Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-09-14
WHERE THE FARMERS MONEY WENT.

Wilson and app ears extremely CRATE
full for his elevation, complains that
1872 were voted to pay for war
where one dollar was voted for ag-
riculture.
Mr.. Meredith intends this assertion
of his to have effect as a campaign
argument to farmers. 1t should have
that effect but Is likely to take a re-
verse English and change its cirec-
ton. The farmers and others who are
paying and have paid for democrat
extravaganza and waste in the war
are not to be fooled by Meredith's
attempt to shift the burden of the
debt making by democrat extrava-
gance and worse than extravaganza
to republicans who refused to repu ;
date the debts made by a democrat
administration and encouraged by a
democrat cngress.
The billion or 80 that was wasted
IN the airplane flasco that failed to
get a single effective plane into the
war took its part Of the 1912.
The nitrate plant at Musseis
shoals, ordered OIL the cost plus plan
by Wilson cost &s1.0o0,00O. 1t never
amounted to anything. Baker recon-
mended \ further expenditure OF
$11s.ooo.o0 to finish it after the war
was over. IL
The powder plant near Nashville.
Tennessee took It's share Of that $372
The democrats turned that construo-
ton over to the Duponts on o cost
plus plan. 1t cost 3so.o0o.o00.
Here, according to evidence before
the congressional investigating COM
mittee. there never were more than
half the hired employees at work at
ono time-"the government was pay
Ing tho bill and Sc there was no
use to hurry or worry" new copper
wire and valves in tho original pack
ages were sold as junk: two acre
lots Of first class material were sold
at junk prices; IA carloads OF good
material" were sod for junk, two
thirds being bought by q Nashville
Junk dealer whose brother was In
charge OF the salvage lot, etc. In con-
sequence. tho oosthas 3so.odo.000 the
Old Hickory has 4 salvage value OF
less than $4,000. 900.
It built another nitro plant at Nit
70. Kindly mark that the democrat
south was getting the plants" It
was here that fifty million pounds of
cotton-that southern cotton uncon-
trolled as to price while northern
wheat was price controlled-.was
in. dumped from the cars and
allowed to rot. It WIS there that ST.
900 tons Of sulphur was dumped out
and left to spoil. It cost about mil
lion dollars. Some OF Mr.. Meredith's
lacking coin rotted with the cotton
and spoiled with the sulphur.
That money that should have gone
to agriculture and over which Mr..
Meredith is making mourning and
bringing forward In an effort to cap
ltalize for Cox such faith as Iowans
may have in Meredith personally,
that money. millions and billions of
It was thrown to the winds. Some of
It was grated. The construction Of
the army camps is merely one in
stance Of the graft and utter in
with which that money
was surrounded. The direct testi-
mony OF conditions at Camp sher-
man is the testimony as to all those
camps. At Sherman the waste and
graft and neglect wrapped hundreds
Of American youths In their grave
clothes because Of lack Of heat and
hospital facilities in the influenza
epidemic. That was repeated in all
camps.
At Sherman the evidence disclosed
that:
Roofing material was piled like
cordwood out in the sun and two-
thirds became useless because 1t
could not be unrolled.
Unbroken rolls of ,,oofing material
were hauled to the camp and burned.
Tons Of nails were. hauled to the
dump. Workmen dumped the nails
from their spoons where they stood.
Automobiles listed as worth $500
were paid $500 for hire. One-and-
one half ton Bucks were listed as
and five4ton Bucks were
listed as seventeen. and SO cost vast
sums more for hire.
Four hundred and fifty teams were
on the payroll with no use for two
hundred and fifty teams. Teams
were hidden in gravel pit, or or
dered to be driven around to appear
as IL at work.
Workers were, encouraged in idle
ness and delay. Millions in wages
were wasted.
AS many persons were put on the
payroll as possible. Boys were listed
rs journeymen carpenters. Gangs of
to thirty carpenters
would have only three or four men
each who ever worked at the trade.
A common order was for gangs Of
men to get into the clear" to hide
In cornfields, or behind hills or in
empty buildings so they could be
kept on the payroll. From thirty to
fifty per cent Of the labor was
SO many idle meA were put on one
roof that 1t collapsed. Idlers stood in
the way of workers.
Jocnif.1 ~oy,,~, b,r, -,,&k;~- e.