The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1918-02-28
SENATOR McumHER SCORES
sLAckERs AND PRoFITTERs.
ASTONISHING CONTRACTS LET
Defeat for Allies Unless Conditions
Change or the Central Powers
Collapse Predicted BY North
Dakota Statesman.

Senator McCumber, Republican of
North Dakota, told the senate that a
'Bolshevist" sentiment i'm America
was Of no less danger to the cause of
democracy against autocracy. Profit
GERS, labor slackers and government
officials who fail to stand against them
were assaulted by the senator in vigor-
GUS terms.
Unless conditions change, the sena-
tor declared, only a collapse of the
Central Powers can save the allies
from defeat. The senator began with
q denunciation of the Bolshevist sur.
render.
Calls It Damnable Treachery.
Search the worlds history" de-
clared Senator McCumber, "and moth
ing can be found even to approach
this most damnable treachery to the
faithful and bleeding allies-this
blacklist treason to country and ma
tional honor. For this ignominious
surrender under Bolshevist reign let
every Russian patriot for a thousand
years wear branded on his cheek the
blush of shame.
with this spectacle of national i'm
potency and disgrace before you and
enlightened by the appalling cond-
itions in our shipyards, it it not about
time we were turning our attention to
the Bolshevist doctrine of those in our
own country who are paralyzing the
arms of the government and imperil-
ing the lives of our soldiers in France?
Seen In Ship Delay.
$50, too, we have seen the effect of
this Bolshevist sentiment more, still
more, always more regardless of jus.
tice, regardless of patriotic duty, in
the shameful delay in ship construct
ion. on which the very life of great
world principle depends, and we are
told that every line of industry upon
which the life of the government de-
ponds will be reduced soon to the
same condition Of impotency.
"The time has arrived for the
American people to accept this chal-
lenge.
"This Bolshevist cancer which is
sapping our strength and jeopardizing
our safety manifests itself in it's most
malignant form in supply profiteering
and in labor prOfiteering in our ship
yards"
In supplying profiteering, Senator
McCumber said, he would name only
one ship yard, Hog Island. The found
alton of that yard, he said, rs laid on
graft" and the cost of construction, he
said, will be three or four times the
adding this single hold-up of the gov
eminent probably will cost not less
than 80 million dollars"
Hled Country Through Contracts.
Like conditions prevail" he contin-
ued, throughout the country wherever
speeding up of production has become
necessary. Contracts of the most afro
cious character, always against the
government have been o. KID by gov
eminent officials. The government
pays every dollar of expense for raw
materials and yet pays individuals
enormous profits. Men who never saw
ship yard, men who had no capital,
have been given contracts to build
ships and they in turn have contracted
| to sub-let those contracts to others,
retaining big commissions. Banks
have charged immense bonuses for OBJ
tanning contracts for their customers
and all this within the knowledge of or
easily obtainable by government Of
ficials."
Despite the fact the nation needs
ships as never before in order to trans
port troops and supplies abroad and
Notwithstanding the patriotic fever of
Gompers's union, labor in our ship
yards is stacking in most shameful
and disgraceful manner" the senator
| declared
Robbed on Both Sides"
"Just how long the American people
will submit to being robbed, first by
the material men, then by the laborer,
and then to having both robberies en-
couraged and acquiesed in by the gov
eminent, the Lord only knows.
IF the country is being robbed it is
the fault of the officials in charge and
not because of lack of power to pre-
vent it."
Senator McCumber estimated there
were 6iE million men between the ages
of Is aud 81 in this country doing prac-
tically nothing, but yet soldiers are
compelled to die for these men,"
when we send men to France and
then allow those remaining at home to
receive either enormous wages for la
Dor, which they do not perform. OF
enormous profits on goods furnished
thereby delaying and hindering the
government in its efforts to speed vi
construction, the death of every sol
dier because of that delay is charg
able not alone to the slackers and
oilers but members of congress q: