The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1921-02-11
DAWES PROVIDES
REAL SENSATION
TESTIMONY BEFORE COMMIT.
TEE SHAKES CAPITAL.
Holds Up Smelling Investigators
IN True Light to
> Nation.
Hugh W. Roberts in State.

zS.sss--;- NATION.
Hugh W. Roberts in State.
Washington, Feb. 6.-Congress,
during the week just gone, sustained
. one real sensation, parallel of which
could only with greatest difficulty, be
cited. That was, when Gen. Charles
Grosrenor Dawes of Chicago, a real
factor in the European war and a
republican in politics, told the men,
hers of the smelling" committee of
the house of representatives what he
and the country really thought of
them,
It required 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-
fed with facts and so stirring and
trenehant was his method of attack,
that he proceeded with his program
with scarcely a single interruption.
At no interval did he encounter oppo-
sition. The members took their re-
buke with that degree of temperance
and meekness which should charac-
terize men of greater purpose.
: OF course, the smelling" commit
tee will continue it's operation. But
in it's heart, it is ashamed Of itself.
Z Search for Scandal.
1t, is recalled that some time fol-
lowing the conclusion of the war and
preceding the national election, the
strategists Of the republican party
concluded that it would be fatal were
the democrats topaake a campaign on
the ground that they had conducted
che greatest war Of history not only
with siekai success, But: without a
single atrocious scandal. 1t became
instantly their purpose to conduct IN
vestigations into expenditures 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 had been expended unscienti-
fically. They bent themselves in an
effort, to lay bare such expenditure,
and impress the public that the DEM
ocratic party was to blame; that it
was incompetent to administer the
government without imposing an un-7
bearable burden of taxation.
As they dived into the situation,
they found it advisable to intimate
not only extravaganza and negligence
but actual graft. In the: end, through
q process of indirection, they impal-
ed President Wilson, Secretary Baker
and even General Pershing. They
proceeded with a strange forgetful-
ness that the United States has real
y achieved a meritorious thing in
putting enough ;. men in France to
bring about the defeat of Germany
and save the freedom Of the world.
= Democrats Invite Dawes
Towards the end, they proceeded
from course of making public ex-
ytravagance in preparing for war to
a course Of making public extrava-
gance' in disposing Of surplus ma
terials following the war. The DEM
ocratic members 'of The committee
then did the strange thing of sum-
moning General Dawes, republican
so certain in his politics as to have
been considered by President-elect
Harding asa worthy member of his
cabinet.
The selection of the witness was
exceedingly happy. In the beginning,
in. language which could not have
been as forceful without the free and
indiscriminate use of epithets not ex-
pressed in more polite society, he de-
clared that the republican members
were proceeding on theory that the
war was a democratic and SrepublicaR
war, rather than an American war.
He urged them to recall the fact that
despite the expenditure of great
sum of money remarkable result
had been achieved, and brought to
their attention the fact that long af-
ter they are dead and forgotten, the
great men connected with the war
will be glorifed by grateful world.
Wither Under Rebake
In giving his testimony, General
Dawes paced up and down the floor
of the chamber. Frequently, he turn