The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-02-03
DAWES CRACKS
critics OF WAR
No Time to Dicker Then, He
Tells Congressional
Committee
NOT IN POLITICS,
is NOT GOING IN
Makes Air Thick with Oaths for Which
lie Has No Apology or Excuse -
Served as Chief of Supply Procure
ment in Franee-Lauds Pershing

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3.-Declaring he
was not in politics and was not going in,
Charles G. Dawes of Chicago. former chief
OF supply procurement for the American
army in France. bitterly attacked yester-
day what he charged were POLITICAL at
tempts to discredit the achievements of
the people who won the war.
In the course of a five-hour examina-
ton by Il house war investigating commit
tee, he struck Sledge hammer blows at
critics who have tried, he said, to detract
from the glory of the great achievement
by picking flaws and parading trivial
faults 5000 miles away At times the air
was thick with a streak of oaths for
which the witness frankly confessed he had
neither apology nor excuse.
Late in the day he reiterated an earlier
oifhand statement as to his own part in
politics, which was accepted to mean that
he would not become Il member of Mr..
Ilarding's cabinet.
Even before his views on this subject
We're expressed, he sharply denounced the
present system of conducting the federal
government, an evil of a hundred years
standing. he declared, with which ~investi-
gators might better afford to deal instead
of trying to scoop up water already over
the dam
He was called by Democratic members
of the committee to rebut testimony relat-
ing to waste and extravaganza. and par
tlcUlarly 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 $500. 100000 paid by France, Mr..
Dawes turned sharply upon zone of his
qunSti5uerS. Representative Bland. Re
publican. Indiana. and shouted
1t is just that sort OF fool argument
that forced Great Britain to hold on to
its stocks and attempt to drive Il hard
bargain The stuff is there today. rOtting.
You cannot diScusSS al eX parte question
5000 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 listening to that sort of talk
listening to a lot of people who were
afraid Of muckrakerS at home. They are
raising the devil in England now because
England did not sell its supplies when we
sold"
Mr.. Dawes said as a matter of fact he
Thought France was charged too much.
Here you come now and charge" he
said. that we should not have sold sugar.
The war department ordered the sale.
The sugar went in a lump lot with the
junk. Everything was secondhand
W. got $500. 900. 900 for it.. We liaui-
dated every account, and we did il be
cause a lot of big men quit their own
jobs and went over there to helm. We
go @'' ~ 'teNNs aAAlaA NbAL@tt~H AtftldA SAlll
has pending claims that date bach to the
Revolutionary war.
1T was a big job and we are proud of
1t; In finding fault and hunting respon-
SIbllty you don't have far to go. Pershing
was commander-in-chief and his Shout
ders are big enough, thank God, to bear
MIR. Bland questioned Mr.. Dawes about
excessive prices paid for equipment and
material.
Sure we paid" he said. I'VE didn't
decker. Why, man alive, we had to win
the war. 1t was a mans job. We would
have paid horse prices for sheep, if the
sheep could have pulled artillery to the
front.
The man, like Johnson. there he said,
turning to the chairman of the committee.
was standing at the front to be shot at.
We had to get him food and ammunition.
.. its all right now to say we bought
TOO much vinegar and too many cold
world"