Milford chronicle., 1921-06-24
UNCLE TED'S
BEDTIME STORIES
BRINGING PROFITEERS TO
JUSTICE

just as bad l think the fellows who
got rich because they didn't play fair
with tne government during the war
arc worse than the fellows who tried
to get out of lighting" 1t was Jack
taking on his side of an argument in
which he was rapidly winning over
one Of his chTms, Johnny Jones.
But, Jack" said Johnny. the fell
lows who wouldh t fs,h. ought to
have been sent to jsil Suppose every
fc!lCw had said he wouldn't tight?"
We'll, where have you been?" ask
ed Jack. Don't you know that lots
and lots of fellows who wouldn't fight
were sent to jail? 1 know Uncle TED
told me that they were treated pref
ty 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, ~1nterjected
Uncle Ted who had just arrived on
the scene. about the only punish
ment the war prOfiteers have receiv-
ed has been to pay an income tax on
the great amount of money they made
out of the war. And, of course, every
one has to pay an income tax, so that
doesn't mean anything. I think the
meanest type of man on earth was
the man who used the requirements
of the great war to cheat the govern
ment and the people. Instead of Civ
ing, fighting, and helping to the limit
when the country needed help as it
never had needed it before, these men
actually made it harder to win the
war, and at the same time kept roll
ling the money into their own. pock- |
cts.
'I 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 rained in
France and if the doughbOys needed |
anything they needed protection from
the rain. But you should have seen
some of the raincoats made after the |
war started and issued to the men in
France. They hardly reached their
knees and were nearly as thin as
tissue paper. Somebody must have
made a nice pile of money on that.
But kiddies, I feel better today
about this thing than I have for a
long time because the time is coming
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 gen.
eral, Mr.. Palmer, did a lot of talking
but stopped there, too. However, Mr..
Palmer and his associates do not
count for anything now and I know
that for a long time some earnest
quiet work has been going on in
preparation for the working of bring
ing these men to task and making
them square things with the govern
ment and the people.
Attorney General Daughtery, head
of the Department of Justice, is going
to see that justice is done. He is not
going to conduct tea party. 1t is go
ing to be real business and he is go
ing to go the limit in making the war
grafters square things. 1t seems that
for some time he has had an inVesti- .
cation made of the various kinds of l
contracts for war supplies and they
have found such a tremendous num- ?
Der of grating cases that a special !
bureau must be established to han
die the job. And they are not going I
after the little grafters. The big fell
lows are the ones who will be brought
% justice" !,
"I heard that there were hundreds q
Of millions of dollars paid out of the e
that were not fair profits"
said Jack.
Eyes, Jack, I guess it was so much
hat it is hard to realize, but if AttOr-
hey General Daughtery succeeds, and
think he will, that money will be
returned to the government. In his
statement on this subject made after
| conference with President Harding,
Mr.. Daughtey said something about
he draft dodgers. I'll read it to you:
How are we going to justify the
action of the government in send
ing 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 II
government and the people of un-
imaginable sums? II
eff these men think the present ad-
ninistration is going to stand for
What they did, they have another think
coming. 1t is going to take a lot of
lard work to bring about justice in N
his matter, but Mr.. Daugherty is
ringing big men to help him. In fact
nd big men to take charge of this
york. In his work of organizing the
pecial bureau to prosecute these
ases, Mr.. Daugherty will have the Y
i'd of Col. William Hayward, Federal
istrict attorney of New York, who
ill have charge of all cases that will
ONE up in New York"
"How about the business men who
1ok fair profits and even gave the
overnment supplies at a lOss?" ask
d Jack. "T hope they will give those
len credit"
Don't worry about that, Jack. Mr..
augherty is well aware that there
ere hundreds of patriotic American
usiness men whose first thought was
)r America and backing up the fight
lg forces, and whose last thoughts
ere of their pocket books. He will
Be that those men are protected. Lis
IN to what he says about that:
Business men who served their
government faithfully and took only
fair profits to which they were en-
titled have nothing to fear now. The
many thousands of men in this
class need not be uneasy that
charges that may be found later to
be false, will be used against them
I'm mighty glad that these graf
rs are going to get il" said Jack.
$50 am l." said Ruth.
eyes, children, it is the only fair