New Mexico state record., 1919-03-21
DEMOCRATS IN U. s..
SENATE EXPOSE
SECRETARY BAKEF
CHAMBERLAIN LAYS BARE
FAILURES OF PACIFIST
WAR OFFICIAL WHICH RE
SUITED IN DEATH AND
DISASTER TO SOLDIERS
(From Official Congressional Record

Continued from last week.)
You can take the circular letter
that has been sent to every Senator
and to every Representative from
the Adjutant Generals Office telling
what is necessary to be done in or,
der to get young men discharged
and what is the program of demobili.
cation, and it is so loosely drawn
that ANYTHING IS possible to be done
under it. There is no certainty about
it. There are so many provisos tc
it that when it gets to man in the
ranks who thinks he has had a pro.
mise that he is going to be discharg.
ed he does not know what it means
What am | getting at is to have the
department tell these young men
what they and their people may ex.
pect. Now. here is what l mean by
that:
The war has been ended now a
month and a baltimore than a
month and ahalf.
Mr.. Thomas. That Is, it is a month
and half since the armisticc was
signed.
Mr.. Chamberlain. l mean, the ar
mistice has been in force over a
month and a half. On the 18th day
of November. 1918, the next day after
the armist ce was signed, Great
Britain commenced to plan for the
rehabilitation of her army at home
and in France. Great Britain was
not afraid to take these steps because
of Germany. Great Britain did what
the Secretary of War ought to have
done. 1t does not need aEy legisla-
tion to do it. He can not come back
to Congress and say
Shake not thy glory locks at me-
Thou. cans't not say l did it.
No legislation is necessary. The
Secretary of War has absolute power
to act in the premises, under the
Commander in Chief OF the Army
and Navy OF course.
What England 10 Doing
Now. let us see what GreatBritain
did. = The next day after the
armistice was signed we find that
Mr.. McPherson the undersecrctary
of state for war, discussed this ques-
tion of demob lization in Parliament,
and between the 18th day of Nove;n-
Der and the 23rd OF November they
had adopted a policy, and they sent
men out to lecture to the soldiers
to tell them what they might expect,
There is not cantonment in the
United States where the soldiers can
tell you that they understood what
to expect. All of them expect some
thing different.
Mr.. Mcpherson says:
| am fully aware OF the Importance
of the diffusion amongst the troops
serving abroad
Serving abroad. mind you. These
are the troops on the Continent
of information as to the Govern
ment plan for rehabilitation of
forces. Arrangements have been
made by which full information con-
cerning the method of demobiliza-
ton will be given to the troops when
the situation is suitable. Lectures
are already being given at the front
dealing with the outlines of the pro-
,edmre to be adopted.
II We had adopted some such policy
as that, there would not exist the
present discomfort amongst the
troops and the people.
There ought to have been some
notice given to soldiers and to the
American people, first, that the mar
led men would be excused; second,
hat the boys who were going back
o a job would be next; third, that
hose who had dependents would be
lext or whatever order was deter
mined upon. In other words. we
ought to have organized the Army
'or rehabilitation along the lines
hat appealed to the economic con.
iition of the country.
Continuing, Mr.. Mcpherson said: