The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1919-07-08
HURLS CHARGE
AT PRESIDENT
Wilson Accused Of Defying Law
in War Program.
ADVISORY BOARD SUPREME
He is Charged in Report of House
Committee With Establishing "a Sc
cret Government"

Washington, July S.-Charges thai
the president organized the council OF
national defense before war was de-
thereby created secret government
of the United States," which formu-
lated war legislation; dictated policies
the country was to pursue, and be-
friended big business" were made by
Chairman William J. Graham, of ILL
nois, of the special house committee
investigating war department expendi-
lures
Minutes of the council were read to
the committee by Mr.. Graham, tOgeth-
er with a report in which he asserted
the council assumed such broad pow
ers that Major General Cocktails, for
mer chief of the purchase, storage and
traffic division of the war department,
defied it; cabinet members protested
against it's activities, and Judge Gary,
president of the United States Steel
corporation, accused it of operating
in fragrant violation of law"
Mir. Graham declared the president
created "the secret government by
ignoring and reversing the intent of
congress in authorizing the establish
ment of the council of national defense
in August, 1915. AS authorized by
congress, he said, the council was to
be composed of six members of the
cabinet, who were to be the real eX-
ecutives, and seven civilians, to he
selected by the president, who were
to act in a purely advisory capacity.
Instead of doing this, Mr.. Graham as
serted, the president made the advis-
DRY commission the real executives,
clothing them with unprecedented and
almost illimitable powers"
Behind closed doors, weeks and
even months before war was declar
ed" ne said, "there seven men design
ed virtually every war measure which
congress subsequently enacted. They
devised the entire system of purchas-
ing war supplies, planned press cen
sorship, designed a system of food
control and selected Herbert Hoover
as it's director and even determined on
the daylight saving scheme.
Conceived within the law, but
brought into existence in absolute vio-
lation Of law, it is not surprising to
fnd this secret government of the
United States itself persistently ignor-
ed 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 incalcul-
able unnecessary expense and carried
things with high hand"
Mr. Graham declared that when Ma
jor General Goethals was called cat
the eleventh hour to rescue the war
department from the public obloquy
which was fast settling upon It as a
result of the methods and ineapacity
of the commission he repudiated and
virtually defied it."
"Our soldiers were actually dying of
pneumonia in the camps because of
lack of proper clothing and blankets"
Mr.. Graham said, "and General Goeth-
ais assumed the duties of quartermast-
er general on condition he should have
1AOC oSOpC LII LuC pCA4OAhdASO Va LID
duties, unhampered by the council of
national defense.
Immediately he took from the men,
berS of that council their power to
order, purchase and fix prices and
soon dispensed with the services of
those members Of the advisory COM
mission who had so deplorably bungled
the control Of supplies for the army"
Judge Gary advised the advisory
commission Mr.. Graham said, that it
was operating in disregard Of the Sher-
man law, the Clayton law and call
other statues that are supposed to reg
ulate business, particularly big busi-
ness" When the attorney general was
called upon by the commission to ans
yer Judge Gary, Mr.. Graham said, he
answered that the matters referred to
as violation of law were matters of
national policy" rather than a legal
question.
"Afterward," Mr.. Graham declared,
when there was evidently discussion
in congress as to the illegality Of men,
bers of the committees on the council
buying from themselves, the council
discussed this general policy and it
was suggested that this embarrass-
ment might be removed by the plan
of the committee reorganization now
under consideration