The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-02-05
DIRTY POLITICS
SAYS DAWES
Chicago Man Uses Plain
Language in Describ-
ing Men Who SLAM
der Those Who
Won the War

Washington. Feb. 2.--Deciaring he
. was not In politics and was not go-
Ing In. Charles g. Dawes OF Chicago.
former chief of supply procurement
for the American army in France.
bitterly attacked today what lie
charged were politica' q, cmpts to
discrcdit the achievements of the
people who won the war
In the course OF five hour exam
ination by n house war investigating
eommittee Mr.. Dawes struck with
siedge hammtr blows ut critics who
had tried. nc said. 10 dctract from
the glory OF the grea. achievement
by picking laws and parading
tf.vial faults 3.00O miles away. At
lines the air was thick was a s.reak
of oaths for which the Witness
frankly confessed hc had neither
apology nor excuse.
Late In the day he reiterated an
: tarlicr offhand statement as 10 his
own part I'm politics which was me.
eepter 10 mean that he would not
become member Of MIR. Hardiny's
eat.ret. "a position with which his
nf.ia'e has been linked. Even before
he Views OF this subject were cy-
pressed. Mr.. Dawes sharply de-
nounced the present system of con-
uucting the federal government. an
"vii OF hundred years sanding. he
oeelared. with which investig;l :ors
might better arord To deal instead
OF sryin: to scoop up water already
over the dam.
$50 Called by Democrats.
Mr.. Dawes was called By Demo-
cratic members OF the committee to
rebut Testimony relating To waste
ami extravaganza. and particularly
with reference TO liquidation Of
American accounts i'm France and
raic OF hmplus stocks to the French
govcrnment Answering charges that
food and clo. hing supplies might have
iven sold for more than the $4OO.-
100000 paid by France. MIR. Dawes
turned sharply upon one of his ques-
toners Representative Bland. Re
pubiican or Indiana. and shouted:
1T h just thas sort OF fool argu-
ment that forced Great Britain to
hold on 20 its stock and attempt TO
drive hard bargains. The stun is
there today. rotting You can no.
discuss en- ex-parte question 5000
miles away. There IN 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-iistening TO a lot
OF people who were afraid OF muck
rakers at home. They are raising the
. devil In England now because Eng
land did not sell It's supplies when
we sold"
y Mr.. Dawes said as matter OF fact
ne thought France was charged too
much.
Here you come now and charge"
he sald. that we should not have
soid sugar. The war department Or
dered the sale. The sugar wen. in q
lump iot with the junk. Everything
was second hand. We got $4OO, O,O0O,-
COO for H.. VIC llquidatcd every ac-
count, and we did IL because n lot of
big men quit their own jobs and went
over there TO help. We cleaned the
slate and congress today still has
pending Gains that date back TO the
Revolutionary war.
III was n big job and we are proud
of 10. In fnding fault and hunting
responsibility YOU don't have far TO
go. Pershing was he commander I'm
chief and his shoulders arc big
enough. thank God tn bear IT,"
"IIad To Win the War"
Mr.. Bland questioned Mr.. Dawes