The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-01-08
INVESTIGATION |OF WAR CONDUCT | STILL GOING ON
Probing Fails to Bring to Light Any Serious
 Errors

Washington, D. C., Jan. S.---After months of Investigations which pro- duced little that was subject to just criticism. it develops that the several House subcommittees named by the Republicans to investigate war ex-
 pendftures are to continue their ex- penkidture of time and money with the reassernbling of Congress.
 The Graham subcommittee, which recently made a preliminary report to the House, is scheduled soon to go on @ junket to two or more Southern army camps, there to take further testimony regarding war contracts One of these subcommittees, 1t will
 be recalled, went to France to pursue
 it's partisan investigation. while an other went to the Pacific Coast and
 still another to army camps in the
 West and Southwest.
 ] No specific recommendation nor def-
 n1te report of fraud has yet come from
 these House Investigating committees.
 Their inquiries, following the success
 ful conclusion of the war brought
 about speedily by the added power of American arms, have never received general approval from the publtc. Nevertheless, the committees continue
 their probes, hoping to develop some
 thing that will discred1t the conduct Of the War Departm ent and the ad-
 nninistration.
 1 Editorial and public comment on activities of these smelling commit tees'' as a rule deploreS the attempt | to detract at this date from the achievements of the War Department and the nation in the conduct of the greatest war in history. This com
 ment Is not confined entirely to ad- herents of the party in power, but in dependent men and newspapers, as well as some fair minded Republicans lbefeve these captious investigations to be mistake.
 It Is conceded by friends of the War Department and by the department Itself that necessarily some mistakes were made in the hurried prepara- ton for war and in the conduct of so great a conflict itself. There was no nation engaged in this war, 1t is argued, that did not sometimes err. Tt Is also admitted that there was a degree of waste, for all wars are wasteful but is claimed that consid- ering the great difficulties involved, ! the stupendous task suddenly thrust l upon the administration and the l country, and the necessity of trans
 porting millions of troops three thous-
  l. ment of America stands without par : allel.
 } With war won through mobihZa- ton of the country's resources, in
 which men of every political party , patriotically assisted, the efforts no" of the House investigators to magn1fy . comparatively small mistakes and to exaggerate incidents of waste, are de- , lstined to meet the public disapproval , they deserve. It is believed here that , the average American citizen is sat isfied with the victory won and proud Iof the remarkable achievements o1 his government during the stress oi the war period.
 , The preliminary report of the Gra- , ham subcommittee, which was oe' : lbated for several hours in the House : under a 'gag rule'' reported by the 7 Republican rules committee, con tained no suggestion of Legislation
 and no specific charge of scandal Nc
 vote was taken on the report aftel
 debate, and, altogether, the mere de-
 batting of incomplete findings Of ar
 investigating board was without pre-
 cedent in the House.
 The nearest approach to drec' charge by the Graham subcommittee
 which is soon to resume it's gunn1ne
 1 for the War Department and fol campaign material, was expression o1 E belief that a very few contracts, less , than a dozen seemed to be tainted
 with fraud. This vague statement
 which failed to fix responsibility ol
 name persons alleged to be guilty 3 was vigorously attacked by Democrat ts 3 of the House as unfair to contractors l and the War Department Consider J ing the thousands of contracts leI , during the war, and the thousands , i of officers and civilians necessarily . participating in the negotiations, the
 veiled criticism of eight contracts waE . Ipoor fruit after ardous inquiry b5 i, the subcommittee.
 !, With the campaign approaching however 1t is the purpose of the dom
 inant party in the House to spur or 8 it's investigating committees in the j expectation that something may be ) found that will justify harsh criti ] !cism. During the inquiries various I officials of the War Department, iron 9 the Secretary of War and Chief o- Staff down to coN oora& and enlisted
 men, have been and will be cross Q examined
 II What the cost will be of these sc r liar fruitless Investigate cannot be f estimated at this time. Eventually l however, there will be an accounting . and the taxpayers may then deter mine whether the heavy expense o1
 such probes has given nation its f moneys worth.