The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1921-08-23
GUY D, GOFF, NATIVE WEST VIRGNIAN,
WHOSE WORK IN NATIONAL HOUSEKEEPING
IS THE MOST STUPEND0US TASK ON RECORD

Washington. D. G.. Avg. 2?.-In spite
o.: the work Il has already accomplished
;nc administration Is only beginning I"
set tho executive household In order
after the tumuituous days or the war
regime The ask is more Formidable
:han the public has Imagined. The chao"
eft IN tho wake OF a government run
ming wild" is almost iudescrieablt ON"
uspcc, Of II has been disclOsed In the
revelations concerning tho shipplnE
board. Another ~ betnE brought I"
!:gh: by tho budget commlsslon'
rh::d N some respects the most co'os
~. 8 now engaging the attention OF
i"r special bureau OF the department 0t
yusrice investigating war contracts
For this last phase OF government
house cleaning on n gigantic scale the
president and his attorney general have
selected Colonel Guy II. Golf H"!one'
t;r(r Is one OF tho few who might rank
Io:snlia.y As nifty thousand dollar
,"ar' mon who are st!ll seeing tho war
through. lie began with PershlnS. toi-
lowed the army 10 the Rhine aud Is sun
going He will keep on going until the
cleanup Is completed and tho books
have been balanced and closed.
Important Task.
This Is no minor matter OF moral &C
counting The work Of sitting out war
contracts. Of dividing the sheep fr"rl
tho goats. OF discriminating between Ia
profi.eers and the patriots Involves no.
only tho exercise Of keen judSmeh''
but decsiveness Of character OF IN"
highest order. for 4 10 recognized thai
what Is accomplished by Colonel CON
Is going to ESve an important bearing
on tho future. There are volumes OF
testimony taken BY congressional com
m!ttees Concer":nS war contracts ana
war contractors. corporations a. Wen
a. individuals. who appear in variety
OF colors. Many OF those we're uraues-
,,onably acknowledging and patriotic;
others drove q hard although legally
lust bargain; others made tho most ot
tho plight In which tho country founh
!tself. and With 4 complete disregard
Of business or moral prophecies en-
r.ched them selves at the expense or tho
public
IT'S to be Colonel COTS job to search
out the last and. having found them. 10
sec 70 II that they arc punished 30 Ear
ss the law provides. In taking up the
task no enters upon new field Much
has been said Of pruiiteerlnS aad profit
GERS. but II remains for the courts 'o
define IN precise terms what they are
and what penalty they are To pay IA
a rule. tho most fragrant proHtecr taIki
in terms OF patriotism. flo is An "iG-
slve species He has T." facilities for
and knows the art OF evasion. 'onee-
uuently. tho task confronting Colonel
Con is unusually int cate.
MAroileSs PROSECUTOR.
But there Is no GnIbt In the minds OF
those responsible for his appointment
that he will mako the most OF his Job.
that there will be "a clear judicial for
mula covering profiteerins which the
public can understand when he has COM
plete6 Il. For Con- IS mercileas prose-
cutor. Having taken stand. he ho!ds
10 T., without wavering. Every cas-"
under his direction has been fought
encrgct.cally and 10 nnish. Ha IL
known az sympathetic man. but he Is
no, mo less decisive for II. and his at
t:,uGn toward wronGdoing is uniform
whether tho wronSdoer IS an tnConspicu'
Gus individual or 4 powerful corpora
ton. This reputation he built up early
N his public career when he undertook
q cleanup OF grating IN Wisconsin
and y has been CONFIRMED hN ms iater
service in larger helds
Coione. Cons activities have covered
an extraordinary range. After ms
graduation from the Harvard law s'"oot
n. began his practice N the on'ce or
Iohn n. Long OF Massachusetts. West