Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-07-27

and that after it was spent 1t was
found a boat could not get to 1t: he
spoke of the l. pairs of saddles pur-
chased for each of the $4,000 cavalry
horses: of the 100. 900 branding irons
made to mark these horses and they
! had them made Of copper, the most
needed metal in time of war. and the
contractor was poid 80 IL cents a
! pound for it and the copper was sold
back to him for IL cents a pound
when they found they didn't need 1t.
He referred to the boys of Show
hogan overseas who wrapped their
feet in burlap because they hadn't
shoes to wear although for the S,-
100000 men in the army 41.9OO,OOO
pairs Of shoes were contracted for
and 81, 100000 actually delivered
somewhere.
+ He would be fair, he said. He rec
ognized Democrats were patriotic.
mistakes would be made in time of
war but he did object to the mis-
, takes that were made in time OF
peace.
The war department had comman-
| deered food for five million men and
at the time of the armistice had sup
plies for eight months on hand. But
when the men were demobilized they
| did not demobilize the food. They
kept 10 per cent of the food of the
country and did not sell it they told
Congress because it would disturb
| business.
4 They had % million cans of vegc-
| tables on hand. At first they said it
was not salable because in large
cans: then they admitted they were
holding it, as to distribute it would
injure the Gamers.
The Democratic party that had al
ways accused the Republican party
of favoring big business holding the
food of the country for fear of in
/ turing big business. When congress
insisted and the cans were put on
n sale they were found SO Saleabic
the public tore down the doors in
/ Baltimore to get at the sales held
there And then there was the SUI
gar shipped to France, two million
pounds of it, sold to the French for
2 cents a pound as they didn't wish
to ship it back to this country and
interfere with the sugar market. AL
SO the two billion dollars worth of
supplies in France sold to the French
for four hundred millions and French
long time notes taken in payment, 10
say nothing of the acres of automo-
biles sold for twenty per cent. of
their value and ten year notes taken
in payment.
| He told of the struggle, often un-
successful, Congress had made in eff
fort to reduce the extravaganza in
! Washington and reduce the army of
Government clerks. Eight great APP
| preparation bills had come over from
| the previous Congress and these had
been reduced by 939 million of dol
lars; of a saving in other ways a to-
tai of over two billion dollars, or
from $24 to SIS for each man, woman
and child in the country.
| The great job before us all, Demo-
Gratis as well as Republicans, is TO
save, TO reduce expenditures, to get
back to normal. 1t can't be done in
! minute and must have earnest, I'M
| firing cooperation of all. We might
! be able to stand another war. but it
is doubtful if we can stand another
! peace like this. Now, a year and
eight months after the armistice, the
! economic effects of the was is just
/ beginning to be felt.
While a lot would be said about
the League of Nations and opinions
would differ, for his part he believes
in league, but would not reserve TO
this country the, privilege of saying
what would be done with our men,
our money and our ships