of the re-
suits Of their administration
M. Chamberlain. No; | do not
claim that.
Mr.. Poindexter. Then it follows,
suppose, that the President, is to be
held responsible?
Mr.. Chamberlain. Mr.. President.
in the last analysis, what the Sena.
tor says is correct; the President is
responsible for this appointment of
men upon whom devolve the dischar.
&c of these duties which are not
performed, but thought possibly
the Senator's question would leave
the impression that the President
himself had put his hand on his
particular thing and had tied it up.
Mr.. Poindexter. My complaint is
if it may be denominated a complaint
at adjust the opposite to that; not
! that the President has put his hands
on il and made a mistake, but that
he has not put his hand on it at all
In all the discussion during the morn
ing as to whether the Post Office
Department was responsible. or
whether the War Department was
respons bic for the failure of the air
craft, the failure OF ordnance, and
the neglect of wounded soldiers, no
one seems to have, assumed that
there was any head to thu Govern
ment superior to the different de-
partments whose duty it is to coor-
dnate them and demand efficiency
in them all.
Mr.. Chamberlain The Senator is
right theoretically. but the Senator
knows that the President can not,
know-sit it not humanity possible for
him to know--all that is going on in
'he War Department. in the Interior
Department, and in the other de-
partments, because one man has not
enough heads and enough hands 20
know and do these things. but he is
responsible for the appointment of
these men, and if knew Of case
where the President is directly re-
spon ibfe in any particular matter,
You can rest assured | would point
it out. am not afraid to criticize
the President or anyone else.
Mr.. Poindexter Mr.. President,
know the Senator is not, and | honor
him for it, and think he is honored
by the country for the fact that he
lis not afraid to or ticize any officials
The higher the official is the more
important it is that he should he
subject to the operations of public
opinion and to just criticism. But
should like to ask the Senator il he
takes the position that. in such a
general failure as he has described,
in th, case of a number of the heads
of great executive branches. for ms
tance, the failure to pay the sold ers,
the general fact that soldiers are not
paid, as the Senator alleges, If the
President of the United States ought
not to be expected 10 know that. and
to remedy that condition? One word
from him would remedy it.
Mr.. Chamb erlain. And one word
from the Secretary of War pretty
nearly would remedy it. That is
what l am trying to get-the one
word.
Must Share Blame With Credit
Mr.. Poindexter. But the Secretary
of War is under the orders cf the
President. The people of this coun-
try do not know the, Secretary of
War; they did not elect the Secre-
tary of War; they did not know that
Mr.. Baker was going to be Secretary
of War when they chose the man
responsible for the executive branch
of the Government They elected
the President of the United States !;
and he is the man that they have
right to hold responsible for re-
suits.
Mr.. Chamberlain. | think theore-
tically the Senator is correct.
Mr.. Po'ndexter. Well. Mr.. Presi-
dent, l do not concede that it is
merely theoretical; it is intensely
practical The President of the
United States is entitled to the credit
for the success of his administration,
and everyone wants to give him Gre
dit for any merit that may be found
in the conduct of the executive