Dresden enterprise and Sharon tribune. (Dresden, Tenn.) 1907-1997, 1920-01-02
GARRETT MAKES SPEECH
THAT STIRS CONGRESS.

ohiteo states! Why, he is accus-
toned to it. There have been Re-
publican expressions of criticism in
cloak rooms and drawing rooms and
on the street compared to which the
;;bes Of the guttersnipe are gracious
compliments. But criticism is not all, |
Mr.. Speaker. Offensive curiosity
and malignant hope forced way into |
the sick chamber of the President
under pretense of performing pub
he business, though every man
knows, that the visitor went there
tor an inquisition of lunacy with an
order to return the writ within for
ty-eight hours.
And how Disappointing it must
have been for him to meet there
mind clear, untouched by a vision
that still looked into the far future
unclouded; and will unbent though
he had suffered temporary defeat in
is masterful effort for bringing
about peace of the world and
staunching the flow of blood of
mankind. And now the President
has added insult to injury by walk
ing"
Referring to the fact that "in
every war of consequence in which
this country has been engaged ex-
cept one, the Secretary of War was
a Democrat" Garrett called atten-
ton to the things that occurred when
a Republican Secretary of War, Ho-
ratio Alger, was in charge, but add
ed:
Il disdain to make any intimation
rs to things that occurred during that
administration as charging Mr.. Alger
with responsibility. No man of sense
would think for single moment that
lie or the great and kindly Mckinley
' ere in any sort Of way responsible
for the food that was fed to the SOL
G;ers of the country in that war, and
there is no political advantage to be
obtained from it, and none was
obtained. And tell you, gentle
men, now, you will derive none from
this constant nagging,"
Mr.. Garrett said he was willing to
let the record speak for itself and
then quoted this sentence from the
concluding paragraph of the repors
of Gen. Perishing, in which he said:
''In closing this report, Mr.. Secre-
tary, desire to record my deep ap-
probation of the unqualified support
accorded me throughout the war by
the President and yourself. My
task was simplified by your conf
| dence and wise counsel"
Mr.. Garrett closed with one of the
most dramatic perorations heard i'll
the House in recent years. He said:
81 resent the imputation of fraud
contained in this report. ! resent it
in the name of my party, one of
whose members happens to have
been Secretary of War throughout
, these grueling years. resent it in
the name of friends in that depart
ment, men of different political
faith, with whom l have come in
contact, in whose integrity l have
, confidence.
II resent it in the name of the liv-
ing millions of soldiers. l resent it
in the name Of the mothers of the
soldiers who died in France and who
have their place in the warriors
heaven.
"You shall not, at least without
my earnest protest and my feeble
dispute, cause those grived souls and
bruised hearts to suffer more by I'M
truthfully alleging that the minis
tration under which they fought for
their country was shot through with
fraud.
81 challenge that statement and
demand the proof"
1t may not be any extenuatiOn of |
the course of the Republicans, but it |
is a fact that under similar circum
stances the Democrats have led the
attack though admittedly without po-
htical advantage.
But the speech of Representative
Garrett may be considered the typi-
cal Democratic viewpoint at present
in reply to the charges of fraud
which the House committees have
been investigating for the last six
months.