The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1921-02-03
DAWES, DECLARING He IS NOT IN POLITICS,
OPENS HEAVY ARTILLERY AGAINST CRITICS
OF AMERICAS ACHIEVEMENT IN THE War
Deprecates Parading oi
Trivial Faults Three
Thousand Miles Away"
From the Field of Fighting

WASHINGTON. Feb2. 2.-Dcclaring he was
not in politics and was not going In
Charles &. Dawes Of Chicago, former
chief OF supply procurement Tor the
American army in France. bitterly at
tackled today what he charged were pol
itical attempts to discrcdit the achieve
rnents OF the people who won the war.
In the course Of a five hour exAminA-
.on by a house war investigation COM
mittec. Mr.. Dawes struck with sledgN
hammer blows at critics who had tried.
he said. to detract from the glory OF
the great achievement by picking flaws
and parading trivial faults. three thou
sand miles away. At times the air WIS
thick with n streak Of oaths for which
the witness frankly confessed he had
neither apology nor excuse. .a..
Cabinet not Hor Him
Late in the day he reiterated an ear
lier off-hand statement as 10 his own
part In politics. which was accepted IL
mean that he would not become mem
ber OF Mr.. Harding's cabinet. position
with which his name has been linked.
Fvnn before his views on this subject
were expressed. Mr.. Dawes sharply de-.
nounced the present system OF conduS-
ting tho federal government an evil ef
n hundred years standing. he declared.
with which investigators might better
afford to deal instead OF trying to SCOOP
up water already over the dam.
Mr. Dawes WAS called by Democratic
members Of the committee to rebut testi-
mony relating 10 waste and e1trara-
gance. and particularly with reference
to liquidation Of American accounts in
France and sale OF surplus stocks to the
French government. Answering charges
that food and clothing supplies might
have brought more than the 100000
900 paid by FMnce. Mr. Dawes turned
sharply upon one of his qucStioners,
Representative Bland. Republican. In
diana. and shouted:
Becomes Emphatic
1T is Just that sort of fool argument
that forced Great Britain to hold op
to its stocks and attempt to drive Q
hard bargain. The stuff is there today,
-ot:inG. You cannot discuss an exparts
question thousand miles away. There
is no use to try and throw mud when
YOU were not there to know conditions.
England lost billions OF dollars by lis
tcninc to that sort OF talk-listenins to
n 10, OF people who were afraid Of muck
rakrrs AT home. They arc raising the
dnv.l in England now because England
did rot sell ts supplies when We sold"
Mr. Dawes said as matter Of fact.
re thought France was. l.. charged too
much.
Mr. Bland questioned Mr. Dawes about
excessive prices paid for equipment and
material
Sure We paid he said. we did not
stop to dickcr. Why. man alive. we had
to win the war. It was mans job. We
would have paid horse prices for sheep.
If the sheep conid have pulled artillery
10 the front. The man like Johnson.
there. "he said. turning to tho chairman
of the committee was standing at the
front 10 be shot Al. We had to get him
food and ammunition Oh. it's all right
now to say VIC bought too much vinegar
and too many cold chisels but We saved
the civilization OF the world"
Tributs to the British
Quiet lot of the questioning related
to Great Britain.
Il am no more ashs med to stand up
here for England than for the United
States" said Mr.. Dawes, jumping from
his chair and racing around the little
committee room. 1T seems TO be "a sh-
ionable in American politics to attack
England. l am not in politics and am
not going to be. And I thank God that
In n crisis like We had, there were TO
chickering's between the English speak
ing people.
ENGLAND took over forty percent OF
our troops. OF course. Pershing gave
them five division, but IT had to be done
to save the allied line"
The line OF questioning shifted con-
stantIy. but all the time It came back
to prices PAID for vast stores on hand
when the armIstice was signed. Then
diplomats were mentioned.
Pink Tea DIPLOMATS
The diplomatic system Of appointing
men with pink-tea experience in war
time" said Mr.. Dawes, was q rotten