Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-12-16
CONGRESSMAN
JEFFERIS FLAYS
The DEMOCRATS
Critioizes Fact That Large
Sums Were WastefulIy
Expended During War
BY Government.

| With Importantly. MY WHOlc OBJECT,
| so far, has been to do what was in
my power impartially and from a
ponpartisan standpoint to ascertain
the truth regarding some of the ex-
penditures that have been made of
the peoples money. In doing that
have not thought that any party or
any member of this congress could
think that this committee was en-
gagged in an investigation that would
throw any aspersion or cast any sus-
picion of disloyalty or failure to per-
form duty upon the part of the men
who wore the uniform of the United
States and fought this country's bat
tie so successfully for the rights of
the world and the rights of this ma
ton.
High Praise sor Soldiels.
"The people know what the men
who put on the uniform did. We
need no investigation to ascertain
the part that they played in this war,
They gave an account of their stew
ardship on the battlehelds of France,
at the Argonne forest, at Chateau
Thierry and at St. Mikiel. No one
wants 10 investigate or to cast any
suspicion on any of their acts. No
one can fail to know the truth as to
what they did. 1t was the open act
Of patriotic Americans, well per-
formed"
He took up the composition of the
council for national defense and
showed how, through a close as
ISOLATION of its members, general
plan had been agreed upon, making
it possible for certain favored in
te-ests to charge unheard of prices
for war necessities and out of a res
olution unanimously adopted the
Sherman antitrust law and every
other act that the congress in the
years gone by had enacted to pre-
serve competition among the people
was abrogated and trampled under
foot by the council for national
defense and the Advisory commits
sion.
Discusses Purchase.
Mr.. Jefferis discussed the pur-
chase of harness, saddles and feath-
err by the government; howitzer
carriages and cars and the settle
inent effected after the armistice
with the companies interested. He
even suggested that both labor and
capital were in "cahoots" to raise
both wages and prices in order that
they might advance to some extent,
their own personal fortunes. He
showed how the government having
built plant for $5,000,000 had set
tied for 100000 when a Chicago
wrccking firm had offered $750,000
and in almost every instance had
spent the peoples money,
a remark which seemed generally
to be commended when the speaker
closed.
Renews Attack on Long.
Representative Campbell, republic
can, Kansas, speaking ON the pro-
posal to permit consideration of the
report renewed the attack on r. H.
Long, democratic candidate in the
recent gubernatorial election in
Massachusetts,, declaring that mil
lions of dollars were taken from the
people and turned over to such men
as R. H. Long, democratic poll
tician and a favorite with the War
who got more than
81 100000 in clear graft"
Representative Jeferis of Ne
braska. republican member of the
committee, declared that the War de-
partment bought o45,000 saddles and
| 100000 sets of harness for an army
which had only 3o1 900 horses and
mules.
Representative Garrett, Tennessee,
democratic member of the committee
defending the War department. said
speedy settlement of unfinished war
contracts had been essential to the
welfare of the country.
I'm hundreds of cases." said Rep
resentative Garrett, "the character
of the institutions and factories at
which these contracts had been
filed, was almost completely
changed by reason of their war con-
tracts. Commercial production was
abandoned and every energy and |
facility has been bent on supplying
war needs. 1t was of supreme i'm
portance to the public that these
institutions might return to a peace
basis and again enter commercial
production, giving employment to
labor and supplying the peace needs
of the country. 1t may not be ex-
pected that uniformity and exacti-
tude has been attained in a task in
volving an almost infinite variety of /!
commodities and calling for wide |
range OF knowledge and skill in esti-
mating values involved"