Douglas daily dispatch., 1926-07-13

|
become Senator Weeks, succeeding
winthrop Murray Crane of Massa-
tchusetts.
In the senate, as in the house, Weeks
won quick recognition. His services
were rewarded by appointment to i'm
portant committees of that body. AS
member of the military committee
during the world war, he staunchly
supported aggressive war measures re-
gardless of any question of party poll
itics.
/ Served in Senate.
! He. served in the senate until 1919,
adding steadily in the meantime to his
national prominence. The republican
convention at Chicago, in 1916, saw in.
| him one of the leading candidates for
the presidential nomination. Twenty
five states cast 105 votes for him.
Only Charles Evans Hughes, the NOM
inee of that convention, polled more
votes than he.
Between the time Weeks retired
from the senate and his appointment
! as secretary of war, he devoted him.
self almost exclusively to affairs of
the republican party. taking the role
of a leader in the presidential cam
paign of 1920 and at the national con-
! vention, where he helped bring about
the nomination of Warren G. Harding.
At that time he was the national COM
nitteeman from Massachusetts, Later
he was a member of the republican
national. campaign committee of five.
In appreciation for his services and
| in recognition of his value to the gov
ernment about to be inaugurated,
i Weeks was one of the first selections
made by President Harding when he
was choosing his cabinet His was
the difficult and complex task of re-
adjusting the military establishment,
disposing of billions of dollars worth
! of war equipment, adjusting contrac-
tors claims, and bringing to close
thousands of activities of a similar ma
ture which his predecessor had initi-
ated
/ Sending of the Wood Forbes mission
to the Philippine islands an dthe desig-
nation of&Major General Wood as gov
/ ernor- general of the islands, was one
of the first important acts of Secretary
Weeks as head of the war department.
Then came his first fight with con-
gress It. began when congress voted
to reduce the army from 250,0O0 to
10000 enlisted strength and continued
until the legislators finally cut the
size of the regular establishment to
12500O0 General Pershing had re-
turned from France and been created
general of.the armies. After Secretary
i Weeks took office, Pershing became
chief of staff and stood side by side
f;rr1,% h,,+ To
avail
j Policy OF Administrations
1t was during this controversy with
congress that Secretary Weeks first
revealed the policy of army admins
tration which prevailed throughout his
tenure of office.
! "The great trouble with most army
men, he said, "is that they are apt to
lose the human view OF affairs. We
must democratize our army as much as
possible and popularize the service, in
teresting the public in its work and
| impress upon it the necessity of hav
ing an army well differed and we'll
trained for any emergency"
| Never afterwards did the secretary
swerve from this standard nor alter
his opinion that 10000 men, exclusive
/ of commissioned pesonnel were need
ed for the national protection, although
he accepted the congressional edict III
good grace and had to again reorganize
the army, this time to fit the 125,OOO
strength.
(! Nor did he desist in his open way of
getting his opinion of congress before
the country at large. On one occasion,
1922, he delivered an address in Cleve-
land, and roundly denounced congress,
stating, among other things, his belief
that it was "at it's lowest ebb of eff
ficiency.' The utterance was that of
a cabinet officer and former member
of the senate and the house and, as
such, it brought sharp words of re-
taliation upon him. 1t was made, how
ever, in strict keeping with his bold
and free manner of speaking and act
ing-that of a man possessing convic-
tion and courage.
/ The strictest sort of application to
affairs of the war department and the
long hours he labored there left their
mark on Weeks. He reluctantly gave
up golf and all other forms of outdoor
] life which required more time than he
had to spare. 1t was not long then
until he was ordered by the doctor to
shorten his office hours and be more
! considerate of his health.
1 MOurned Unknown Dead.
About this time, Americas unknown
] soldier was brought from France for
interment at the Arlington, Virginia,
rotary Weeks countered !physicianfs
retary Weeks countered the physicians
advice and insisted upon walking as
one of the mourners from the capitol
to the Virginia burial grounds, four
mile march, which tested the physical
endurance. of men of sounder strength
than, his 81 years had left him.
/: He afterwards said he was glad ne
had made the long march, although he
was afraid more than once after he
started that he would not arrive at
Arlington ION his feet" He paid heavy
penalty for what the doctors called
/ this ''indiscretion."
Rumors were circulated more than
once during the year following the
burial of the unknown that Secretary
Weeks "was a sick man" and would
! 1, IA INc1r