The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1921-02-03
SALE To FRANCE.
BEST WAR BARGAIN
DECLARES DAWES
Former Supply Chief Takes
Slam at War Critics
USED SOME CUSS WORDS
Says England Lost Million Trying to
Dispose of War Material in
Small Lots.
USED SOME CUss WORDS


was net in politics and was not going
m. Charles G Dawes of Chicago,
Former chief of supply procurement
Tor the American Army in France,
bitterly attacked today what he
charged were political attempts to
discredlt the achievements OF the
people who won the war
In the course of a five-hour exam.
ination by Huse war investigating
comm m'ttee, Mr.. Dawes struck with
sledgehammer blows at critics who
had tred, he said, TO detract from the
glory Of the great achievement by
picking flaws and parad ng trivial
faults three thousand mi es away At
times the air was thick with streak
of oaths for which the w tness frank.
ly confessed he had neither apology
nor excuse
Late in the day he reiterated an
carr er off hand statement as TO- his
own part in politics. which was ac.
cepted to mean that he would not be-
come member of Mr.. Hardlngs cab
met, posir on with which his name
has been linked Even before his
views on this subject we're expressed.
Mr.. Dawes sharply denounced the
present system of conducting the fed
eral government, an evil of a hundred
years standing. he declared. with
which Investigators might better ar
f1rd TO deal instead of trying TO scoop
UP water already over the dam
Mr Dawes was called by Demo
cratic members of the committee to
reout testimony reiat ng to waste and
extravaganza, and particularly with
reference to liquidation OF American
accounts In France and sale of SUR
plus stocks to the French govern
inent Answering charges that food
and cic thing suppl es might have
brought more than the S400 000, 900
paid by France Mr. Dawes turned
sharply upon one Of his questioners,
Representative Bland, Republican.
Indiana and shouted
1t is just that sort OF fool argiI-
ment that forced Great Britain TO
hold on TO its stocks and attempt
to drive u hard barga n. The
49, stuff Is there today, rotting. You
can not discuss an eX parte ques-
&C on three thousand miles away
There Is no use to try and throw
, mud when You were not there TO
know conditions. England lost
billions Cf dol ars by listen ng 10
that sort OF talk-listenlng to a
lot Of people who were afraid Of
muck rakers at home They are
raising the deNl IN England now
because England did not sell its
eurpl es when we sold
Mr. Dawes said as a matter OF fact
France was charged too He contin
ued:
Here you come now and
charge that we should not have
sod sugar The war department
ordered the sale. The sugar
went In lump lot with the junk.
FverythiRg was second hand
We got four hundred million dol
lars for II We luudated every
account. and we did It because
lot Cf b'g men quit their own jobs
and went over there to help We
cleared the slate and Congress
today still has pending claims
that date back TO the Revolutions
ary War. II was a big job and
we are proud of 1t. In finding
fault and huntAg responsibility
YOU don't have far to go Perish
ing was the commanders nchief
and his shoulders are big enough
thank God to bear 1t.
Mr. Bland questioned Mr. Dawes
about excessive prices paid for equip
ment and matet-a' o,r
Sure we paid he said we
didn't dicker Why, man alive. We
had to win the war. 1t was a mans
lob. We would have paid horse prices
for sheep, II the sheep could nave
pulled artillery to the front. the
man like johnson, there" he sad
turning TO the chairman Of the com
mittee was standing at the front TO
he shot at. We had to get him food
and ammunition. Oh, it's all right
now to say we bought tco much vine
gar and too many cold hsels, but
we saved the civil cation of the
world
Onite lot Of questioning related
toeGreat Britain.
81 am no mere ashamed to stand
up, here for England than for the
United States" said Mr. Dawes,
iumr;ng from his chair aud racing
around the little committee-room.
at seems to be fashionable in Ameri-
can politics to, attack England. am
not in polit cs and | am net going to
be And | thank God that n a crisis
ike we had, there were no chickering's
between the English speaking people.
England took over forty per cent of
our troops, OF course Pershing gave
them Ave divisions, but It had to be
done to save the allied lne.'
The line of questioning shifted
constantly. but all the time 1t came
back 10 prices and vast stores on
hand when the armistiee was $ gned
Tho diplomats were mentioned Mr.
Dawes said
The diplomatic system of APP
pointing men with pink tea ex
pere ences in wartime was a rot