The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1919-07-15
CHARGES ADVISORY
COUNCIL RULED U. S.
REPRESENTATIVE GRAHAM AS.
SERTS COMMISSIONS ACTIONS
AIDED THE PROFITEERS.

council OF National Defence was the
real governing power of the United
States, running the country with
fragrant violation or utter disregard
of the law, were made here today
by Representative William j. Ora
ham, of Pennsylvania, chairman of
the select committee that is investi-
eating expenditures of the war de-
partment.
In brief Mr.. Graham's digest charg-
ed that the president organized the
council in violation of the law and
that in addition to framing legisla
ton dictated policies the country was
to pursue, and befriended "big bus
mess" Included in the report read
into the record was letter by Judge
Gary advising the commission it was
disregarding law supposed to reg
ulate business"
Designed Every War Measure.
After the days session of the COM
mittee Mr.. Graham read report, of
which this is one paragraph:
can examination of the minutes of
the Council of National Defense dis
closes the fact that a commission of
seven men chosen by the president
seem to have devised the entire sys-
tenn of purchasing war supplies;
planned a press censorship; designed
a system of food control and selected
Herbert Hoover as its director; de-
termined on a daylight saving
scheme; and-in word-designed
practically every war measure which
congress subsequently enacted; and
that it did all this behind closed doors
weeks and even months before the
United States declared war on Ger
many"
The advisory commission compris-
ed Hollis Godfrey, Howard E. Coffin,
Bernard M. Baruch, Samuel Com
pers, Franklin H. Martin, Julius Ros-
enwald and Daniel Willard. Mr.. Ora
ham charged this commission DELHI
erately set aside the Sherman anti
trust law and the Clayton act, and
that because of this profiteers -four
ished, prices scared steadily and the
foundation was laid on which was
erected the structure of extortionate
prices that now prevail. He also de-
.clared that E. H. Gary, head of the
United States Steel Corporation,
warned the council that its advisory
commission was acting Gin fragrant
violation of the Sherman law, the
Clayton law and all the other stat
utes that are supposed to regulate
business, especially big business"
But the attorney general, Mr.. Ora
ham said, gave an opinion to the eff
feet that these violations OF law were
matters of national policy rather
than questions of law, and in the
light of this the council continued
to treat the law with the same indif-
ference as before.
Disregard of Law Seen.
Discussing his report, Mr.. Graham
said,
"The minutes furnish evidence of
an amazing disregard of the law. The
congress created a council Of nation
al defense to be composed of six
members of the cabinet, who were
to be the real executives. They were
to have the assistance, in a purely
advisory capacity, of seven cilivilians
to be chosen by the president without
the advice or consent of the senate.
The president not only ignored, but
reversed, the intent of congress, max
ing the advisory committee the real
executives, clothing them with I'M
precedented and almost illimitable
powers. These powers they used in
such manner as at times seriously
to embarress the cabinet, as is shown
by the minutes, the members of the
cabinet being compelled to protest
the abuse.
"Conceived within the law but
brought into existence in absolute
violation of law, it is not surprising
to find that this secret government
of the United States itself persistent
" ignored and even violated the law;
that IL allowed lnJeTeSIeu PAL CiCS "
fix the prices of war supplies; that
it put the people of the country to
incalculable unnecessary expense,
and carried things with high hand.
Government Bid Against Itself.
"And,. finally, the minutes show
that while this advisory commission
devised and put into operation a
scheme whereby the industries were
able each to deal with the govern
ment as one man the government,
as Gen. Goethals testified, was at no
time able to deal with the industries
through one man and, on the con-
trary, throughout the war numerous
federal bureaus were bidding against
each other for the same supplies,
with such increased cost to the gov
eminent as was unacceptable under
such a system. Under the ministra-
lions of the Council of National De-
tense big business was highly or
ganized while the government re-
NAMED wholly disorganized through
out the war and so incapable of pro-
tecting itself against fragrant prof