Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1921-02-03
Politics Make
Investigation
Joke, Claim
representatives Ap-
prove Proposal to
Make All Teachers
Take Oath

washington, Feb. 3.-Turufn&
sharply upon house war investigat-
ing committees as whole, Charles
G. Dawes, former head of the army
supply procurement service an
France, told one of them today that
the value of their work had been
rendered useless through injection
of partisan politics.
Il bitterly resent this effort to
reflect upon the entire army be-
cause some poor devil hlundered i'm
Switzerland" he shouted you
cannot put blotch ON the army
What the hell did we go in fore
steal money? 1t was not a repub
lican or a democratic war. IL WAS
an American war and yet as a rule
these committees try TO bring IN
partisan politics.
Says Investigation Joke.
"You could use your time fnves-
tigating to a better advan. age right
here trying to save disgracefuI gov
ernment waste. You could save
more money for the people Hut as
to France you haven't got evidenro
to make a case if one existed and 1
don't believe it does.
II am not here to make charges
that would blacken the name of a.
soldier who cannot come in to be
heard"
Asked about grafters who fol-
lowed the American army to
France, General Dawes said=
"Yes, they were there, some of
the most despicable characters on
earth, trying to help the army by
selling it things it needed at ex-
orbitant figures There was one
man we caughs and deported-
What's his name? oh, what's the
use? l am not a muckraker. He
was traitor and | wish we could
have shot him"
Words Are "Exprcssive.~
There were many women at the
hearing, but 1t did not Tease the
general, who swore constantly
Long after this committee fs
dead and gone, the achievements OF
the American army will stand as am
everlasting blaze of glory" he de-
clared. You have tried to make "a
mountain out of mole hill. but
thank God the army was American.
not republican nor democratic"
Asserting that the people were
tired OF war talk and fault finding.
General Dawes, banging the table,
said:
There's no news in ii. If I
wasn't here strutting around and
swearing there would be no news
in this"
Pcrshing Defended.
Mr.. Dawes rippied out a streak
of oaths as he took up the attempt
to criticize General Pershing.
1T will be 25 or so years before
Pershlng's place in history is fix
ed" he said. "He could not have
won the war had he sought to put
popularity above duty. And let me
tell you--the doughboys now com--
planning will live to see the day
when they will be proud that they
fought under him."
Declaring authority and respOn-
sibility in the army should he CEN
tralized in peace times as welI as I'm
war times, General Dawes said this.
American army was "deterforating
again into a bureaucracy which Is
bound to prove inefficient"
Says "Pinheads'' PrattIe.
Look at the pinhead politicians
who are raising hell about promo
ton for men who earned them in
France" he exclaimed. They're
doing it for petty reasons IT'S a.
dirty shame. l wasn't in the regu-
lar army but l can be fair"
The committee was told 'the
next war" would break cut over
night" and that the army and navy
probably would get into a row as to
which was to boss the affair
General Dawes declared the Uni
ted States aviation program had
been "a terrible failure" largely be-
cause of "overconfidence and mex
perience."
Even If we didn't have the
planes, we had the aviators-the
best in the world" he added