The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-01-03
|INAE|}} DEPT. IS
CRIT|CIZE:DFQR
|TS5L()NHE55

WASiUNtTu IAN. . N5$ Ii"
-iss,c!;tiri Ir"sS )--'rhr war h"nnr.-
ru,.iiI WAS sharply criticised II III" son
at. to-day ~ senator W""ss. II Mas:''t-
chtISctiS. Republican. for h"i;,y% and
errors IN rrI..!l;m- casualties arl"ua'
:!." rXp'";itf,u:,ry forces and for tnil-
Ur" :" k""r with ihr records II In"
matter uf Forwarding letters from lh''
v"uud.h soldiers IN ;h.& country.
Criticism Wa directed especially al
IN. "ffic" "r III" aGIUtant general "f
tn" army. Senator Weeks say.u; that
Major General MrCu!u tn" tdjutant
general w:r retired last sumner Z"
cO.H:naId u dIs.si":r. and who WAS sue
"".d't by Major General Harms.
should hav" hr"n retained. II" could
tao, !,"l>:" h" GaG. tia; a chang" III
.,T:.,.r IUr.u!; III" war MAS business
Ike. or desirable
Senator Weeks declared that tn" VAR
departments information ~ !" casual
,i"s often had h""n wrong.
During tn" week ended p"c";nhrr ~"
h" stated. the Rcd Cross received an
av"ra.;" Of 20 lr;;"rs n day from pnr-
cnts who had h'rn advised by III" War
Depart men; that their Suns had been
killed on n sp"rjE!r DAFT. In every on"
uC these cases III" parents wrote that
their boys subsequent t" III" dat" given
by III" War p"pa"' :r"Et. II seems al
most miraculous thar so many errors
could have occurr,! - cases of this
kind"
II also was WORTH noting. the Massa-
chusetts senator continued that in send
ing casualties to families the depart
ment simply stated tho individual has
been killed or wounded. without further
explanation. and TINT 81 far ne knew
the department had no other informal
ton on tn" subject.
That work. he addod has very prop
erly been taken up by tn" Rcd 'ross
and It is testified that in ;hc neighbour
hood OF 10000 letters n week hay" been
sent to III" families OF those killed or
injured. giving tho facts relating 10
III" death or condition OF the injured
man"
Describing Rod Cross methods. Sem
ntor Weeks said that agency IN August
located In French hospitals cno Amer
can soldiers reported missing ny the
war department. These mrn h. de-
Clarc-l. had communicated with the Rcd
Cross. believing that through il their
relatives would learn OF the condition,
hut IN" Information was nrv"r trans
m:ttcd because rf an order Of tho d."
partncnt prohibiting tn" mailing OF
such letters Meanwhile. tho relatives
had no knowledge rs 20 N" location oc
the men. though later tho order vas
mcdificd and The agency permitted 70
forward thu letters entrusted to Ats
care.
Tho throry under which the order WAS
issued Senator Weeks said. was that tho
department wished absolute accuracy
which was desirable, but he cont"nded il
did not follow that such information
would b. any moro accurate or az accu-
rate as information obtained by the
Red Cross through It's individual repre-
sentativeS
Adjutart General Harris. h. explained
was not rrs ponsiblr for the order.
"Onr Of tho most slarng errors shown
in the lack Of co-ori ination between the
war department and The Red Cross scry
!cc. tho senator said Is found in III" fact
that hospital lists wore not. until tho
latter part Of November Of this year.
furnished the Rcd Cross. although in tho
possession Of tn" war department.