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Show J1ES DEIS GDIDUGT OF IR er raw Says Chamberlain's Speech Gave the Germans New Heart and Hopes of Victory in War. PRAISES WORK OF NAVY DEPARTMENT Declares Executive Should Not Be Handicapped by Unfair Criticism in Time of Peril. By LEWIS WOOD, International News Service Staff Correspondent. WASHINGTON, Feb. . 1-1. "President Wilson Is walking a tight rope, don't shake tile lope," crlel Senator Olile James of K'ntU' ky, this afternoon hj the senate. He had been selected by the administration administra-tion mi it a "a e" to answ er the charge made by SonaMr Chamberlain of Oregon that the military establishment "had fal- , irri down." I His speech leHte'J the achievements of the war and navy depaitments in preparing prepar-ing the national ueb-m-u and proclaimed (fiat ail who attacked the commander in chief gave joy afd comfort to the enemy. Senator Chamberlain, he broadly ln-sfnu-j ated, was one of these. Galleries Applaud. At Die end of his speech the galleries broke into applause. "The president walks the tight rope," dcJared the Kentuckian. "It stretches across the sea with its wreck and dead.; He holds in his hands the richest treasure over lodged in the keeping of one man. The treasure is our very life, our libert, our institutions, our homes, our firesides," he concluded. "Gentlemen let me plead with you. do not shake the rope which : the president treads. Do not badger him. I Do not heckle him. Do not annoy him. He will make the journey safe'y over this ocean of blood and rcrU. Keep silence. Hold your tongues. " Without delay Senator Ja mes launched Into a rebuke of Senator Chamberlain. "In time of war," said he, "those in hich positions should be careful of their utterances. No matter how good the intention, in-tention, some utterances not properly weighed may be far-reaching and disastrous disas-trous in effect. The senator from Oregon spoke not only to those gathered about him, but to the world. Sarcastic Comment. "He paid tribute to Elihu KooL and to Theodore Roosevelt, but not one word to Wood row Wilson. Of course, I recognize the surroundings. The king of the j tingle, the discoverer of the river of Doubt was these and although the senator has told us on the floor that he fears not God, man nor the devil, he must at least have been given a pp royal by Colonel Roosevelt and was unable to remember the name of the president of the I'nited States." The galleries were well filled to hear Senator James speak. The president's i secretary. Joseph P. Tumulty, was present accompanied by friends. "President. 'Wilson sent Mr. Root abroad," cont inued Senator James. "If he had sent Mr. Pry an this chamber would reverberate now with criticisms that he had sent an orator and not a nation builder. Aiding the Enemy. "We must look to measure the effect of the speech by the senator from Oregon. At that time the fire of revolution began to blaze In Austria; Imlf a million men walked German streets, crying peace without with-out annexations. Who can measure the force of the senator's utterance in the hands of the kaiser red lined upon every newspaper. Who said It V The chairman of tiie senate military affairs committee. Who can say what mighty influence this utterance had in quieting the revolution, stopping the strike? 1 can hear the kaiser say 'trust me a little longer and Germany will triumph over the world.' " Senator James cited the achievements of the draft and in alluding to Senator Hitchcock's speech he said there would have been enough ships now If the ship purchase bill of 191c. hud been passed. "I betray no confidence." he declared, "but at a dinner given to Marshal Joffre heard him say that the most soldiers he needed from us in France were SO. 000. He wanted them there to inspire France. What are the facts? We have sent, not So.OOO, but- many times lOO.OvO. Has a military establishment that did that fallen down?" Work of the Navy. Speaking1 of the work of the navy in repairing the damaged German liners, he cried : "As we made the German commander com-mander take off his hat to the American mechanic, so we are going 10 make the kaiser hand his sword to Woodrow Wilson Wil-son and to the allies. We have not fallen down." Ho spoke of the work of the navy. "What American is not proud of it'."' he queried. "But t he same war fa re that is being waged today upon Secretary of War R; ker was waged until 1 eceut iy upon Secretary of the Navy Oaniels. As late J uly, 1917, the navy was at tacked upon the floor. Anybody can pick mistakes. Bui let us not lose sight of the elephant by looking for the chip under his foot." France Not "Bled While." One of the most "unfortunate" t hhiErs in the Chamberlain speech, asserted Senator James, was the remark about Fra nee being "bled white." "I can imagine nothing more unfortunate unfor-tunate nor unjustified," he said. "Franco bled white: America imposing up her: that is a German expression. She Is not bled white. She holds 560 miles of that bloody western front at t h is hour. "You would think from the seua tor's speech That, we trafficked with France as to whether we would go Into this war, (Continued on Page Three.) OLLIE JAMES DEFENDS CHUCTOMffi (Continued from Pape Ono.) th.it t ho cotiditittn w:i."" that she .--hoMld furnish us ordn.tno-. liirlit jind lit-:i y :ir-tilh-ry. went into it from th- iiii,-h- est Ideals. I ivsnit the ln.sinu.it ion Unit we tniiit. kcl w ttli IVunco. hYance c.ime to u.s. s!u' had the iuinniinition factories ready. If , had rt-fust-d this plan w would have Ut'cn criticised h.-rc now. And now we are attacked lt-re on this floor and a.skcd. "Dii! hrancc do that to ImUc us into the war?" " Quotes Tardieu. Incidentally Matin;? tint Snntor riiam- hrlnin had been forcrd to withdraw hi.s charged. Senator James read from statements state-ments by Andre Tardieu. the Krm-h hi Kb commissioner, and I xrd Nort lulu t, applaud me: American progress in war preparation. "I submit to the- pntltmen who nre so willing cruics of the president." r-wumed r-wumed the senator, "that they had better bet-ter read the hisfory of the country, and they will find that Americi has never yet and ne or w ill desert t (v commander-in-chief or' the army and navy. "The Sena tor from New York, Mr. Wndsworth. made a speech here advocating advo-cating the pa-aee of certain bihs, to take control of the war machinery and which are opposed by the president. In a newspaper I rear! copies of this speech were to be used for campaign purposes. I repret to see that. Should Be United. "Because, in a time like this wc need a united peopie hack of the commander-in-chief. Whoever attacks him will have the wholehearted support of every pro-German, pro-German, every spy, every pacifist, every enemy of America, because they want to break down the yreat directing force of this war. "They 6a y there are four ca nth dates that will stand on the speech as a platform. plat-form. I do not believe it will hold them up." The Kentuckian closed his frreech with a peroration in which he likened the critics of President Wilson to the crith-s of Washington and Lincoln. "Take courage, you critics."' he proceeded. pro-ceeded. "I can stand you upon each other's shoulders, and Wilson will tower ! above you ail like Washington's monu- ment towers a rove the foundations upon i which its granite base is laid. I "The day will come In the providence of God when our victorious army with America back of them wid come home in triumph and march down this great avenue panoplied with flowers and love and tears. They will come in review before be-fore Woodrow Wiison, the man whom j not only America, but the civilized world j trusts. Liberty will be safe and Americanism Ameri-canism will be secure." |