Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1920-05-13

the time the armistice was signed
But the records Of the War Depart
ment show that officials of this ad
ministration compromised the claim
Of this company by paying them $4O,.
600.
'Cheap Autos On Time.
"The Testimony taken by the Con.
gressional Committee further shows
that prior to the signing of the ar
mistice we had sufficient motor We
hicles in France for ambulance serv-
ice, for the transportation Of NUM-
tions and supplies, and for other pur-
poses sufficient to win the war; that
under the terms of the armistice we
received a large quantity of motor
vehicles from Germany. However
the records of the War Department
show that between the signing of the
armistice on November II, 1918, and
the 5th day of June, 1919, the War
Department representing this admin
istration during a time when hun
dreds of thousands of soldiers were
being brought homeotransported to
France 39,993 new automobiles and
after they had been delivered upon
French soil, representatives of this
administration sold such automobiles
to the French government for 20 per
cent of the cost price, and allowed
that government ten years in which
to make payment therefor.
"The testimony taken by the COM
mittee shows that prior to the sign
ing of the armistice the War Depart
ment had ordered food supplies for
an army of 100000 men. The tes-
timony further shows that, as mat
ter of fact, the War Department had
commandered 40 per cent of all the
foodstuffs of the United States. With
in six months after the signing of the
armistice, more than 100000 men
had been demobilized and returned
to civil life, and vet, as the testimony
shows, the War Department had still
retained and refsed to release upon
the markets for the use Of the peo-
Pile of this county, the enormous
quantity of foodstuffs, which it held.
Mr.. Hare, director of sales of the
War Department, testified before the
committee that it was not until June,
1919, that the War Department de-
clared surplus of foodstuffs. Mr..
Hare was asked to state the policy
of the War Department in disposing
of its surplus foodstuffs, and in reply
he said:
at was the policy of the director
of sales to dispose of the surplus prop
erty of the War Department 50 as to
disturb the industrial conditions of
the country as little as possible"
'The testimony shiws that as late
as June, 1919, the department was
still debating the question as to the
best method of disposing of the food
stuffs so as to disturb industrial con-
ditions" as little as possible, and it
appears that industrial conditions"
as used by that department, meant
%Lo ,>,;oo, &c fooJc%,Fc -, tho ,napL
cts fthe United States. 1t was de-
cided that to release such an enorm-
Gus quantity of foodstuffs upon the
market would disturb industrial con-
ditions" in the food market.
Congress had voted $100,OO0,OOC,
which the President placed at the dis
posal of Mr.. Hoover for the purchase
of the food to feed the hungry in
Europe, and the War Department con-
cluded that in order to dispose of the
supply ffoodstuffs without disturb
ing industrial conditions" in this
country, it was advisable to cable Mr..
Hoover urpinp him to use the hundred
million dollars appropriated by Con-
gress for the purchase of foodstuffs
held by the War Department, thereby
preventing such foodstuffs from being
sgld into the markets of the country,
with the consequent danger of disturb
ing such markets. And this was done
in the face of the fact that the War
Department at that time had hundreds
of millions of dollars worth of canned
meats and other foodstugs already in
France, and for which the army had
no further use.
"Car full Mr.. Hoover.
In response to this request Mr..
Hoover purchased 22,s69 pounds of
cured meats from the War Depart
ment, and transported them from this
country to Europe in order not to dis
turb industrial conditions" in this
country. And that at a time when the
people all over the country were
pleading for a reduction in the high
cost of living.
"The testimony shows that when
the armistice was signed the War De-
partment had 2OO,OOO,OO cans of We
getables, such as peas, squash, corn,
tomatoes, pumpkins, etc. 1t was urg-
ed by the War Department that it was
not practicable to put these vegetables
uDOn tho m q rkot hocouca II xyoc said