Omaha daily bee., 1920-04-13
Solons Prepare for Fight To.
day on Proposals to Punish
Protiteers in Construction
Of Cant0nments.
$685. ,521 "WASTE" Is
DENIED BY DEMOCRATS
Committee Recommendation
To Start Wholesale Criminal
Prosecution Is Blocked
Cost-PIus System Scored.

Washington. April l2.-After re-
publican leaders had denounced
and democrats had upheld the gov
ernment system of building army
camps during the war. the house
prepared today for a fight tomor-
row ON two proposals to deal with
persons alleged to have reaped rich
profits from alleged extravaganza
and waste.
Along with the investigating COM
mlttee's report attacking methods
OF construction, the republican ma
Jority presented resolution direct.
ing that evidence obtained during
the nine-months' investigation be
turned over to the attorney gen
cral with the request that he insti-
tute criminal and civil proceedings.
ilhe democrats countered with
substitute resolution proposing to
instruct the committee to name per-
sons. firms and corporations (which
Should be investigated" before d.
fecting the attorney general to pro.
teed. y
Debate Is Extended.
When the house quit tonight, de-
bate had not ended. The principal
speeches were made by Representa-
tive Doremus, democrat of Michi-
gan, author of the minority state
mcnt, and Representative McCui-
Tough, republican, of Ohio, signing
the majority statement.
Representative Mccullough de-
clared the cry Eve won the war"
had been made to cover many sins,
while Representative Doremus as
serted that "if the supreme architect
OF the universe had built these
camps. bleacher managers would
have found fault with the Job"
To the republican claim that the
governments lost %8,s3l,52l on l6
national army cantoments through
waste and was entitled to recover
damages. the democratic member
said If his computation was correct,
he figured he had squeezed $85,
600 in water out of pretended
claims to recovery"
Says Prosecution Impossible.
Mr.. Mccullough said it was not
within the province nor the duty of
the committee to prosecute crime or
indict criminals.
The report OF the majority con-
tains facts and evidence" he de.
clared, "and the record of the testi-
mony taken in connection with the
construction of Camp Sherman>>at
Chillicothe, O., and Camp Grant
at Rockford, ILL.,, contains evidence
on which the Department of Justice
should Immediately predicate grand
jury Investigations"
Raps Cost-Plus System.
No attempt was made to save
public money, he said, adding: "You
are paying. your children and your
children's children for generations
tc come will pay, and continue to
pay for the cost-plus system. Let
Us hope that never again will such
a reprehensible system be put into
operation"
Representative Doremus said the
stress of war justified abandoning
peace time methods Of construc-
ton"
Indeed" he declared if Secre-
tary Baker had attempted to build
the camps by the competitive sys-
TEN, he would have been guilty of
the grossest incompetence and
merited removal from Office"
After nine months investigation,
with access to all records. he said,
the majority of the committee was
unwilling to make specific rec
ommendation or specific allegation
OF fraud against any person. firm
or CORPORATION"