Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-07-17
FIND THE GUILTY ONES.

II Senator Kenyon is cOIIeCl III ~"
estimate Of the strength OF the NC.
Kellar amendment to the food control
bill, one of two facts is obvious: either
the standards of business in America
have fallen disgracefully low, or an
amazingly large proportion OF the
United States senate is playing to the
galleries.
In a dispatch from Washington. pub
lished on another page. The Courier $
correspondent quotes Mr.. Kenyon as as
SAYING not more than five senators VIII
vote against the proposal to pronlDlt
sales to the government by firms IN
which members of the national council
of defense are interested. This Is the
Mcclellan amendment, in which the
Junior Iowa senator has taken pater-
nal interest since its introduction.
Although President Wilson has ask
ed for vote defeating the plan. Mr.
Kenyon is quoted as saying this mere.
" has served to increase the suspicion
among senators that scme of the big
business men in the defense council
are seeking huge war profits and mop.
Ing to obtain them through semi-oHicial
connection with the government.
If this is true, it reflects sad con-
dition in America. If there are busi-
ness men who having attained ma
tional prominence through their
achievements in the world of business
under conditions made possible by Am
erican institutions. are SO guilty or IN
gratitude to their country as to seek
improper profits from its treasury in
this time of crisis. their consciences
have reached low ebb
But is It true? 1t is a serious charge
to make against Americas greatest
business men, and the amendment IN
question does make it against a big
proportion of those very men. The
council of defense is made up OF men
Of big affairs. serving voluntarily and
chosen for their task because OF their
specialized abilities and knowledge OF
Individual angles of trade.
n. is possible that there are rev
among them who have permitted the
opportunity for big profits to dull their
natriotism. If that is true, they should
he singled out and weeded out. but
the loyal men who are serving with
them on the council should not pc
subjected to the suspicion that they,
too, are disloyal.
America has no class OF men cap
able of handling big business affairs in
an emergency who are not engaged &C
lively in business. American families
and their fortunes are not old enough
10 have established an aristocracy
such as exists in European lands. This
is one of the facts which has made
America virile and has caused the ad-
lective "decadent" to be applied to
Euronean neoples
Thus, when the formation OF coun-
Gil of defense became advisable. Its
members were Of necessity drawn
from the lists Of active business men,
and when the United States enters
the market for war times purchases.
of course the firms in which these men
are interested are to be found dealing
q some Of the commodities the govern.
ment is to buy.
It is presuming too far on the ere.
dulity OF the public to assert that all
these men will submerge patriotism
to personal greed 1t is hard to be-
lieve that even few will do SO, but
n there are few who are disloyal,
certainly they can be endorsed without
robbing the nation of the services OF
their colleagues who are loyal and
true.