The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-02-07
EVEN REPUBLICANS
 BLUSH WITH SHAME
 UNDER DAWES FIRE
War Veteran and Possible Cabineteer Handled She'll ina Committee Without
 Customary Gloves
By HUGH W. ROBERTS
 Washington Bureau The Ass- Herald

Washington Bureau The Ass- Herald
 800 Davidson Building
 Washington, February 6.-{Spe-
 efal.)-Congress, during the week
 just gone, sustained one real sem
 sation, a parallel of which could
 snsy with greatest difficulty be
 cited. That was when Gen. Charles
 Grosvenor Dawes of Chicago, n reri
 factor in the European war. and
 republican in politics. told the
 members of the "smeIIinGr com
 lives what he and the country
 really thought of them.
 It required a great deal of courage to shake these partisan republican members from the pedestal on which they had perched themselves But so thoroughly was General Dawes forti- fled with fact, and so stirring end trenchant was his method of attack, that he proceeded with his programme with scarcely single interruption. At no interval did he encounter opposition. The members took their rebuke with that degree of temperance and meek ness which should caracterize men of greater purpose.
 Of course, the ''smelling" committee will continue it's operation. But in it's heart, it is ashamed of itself.
 SMELL FOR SCANDAL
 It is recalled that some time follow ing the conclusion of the war and pre- ceding the national election, the strate- gists of the republican party concluded that it would be fatal were the demo- crats to make 8 campaign on the ground that they had conducted the greatest war of history not only with signal success, but without single atrocious scandal. It became instantly their pur- pose to conduct inyestig ations into ex- penditures of money.
 They knew in advance that the United States in preparing to meet the greatest emergency which had ever confronted it had expended enormous sums Of money, and that much of it had been expended .unscientifically. They bent themselves in an effort to lay bare such expenditnre, aiid Impress tue p.b- lie that the democratic party was 70 blame, that it was incompetent to ad- minister the government without im- posing an unbearable burden of taxa tion.
 AS they dived into the situation they found it advisable to intimate not only
 
 theft. In the end, through process of indirection, they impaled President Will son. Secretary Baker, Secretary Daniels, and even General Pershing They pro ceeded with strange forgetfulness that the United States had really achieved meritorious thing in putting enough men in France to bring about the defeat of Germany and save the freedom of the world.
 DAWES SUMMONED
 Towards the end they proceeded from course of making public extravagance in preparing for war to a course of mak- ing public extravaganza in disposing of surplus materials following the war The democratic members of the committee then did the strange thing of summon ing General Dawes, a republican so cer- tain in his politics as to have been con sidered by President-elect Harding as a worthy member of his cabinet
 The selection of the witness was ex- ceedingiy happy. In the beginning, in language which could not have been as forceful without the free and indscrim. mate use of epithets not expressed in more polite society, he declared that the republican members were proceeding on theory that the war was a democratic and a republican war, rather than an American war. He urged them to re- call She fact that despite the expendi- ture of great sum of money. re- mark2blo result had been achieved, and brought to their attention the fact that long after they are dead and forgotten the great men connected with the war will be giorified by a grateful world.
 In giving his testimony, General Dawes paced up and down the floor of the cham. Der. Frequently he turned his wrath against . single member and made him curl up as . weed in the path of fire. In the main, however, he excoriated the committee as 8 whole. And the com sist his attack than any individual mem ber had been. It was all General Dawes.
 CALLS THEM HOUNDS"
 The witness was especially bitter when asked regarding General Pershing. lie characterized those who endeavored to detract from the fame of the great com mander as hounds
 Why even it Is said by some gentle men,, said Dawes pointedly to the com mittee. that on the night of the armis- tice General Pershing was attending theatre. Those who detract from him and others connected with the direction and fighting of the war. will be dead ana forgotten when his achievements will still be the burthen of song and story
 When asked if he had not disposed of American supplies. following the armis- tice, for a sum which represented no part of the real value, Dawes exploded
 .'We got 100000, 00o," said he. 'I have since grieved for the way we mistreated France in putting the junk off on her at such . figure"
 It was ali distinct sensation, and it is still the talk of Washington. The result is an intensification of the odium