The Washington times., 1921-01-05

thought.
Revelations OF Investigations must :
be accepted" he said. with a certain
care. We must not lose perspective.
forgetting war conditions. The ex-
penditures now being studied with
such minute energy were pade when
the dollars actual purchasing power
was not much more than that OF 40
cents In normal times,
Certain heavy losses which the
Government SUSTAINED and which are
now some OF the rings In the great
target at which critics shoot, were
due to contract cancellations running
into millions. The fruit of these
great contracts would have been es-
sential to the public welfare II the
war had continued, and they had been
entered into not only in good faith,
but in the highest patriotism. The
cancellations were made possible by
the signing OF the armistice.
COMPENSATION WAS JUST.
BY all the rules OF right and JUS
tice as well as by the firm conditions
of the contracts, the Government, on
cancellation, was compelled to make
"just compensation" and Just COM
pensation" meant payment FOR mate
rails provided but not used, ana Tor
services arranged for but not aValled
OF. This was the fault or no Ameri'
can; il was the fault OF those who
plunged the world into the war. All
the hghting nations, when the war
came to an end, met 81 nilar condi-
lions and today are suffering from
10. h.4 nt
In most instances their loss IL greater
in proportion than IL ours.
.These are inevitable details OF
the tremendous winding up process
which the honor OF the nation Is IN
volyed; and there are many instances
in which the Government, in even
reasonable justice. cannot properly
stand on It's strict legal rights. fa-
triotic Willingness to strive Tor Inc
common good in moments or emer-
cency must not be penalized AFTER
the emergency has passed. In very
many cases the claimants nave equi-
table rights which the nation In It's
sovereign capacity cannot be per-
mitted to deny, while much waste
and actual loss may find unauestion-
able justification in the economic
disorder prevalent in war days.
GREED FLA Ntu FAM.
",rherc Is no doubt that human
ayarice and greed played their dis
graceful parts In bringing about the
difficult conditions with which we
are confronted today. The producer.
the wholesaler, the contractor, the
middleman, the retailer, ana the en-
ployes OF all of these and finally the
officials were touched, here ana
nrf
to graft
"The producer wished war profits:
the wholesaler and contractor were
willing to be victimized. for they
could pass tho buck the employees
were eager for what they could get
because the general living cost was
high and all humanity is greedy. Inc
officisl looked as diligently Tor the
brjbe as did the clerk for his gra-
tuity.
at is a melancholy fact. but not one
peculiar to this nation, nor 10 th's
day and generation. that the coma
gionL during the war infected every
class, all political and social groups
"In a word the great majority OF
people do not regard the welfare OF
the whole as the chief among their
social obligations, they rather strive
for the achievement of their own emo
The war let loose on us the conscieh-
,ious objector the Stacker, the drone'
he profiteer. the CRATER, forces more
destructive than the war ITSELF pu'
the answer to them should not DC
shrill cries of distrust aga oui
Government, but determinatioh W
proceed in such manner as Will rhahe
them far less numerous wheh inc
1ext emergency arises.
IMPERATIVE DUTY OF Q. s.
"There is no panacea and there VIII
never be one. But there is inc IN
-eratiye duty that we face the si'u'
.ion in the light which facts shed on
il On the one hand We must not &C
cent as real a false idcalism; on the
other we must neither palllatc nor
extenuate.
america can rise to heights I'M
known by any nation in th' pas
through candid, fearless judgment
UNPLEASANT though some OF us ue-
cjsions may be. A large number OF
our people, some of them in places OF
high trust, have been dishonest. Pun
ish them. More have been incompe-
tent. Supplant them. Prepare men
who will neither be dishonest nor
incompetent. meantime. by the most
enlightened education that the world
ever has known.
That will be the quickest road to
general adjustment l choose that
word adjustment carefully, because
il indicates neither remedy nor re-
form. two words which usually, in
the history OF nations. have cloaked
evil and conditions which produce II
and especially hyprocisy. Adjustment
indicates, upon the other bend, real
growth-and 1t is that which we must
have.
MUST PUNISH GUILTY.
There must be swift, sure punish
'nent for thoA who have trans
crossed, purposely placing money