Daily Kennebec journal., 1919-07-07
Monday, July 7, 1919.
Autoeraey in Action.

The dangerous path which the
War Department has been allowed to
tread during the past few years
through power given by a Demo-
cratic administration and Congress,
was brought to light in the Senate
during the recent debate on the
army bill. Senator Lenroot of Wis
consin. made plain the fact that Con-
gross violation or a breach of trust
Department the fullest discretion in
the expenditure of money" Adding
that. there had been at least one
gross violation Of a breach of trust
morally upon the part of the War
Department" Senator Lenroot intro
duced letters to show the grave mis-
take made by the Department in es-
tabIIshing an infantry school at arms
at Camp Benning in Georgia, the
same having been removed from Fort
Sill in Oklahoma.
In the first place the condemning
OF the land in two counties in Georgia
for the new camp. 10000 acres in all.
meant the taking away from one of
these counties Of $4,000 acres out of
a total of 10000 acres. The county
is small. with a population of 5,e40
and the camp is taking in about
$500 OF the population, most Of
whom are opposed to giving up their
homes. In January representatives
OF the county obtained a hearing be-
fore the Senate military affairs
committee which resulted in a reso-
luton disapproving the project.
After this the War Department an
nounced that the work at Camp
Benning would be suspended and no
further work done and that steps
would be taken to salvage same. No
sooner had Congress adjourned.
March 4, than work was resumed and
at the time the letter containing this
information was received by Repre-
sentative Mondell. some 1000 or
1000 laborers were ousily engaged
in building the camp. spending
money in a most lavish and ex-
travagaut manner"
The writer proceeds to say that:
1T strikes me that the War Depart
ment is undertaking to build a per-
manent camp in an illegal and
fraudulent way. spending money that
was appropriated for camp sites,
camps and cantonments during the
war emergency. The land bought by
tn, department consisted Of about
10000 acres at an average cost Of $4c
per acre. To complete the project
would mean an expenditure Of $75,-
100000 or $1oo.oo0,oOo. No restric-
tion having been made in the law
passed appropriating money for the
war emergency for these camps the
War Department had. as was stated
by Mr.. Lenroot, the naked legal
right to do it." but Congress never
dreamed that 1t would be necessary
IN making the appropriations for war
purposes to say to the War Depart
ment, II the war shall terminate
you shall not use this money for 9TH
er purposes
The effect Of moving this camp
from Fort Sill was just as bad in
Oklahoma as it was in Georgia.
Hon. Scott Ferris, Of Oklahoma
wrote Secretary Baker concerning
the matter in May. 1918. stating: ITO
construct a cantonment at an ex-
pense of s2,soO,ooo and then abandon
it in the midst of the world war, and
go out buying and renting land. es-
tablishing new cantonments and ac-
quiring new areas seems wrong to
me. Again. the school of small arms,
which was established in 1914 prior
to the war. with all the time and
money expended thereon. is now be-
ing abandoned and held for naught.
This too, seems wrong
The mistake has been made by a
Democratic War Department and
such wrong action. as they have
taken must be upheld. for to pro-
hibit the measure to appropriate the
remainder Of the necessary money
would be to do great injustice to
many innocent people. Legal con-
tracts made by the government,
though improperly made by the War
Department are binding. BY all
rights and precedents the Benning
Camp should be abandoned but the
country must witness the appropria-
ton Of money to carry out a lavish
and unnecessary expenditure by the
War Department.