Show SAYS TRUTH I WAR YA KEPT fROM WilSON Chamberlain Declares I i i I I That the the- War Var Department Depart Depart- t m ment nf Is H Honeycombed I i With With- Incompetence By United Press ASHINGTON Jan 24 WASHINGTON VV Under the most dramatic circumstances of congressional activity the during the war Senator I Chamberlain Oreg Oregon J on the j 1 floor of th senate today answered I I President Wilsons Wilson's personal rebuke for his leis government criticism r I I j Six thousand people c clamored for admittance ad ad- ce to senate galleries which hold fewer than 1000 Not since the presidents president's nt's war declaration Uon message has there been such excitement at the capitol as developed today SENATOR TAKES FLOOR Senator Chamb Chamberlain took the floor on question a. a of personal privilege He decided on this this course course because of re repeated repeated re- re threats of administration leaders leaders leaders lead lead- re-I re ers to prevent his speech For twenty-five twenty years Chamberlain Chamber Chamber- Chamber l lain said I have served my state i in fn r various capacities In all that time I have never had my veracity questioned or my integrity impeached and I have been through as bitter campaigns as asi i have fallen to the lot of men Therefore it Is with some feeling of humiliation and sadness that I rise when my mr veracity has been questioned not by an ordinary citizen nor by one of my collea colleagues es but by the very distinguished distinguished distinguished dis dis- gentleman who has the love and respect of the American people and who by their suffrage holds the highest highest high high- est st office in the land and I may say the highest place in the world y t is therefore with a peculiar feeling feeling feel teel- ing that I address myself to the attack on me The personal differences be between between be- be beI I tween the president and myself do not matter to the great mass of the American AmerIcan American Ameri AmerI- I can people But great policies are at issue between the president and me I which involve the well being of the na na- na- na tionA tionA tion A A few days ago I was invited by the National Security league to deliver an address in New York Among the distinguished distinguished distinguished dis dis- dis- dis men there were Elihu Root Judge Alton B. B Parker President ex-President Roosevelt and a man a-man man who though born in a land now at war with us Is a foremost foremost foremost fore fore- most patriot patriot Julius Julius Kahn of Califor nia nta The 2000 people there represented I every walk of life and was a body that for patriotism could not be excelled anywhere having had time to prepare I an an address because of multiplying duties I delivered an extemporaneous talk That addresS addresS' as reproduced II Inthe in inthe the New York Times I stand fully behind I want the senate to hear r that article arti arti- cia cle read before I proceed to reply td the charge that I made misstatements therein Senator Chamberlain submitted the article which was read by the clerk QUOTES FROM LETTER He lIe followed that with a letter he re received received re- re Sunday from the president quoting from the New York speech and asking If Chamberlain had made the stat statement ment referred to that to-that that the military establishment had broken down because of inefficiency in virtually virtually virtually virtu virtu- ally all departments i Chamberlain read his reply a long letter In which he said he had been I correctly quoted and repeating that Continued Jed on page 6 I SAYS TRUTH Continued from page 1 1 since Bunker Dunker Hill we wo have never had hada a military policy In that letter Chamberlain offered to togo togo go over over th estt given at the senate senate senate sen sen- ate military investigation with the president I got no reply to that letter said Chamberlain but on Monday the president Issued a statement It was read into the Record By Dy this time interest in Chamberlains Chamberlain's Chamberlains Chamberlain's Chamber Chamber- lains lain's speech had drawn more than house members into the senate chamber to hear him him Even the diplomatic gallery usually deserted was half full of ot women The statement of the president Senator Chamberlain continued challenges challenges challenges chal lenges me of at course as to the truth of the statement in the New York Times That statement I adhere to and now repeat Whether my colleagues or the country will take the same evidence by byth bythe bythe th the four corners and reach the same conclusion that I did I do not do-not not know Others may read the the- evidence and andreach andreach and andreach reach another conclusion I Members of the military committee Democrats and Republicans have hav gone into into- this situation with a single purpose purpose purpose pur pur- pose in view They have done it It without without without with with- out fear flar and without hope of reward I felt it my dut duty as an American citizen to say what I T did did- didI I felt If I could make a rift in the clouds that would let the sunlight in on the situa- situa the the tho work words of myself or colleagues wo ld not have been made made-in made in vain aln In Inasmuch as my veracity has been qu questioned sUon d I feel I must tell the country country coun- coun i try some same things which perhaps I otherwise would not have told it I What I propose to do I Iam I-am am doing as asa asa asa a man who loves his country who would sacrifice his life Ufe and the lives of every member of his family for it it Then after a u short pause he shouted I I have not distorted the lr truth th as has been charged The president does not know the truth From Irom the lips of ot those who have testified here and who are closest to him hint he cannot learn the truth be because because because be- be cause these men are too busy to get it or remember it if they get it If the administration wanted to befall be fair fall to the American people why people why did not Secretary Baker tell the truth and let the American people assist In getting getting getting get get- ting ready for tor the terrible le calamity that is facing not only America but the whole world Secretary Baker in a general statement statement statement state state- ment to the country says sa I I had been appropriated for ordnance an and d that in contracts I have been let said Chamberlain all true but the secretary fails falls to say that America is totally unprepared unprepared pared today with ordnance I I r challenge anybody to read the I testimony before the military affairs committee and come to other any any any- other conclusion con con- elusion Poor bleeding France bled white not only to save herself but America is furnishing us today with heavy guns and machine guns If It we ve relied on the ordnance department the war would be over before we could get to th thO th front I What is France to do for Italy In Incase Incase inease for the life lite case ease of a d desperate sperate fight of that all ally Chamberlain declared that not a half ha witted American but could see that we were being b ing drawn Into the war long before April April 1917 And what was the ordnance department department department de de- doing he asked Lying supinely on it its back ack doing absolutely nothing to ascertain the possibilities of or getting I have the highest regard for General General General Gen Gen- eral Crozier chief of ordnance He Ile has lIas made his reputation in the army and given his hia life Ufe to the service of ot his country countr i But we haven't been able to do what France England Italy Italy all all our allies have allies have done retire done retire gentlemen who haven't measured up to the situa situa- I tion Why should hould America hesitate Its It's not a question of individuals b but t o of America Senat Senator r Chamberlain Chamber ain asked the senators to read the testimony before the military committed committe which he was I going to lay before them carefully and prayerfully Let me take up the machine gun he c continued England Englant was using Lewis guns on the battle front and from the testimony of English officers and all others 1 I have heard it is an excellent type of at gun American factories were making these guns for England but Instead of seizing upon this type our ordnance ordnance ordnance ord ord- nance department was trifling along trying to find a machine gun With the nation at war they actually actually actually ac ac- ac- ac did not adopt a machine gun until June and then they adopted a agun agun agun gun on paper It is still on paper because it has never had a field test Well have to experiment and change this gun before it is of real value to usI us I I asked Secretary Baker Daker how many machine guns we had produced He answered that at the middle of at December December December De De- De- De cember we had completed nine machine machine machine ma ma- chine guns ONLY NINE GUNS Think of it Nine machine guns to go up against the millions of Germanys Germanys Germanys Ger Ger- We Ve have been in the war war ten months and we have accomplished nothing in this direction Asserting that he had no fear of at revealing Important information to Germany Senator Chamberlain continued con con- Germany German knows more about America AmerI Amer- Amer ica ca than men right in our own military military military mili mili- tary department Wed We'd better come out in the tine spotlight and let the rank and file fHe know mow all The They would Immediately immediately immediately im Im- im- im mediately rally to the country's sup sup- port The only source of ot information was through the military c committees committee's investigation There Ther is no other way of ot learning the true facts There are people out in the West Vest where I come from rom who feel absolutely secure as to the country's war situation If It the fathers and mothers of these boys who are in camps and are going to France Trance knew the teal real situation they'd heyd sacrifice everything they had to protect the country Turning to the subject of ot army rifles rUles the Oregon senator asserted that England had stopped experIments experiments experiments ments with the Enfield rifle and or ordered ordered ordered or- or dered them made as fast tast as possible to meet the war needs America with only a motley coI- coI el election lection of at army rifles on hand as asserted asserted asserted as- as Chamberlain began experimenting experimenting experimenting and changing the Enfield rifle before she would adopt It It al although although although al- al though our factories were equipped to turn them out in quantities Our ordnance department kept changing the rifle necessitating changing of machinery to make them In short while the house was burning the ordnance department was determining what methods should be used to put out the fire Chamberlain said that a a. casual reader of Secretary Bakers Baker's testimony would think our army had bad everything I When we hear from the men in inthe inthe the field It is a different story he s said ld There are no trench mortars in n camps few machine guns with Which to train men no howitzers and no big guns I am citing clUng to show that our out military establishment has fallen down If it hadn't been for forthe forthe th the men men- menn who n lie came came- here and gaye gayo l their their time and yinA services we wo never would Rave gotten otten a anywhere her |