The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-10-16
INVESTIGATION COMMITTEE WILL! PRESENT REPORT
Democrats Will Stand For No Delay on War Pro-
 ceedings.

tfves' select committee to investigate war expenditures-popu known as the Republican "snellers''-has delved into the problem of how, and why, a Democratic administration won the greatest war of history Bands of sub" -"smellers' have jour neyed to the Pacific coast, to camps and cantonme ents and to France in a search for campaign material for the G. 0. P.
 And what is the official result? The probability that most of the sub committees will not turn in their re- ports to Chairman W. J. Graham of Illinois for six months. That would be March, or about three months be- fore the holding of the Republican convention. There is little likeli- hood, however, that the Democratic leaders will permit any such delay, so far as their protests can carry. Consequently much of the informa- tion will likely come out in debate on the floor of the House long before that time.
 The country still recalls the defeat administered to the subcommittee on foreign expenditures at Paris in their attempt to ''smelT' General Pershing on the day before he sailed for America. It is unjust to attri- bute this defeat to all the sub" nell- ers'' as the Democratic member, Henry D. Flood of Virginia, had no part in the affair; the chairman, Royal c. Johnson, of South. Dakota, and his Republican colleague, Oscar E. Bland of Indiana, monopolizing that feature.
 Johnson and Bland arrived in Paris on Aug. 15, and two weeks later, Aug. 28, called on General Pershing for information to be given the fol- lowing day. They were well aware at the time of their arrival of the ap- proximate date of the American com mander's date of departure, and lat CT knew that Aug. 30 had been fixed as the time.
 When they called upon the General at his headquarters the members of the committee were informed by General Pershing that all his docu- ments, records, etc, were either at Brest or in the hold of the "Levia- than" and that he did not want to make any important statements with out being able to refer to them. That did not satisfy Representative Bland who insisted upon examining the soldier. That settled 1t for Persh- ing and he flatly refused to answer, saying he would be available on his return to the United States, when, with his records in hand, he would be glad to reply to all questions. For this he was denounced in cablegrams s by Johnson and Bland for overriding g Congressional authority, etc.
 As in the cases of the other sub committees, the French explorers failed to uncover the expected cam paigning material, and their methods have excited the derision and denun- citation of several of their own party organs. As Representative Flood, a Congressman of many terms, put it: There was nothing in the evidence that would appeal to any reasoning mind as justification for the criticism by the Republican members of the committee.
 Representative Bland in the vari- ous statements he has given out since his arrival in the United States drew particular attention to the disposal of property for $4O0,000,OO0 which he valued at S1,700,000 He neg lected to state much of this property cost the United States nothing, hav- ing been captured from the Germans. A commission consisting of ex-Sena- tor Hollis of New Hampshire; Gen. Charles G. Dawes, of Chicago, and
 
 this property at one billion dollars. Of this amount S2OO,O0O,0O0 worth was disposed of to other nations, and the remainder sold to the French government for s40o. 100000 under a blanket contract, the French assum- ing all American liabilities in con- nection with the occupation of more than 1855, 1000 tracts of land, and also agreeing to feed and generally sup port all American troops during the entire time they remained in France. It must also be remembered that much of the property sold to the French consisted of buildings which could not be otherwise successfully or profitably disposed of.
 There was some irony in the situ- ation of the ub-"snellers'' because the automobile in which they survey ed France belonged to that country by purchase from the United States, likewise the gasoline that furnished the motive power.
 Another subcommittee that has been much in the public eye because of the methods of its chairman, James A. F'rear of Wisconsin, Republican was that Investigating aviation. The other members were Walter w. Ma gee of New York, Republican, and Clarence F. Lea of California, Dem ocrat.
 Representative Lea expressed the public idea of this committee as re- flected in newspapers and other peri odicals of both parties when he said, on his return to WaShington:-
 '"The attitude of Chairman Frear in conducting the spruce investfga- tion on the Pacific coast was 8 dis grace to Congrfess, I do not for a moment believe the Republican memb bers of the House of Represen- tatives approve of the brow beating methods used by MT. Frear."
 It will be rem emb bered that Frear wired to Washington a denunciation of John D. Ryan of New York, when the evidence that Frear would not admit but which was subsequently learned by the public, proved that Mir Bryan had nothing whatever to do with the railroad construction cit ed.
 Such an influential Pacific coast newspaper as the Portland Journal independent, denounced the Frear treatment of witnesses, calling his manner That of a thicknecked po- lice court lawyer and saying that he brought 'tthe great American House of Representatives down to