The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1921-02-17
Lawrence Discusses
War Investigation
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
Copyright by the EntelltSsneer)

w a.
fcr,nigh, of the wilson administration
Will hc like the e'Eh, years preceding
distinctive and different from what has
lapp+.npd in other administrations Pres
don't Wilson slowly comes back into
the final pirtur" after NOR" than Il YEAR
~ enforced S"cluSiCn and As he does 50
congress rises up to lombard him with
hills and resolutions that, on thc one
hand. are denounced as partisan. and de-
"Sndrd on the. other as merely the ma
tural discharge Of legislative business.
The house or representatives. wants 10
know IN itrmizSd detail just now Mr..
Wilson disposed OF the slj0.hno.o"n fund
put at his dSpoSa, during IN" war. and
used N part during the peace negot'a-
lions Th, senatorial commuters con-
tsnue 10 consider the rum"rS Of cancel
ing foreign Indebtedness as serious. and
take steps tu prevent II" treasury from
paying To the European governments
money already promised 10 ;hem 10
clear UP transactions entered into dur
Ing the war And the cables from narlS
, tell Of statements made 10 the French
chamber Of deputies to the effect that
large quantities OF war supplies were
stolen not by the American authorl-
ties but ny Americans" amounting ap-
proNimaicly 70 100000. 600
No White House Objection.
Thu, White House lets 1t be known
that there : no objection TO the Item
lzing OF Mr. Wilson's expenses In Paris.
Il is natural that members Of congress.
u.St of whom have neNCr been TO Eu-
rope and know very littlc about inter-
national conferences and the CourteSicS
drma rdCd by one nation Of another.
should question Items or even Suc7l con
ridpntial expenses" AZ may be iDCurrra
IA protecting official documents from
the eager hands of secret agents OF
other countries. or in the securing OF
confidential information through purely
American channels about situations ur~
Ger discussion. such as the number OF
men actually under arms IN the Central
Empires and Kiudred questions.
AlthC ugh ths p,m' Gratis endeavore''
e. show that the Republicans were t'y-
ing to harraSs Mr.. Wilson and 20 int
mate that he was pFSonally eNtraNA-
CANT or that the american peace COM
mission was badly managed the whole
inquiry may be laid to the untamtliar-
I,y Of members - congress with what
took place in Europ" either duEing or
aftar the war Charles GroSNenor Dawes
formerly briEadicr general in the Ameri-
can evolutionary forces. had TO use
strong language to convince members
or house Investigating comnhtese
that the eSpediture Of money In Franco
may at this late dat" seem To be en-
fravafant. but II was Necessary TO WIN
the war At any Cost--;o spend money
and count the consequences afterwards.
Vary much the Samr Situa tiou existed
with all American commissions abroad
- SO deeply concentrated was everybody
or tho object sought that careful aud u
ard busireSS-lIkc methods were dtfri-
cult II not impossible TO establish
rhs1ts BY Americans. e..
Some :dca ot the general mass IN
Wnich everything In Europe was IN the
period Immediately following the war .
Is given in the amazing statements TO
the French deputies aoont theft or
war supplies "bv Americans Any
hody vino was IN t'rancc in the month";
immediately following the armistic" can
tsSt:sy TO the utter CarelessnesS OF tae
french authorities IN handling war sup :
plies. The writer made a tpuy Of the
war are.s within fortnight after hos .
til'tis$ we're ended and millions OF dol !
larS worth OF y. Oper;y lay unSuard"d
So absorbed was every body In the de-
mobil iza tion OF troops and so much
property had been distributed without g
regard u whether II was owned BY the ,
Americans or french or British or ltal- |
.ans that the task Of protecting II was !
almost entirely ne elected. II property
MAS stolen by individual Americans or /
anyone else. the fault Icy entirely with /
the French authorities who wee given ,
70 understand about the time OF the /,
armiS;icr il not before that it would bc !
too expensive to transport much Cf the
supplies back 10 the United states and ,
that probably the French government
would be given the opportunity TO re-
tain much OF the material Indeed. 10
have shipped the property back to the
lni,cd States would have meant an in
l~rtrrenCc with the use OF ships for
other purposes. namely the bringing
hack OF an army Of two million men.
all Of whom were clamoring 10 returr
home.
No Ordinary Business.
The whole thing m'rcIy proves tha'
war making aS wei, as peace making is
no ordinary pi"cr OF business in which
the gclsu"c;y methods Of Legislative in
quiry can lac pursued When the war
was on. money was spent rrckleSSly to
win IT, When pcac" was being rcgo-
tiated. money was Sp"nt--"t course :,
relatively small sum at that-to Set
authentic Information ard preserve
American interests in the international f.;
when the armSiice was
signed. all minds w"r" bent on the dash
homews I'd and property was neglected.
InvcgtisatiOnS will always hay" their ;
W, Tue as lessons for The future but the
"a rthuu1kr Of war vii, always leave Z
behind 4. disregard % those lH>Sor- gem .
er;tl CONFUSION and an enormous debt on
IN. backs o: the masses. Thee y only ,
one consolation ard that iS IN" cXecu-
ton or a new ara AFTER March I when
tho Democratic administration Will have ,
passed out Of power and fhA pubic mind
will be turned enthusiastically toward
arh!"v"m,nt '9tcad or lni
QUESTION.
HAS MORE EVIDENCE.