Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1921-06-23
PROFITEERS TO Be
BROUGHT TO JUSTICE
THOSE WHO TOOK ADVANTAGE
OF NECESSITIES OF OTHERS
WORSE THAN SLACKERS

who tried to get out of fighting"
1t was Jack talking on his side of an
argument in which he was rapidly
winning over one of his chums,
Johnny Jones.
but, Jack" said Johnny, "the
fellows who wouldn't fight ought to
have been sent to Jail. Suppose
every fellow had said he wouldn't
fight"
well, where have you been?"
asked Jack. Don't you know that
lots and lots of fellows who wouldn't
fight were sent to Jail? know
Uncle Ted told me they were treated
pretty nice by former Secretary Of
War Baker, but they were sent to
Jail and that's more than you can
say for the war grafters."
You're right. Jack" interjected
Uncle Ted who had just arrived on
the scene. About the only punish
ment the war profiteers have re-
ceived has been to pay an income tax
on the great amount of money they
made out Of the war And, of course
everyone has to pay an income tax,
so that doesn't mean anything.
think the meanest type of man on
earth was the man who used the re-
quirements of the great war to cheat
the government and the people. In
stead of giving, fighting, and help
ing to the limit when the country
needed help as 1t never had needed
1t before, these men actually made it
harder to win the war, and at the
same time kept rolling the money
into their own pockets.
81 can't help but remember Just
one little thing from the war that
was the result of profiteering. You
know it rained and rained and rain
ed in France and IL the doughboys
needed anything they needed protec-
tion from the rain. But you should
have seen some of the raincoats
made after the war started and issu-
ed to the men in France. They
hardly reached their knees and we're
nearly as thin as tissue paper.
Somebody must have made nice
pile of money on that.
"But Riddles, feel better today
about this thing than / have for a
long time because the time is COM
ing very soon when these men will
be brought to task for their actions.
Ever since the war there has been
a lot of talk about going after these
war grafters. The late attorney
general, Mr.. Palmer, did lot Of
talking but stopped there, too.
However, Mr.. Palmer and his asso-
ciates do not count for anything now
and I know that for long time
some earnest quiet work has been
going on in preparation for the
work of bringing these men to task
and making them square things with
the government and the people.
Attorney General Daugherty, head
of the Department of Jusice is
going to see that justice is done.
He is not going to conduct a tea
party. 1t is going to be real BUSH
ness and he is going to go the limit
in making the war grafters square
things. It seems that for some time
he has had an investigation made of
the various kinds Of contracts for
war supplies and they have found
such a tremendous number of graft
ing cases that special bureau must
be established to handle the job.
And they are not going after the
little grafters. The big fellows are
the ones who will be brought to
Justice"
II heard that there were hun
dreds of millions of dollars paid out
of the Treasury that were not fair
profits" said Jack.
Eyes, Jack, guess it was so
much that 1t is hard 20 realize. but II
Attorney General Daugherty sue
ceeds, and + think he VIII. that
money will be returned to the gov
eminent. In his statement on this
subject made after a conference
with President Harding. Mr.. Daugh-
erty said something about the draft
dodgers. I'll read It 10 you:
How are we going to justify the
action OF the government in sending
men to Jail for trying to render the
draft law ineffective, when we are
letting certain kinds Of men go free,
after they have mulcted the govern
ment and the people of unimagin-
able sums?'
"If these men think the present
administration is going to stand for
what they did. they have another
think coming. 1t is going to take
a lot of hard work 20 bring about
Justice in this matter, but Mr.
Daugherty is bringing big men to
help him. In fact right now Mr.
Daugherty is trying to find big men
to take charge of this work. In his
work of organizing the special bur
eau to prosecute these cases, Mr.
Daugherty will have the aid Of
Col. William Hayward, Federal dis
trict attorney of New York. who will
have charge Of all cases that will
come up in New York"
How about the business mer
who fnnIy fair nrofits and avap oav