Evening star., 1921-02-03
Dawes Defends Heroism
of Army; Says U. S. "Pnk
Tea Diplomats" Failed

and does not intend to go in, was made
by Gen. Dawes while testifying yes
terday. thus seemingiy tlisposing Of
political gossip that he was a likely
candidate for secretary Of the Treas
ury In the Harding cabinet.
During FIVE hours of examination by
the House committee yesterday he Bit
terly attacked what he enlarged were
political attempts to discredit the
achievements of the people who won
the war. Throughout the hearing he
struck vigorously at critics of the
american Army. who had tried. he
said. to detract from the glory of its
great achievement by picking flaws and
parading trivial faults three thousand
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 o1-hand statement as to his
own part in politics, which was ac-
cepted to mean that he would not be-
como a member of MIR. Harding's cab
met Even before his views on this
subject were expressed Mr.. Dawes
sharply denounced the present system
an evil Of . hundred years standing.
he declared, with which Investigators
might better afford to deal instead Of
trying to scoop up water already over
the dam.
Points to Bfitain's Plight.
Mr.. Dawes was called by democratic
members of the committee to rebut
testimony relating to waste and ex-
travagance and particularly with ref
erence to liquidation of American ac-
counts in France and sale of surplus
stocks to the French government.
Answering charges that food and
clothing supplies might have brought
more than the $400. 100000 paid by
France. Mr.. Dawes turned sharply
upon one of his Questioners, Repre-
sentative Bland. republican. Indiana.
and shouted:
1T is just that sort of fool arsu-
ment that forced Great Britain to
hold on to it's stock and attempt to
! drive q hard bargain. The stun is
there today, rotting. You cannot dis
cuss an ex parte question 3.08o 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 peo-
pie who were afraid Of muck rakers
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.
SHad to Win the War;"
Here you come now and charge"
he said, that we shoud not have
dered the sale. The sugar went in
a lump lot with the junk. Everything
was secondhand We got four hun
dred million dollars for 1t. We liqui-
dated every account. and we did it
because q lot Of big men quit their
H.
We cleaned the slate. and Congress
| today still has pending claims that
date back to the revolutionary war.
1t was a big job, and We are proud of
it, In finding fault and hunting re-
sponsibility you don't have far to go.
Pershing was the colnmander-in-chief
and his shoulders are big enough.
| thank God. to bear It,"
Mr.. Bland questioned Mr.. Dawes
about excessive prices paid for equip
ment and material.
Sure. we paid" he said. I'VE didn't
| stop to dicker. Why. man alive. we
! had TO win the war. 1t was q mans
| for sheep il 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 am
muniton; Oh. US all right now. tc
| too many cold .chisels. but we sayed
the civilization Of tho world"
Quite = lot of the queektoning re-
lated to Great Britain.
Il am no more ashamed to stand
up here for England than for the
| United States" said Mr. Dawes, jump
! ing from his chair and racing around
| the little committee room. TT seems
to be fashionable in American poll
tics to attack England. j am not In
politics, and ! am not going to be.
And thank God that in o crisis like
| we had there were no chickering's be-
tween the English speaking people.
England took oyer 40 per cent Of our
| troops. OF course. Pershing gave
them Ave divisions. but 1t had to be
done to save the allied line"
The line Of questioning shifted con-
| stantly. but all the time 1t came back
| to prices ana vast stores on hand
| vhsa tho aEmisttoe vas sis1ed. Then
diplomats were mentioned.
M - la IL "a - 40