The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1921-02-08
REPUBLICAN, WHO WENT TO
WAR DENOUNCES ATTEMPTS
TO DIScREDIT ADMINISTRATION

TO DISCREDlI ADMINS 1 AAlloN
Tells G. O. P. Congressman That just
Such Fool Arguments as His Are
Responsible for Millions cf Dollars
Worth Of Property Rotting in
France.
Washington, Feb. 2.-Declarlng ne
was not in politics and was not 60
ine in, Charles G. Dawes, OF Chicago
former chief Of supply procurement
for the American army in France
bitterly attacked today what he
chafged were political attempts to
discredit the achievements of the pee
pie who won the war. :,
TN the course of iive-hour examine
|tion hy a House war investigating
committee, Mr. Dawes struck with
sledge hammer blows at critics who
had trjed, he said, to detract from
the glory of the great achievement
:,by picking flaws and paraaing TRIVIAL
faults. The. air was thick with a
streak oY oaths for which the witness
frankly confessed he had neither
apology nor excuse.
Linked With Cabinet
Late in the day he reiterated ar
earlier off hard statement as to 5h.s
own part in politics, which wasFasc g
csptedstoFmean that he would not be-
come a member of Mr.. Hardings
eabinet,, a. position with which his
name has; been linked. Even before
his views or this subject We're e8-
pressed, Mr.. Dawes sharply denounced
the present means of conaemniag the
federal government, an evil of q hun
.dred wears standing, he declared, With
which investigators might better al
ford to- deal instead of trying to
scoop. up water already over the dam.
/, MIR, Dawes was called by Demo,
cratic members of the committee TO
rebut testimony relating. to waste and
extravaganza and particularly with
reference to liquidation of American
accounts in France and sale of sur
MUS stocks to the Franch government:
Answering. charges that foodnandl
clothing supplies might. have brought
more than the ,s4o0,0oo, geo, paid by
France, Mr.. Dawes turned shasRly
upon .sone of his questioners, Repre-
sentative Bland, republican, of lndi-
ana, and shouted: {.
Such Fcoi Arguments.
"Et is just that sort of fool argu-
ment that forced Great Britain to hold
on to its stock and attempt to drive
a hard bargain. The stuff is there
today, rotting.. You can not discuss
an ex pafts. question 5000 miles
away. There is no use to try and
throw mud when you were rot there
to know conditions. England lost: bllts
l;ons of dollars by listening TO- that
sort Of talk-listening to a lot OF peo-
ple who were afraid of ,mnckrakers
at home. They are aising the deVil
in England now because England old
not sell it's supplies when we sold:
Mr.. Dawes said, as a matter OF tact
he thought France was charged TOO
much. :.
sIIere you come now and charge,
he said. .'that we should not have sold
sugar. The War department ordered
the sale. The sugar. went into lump
lot with the junk. Everything was Sec
and-hand. We got s4oo,ooo,ooo for
it. We liquidated every account and
we. did it because lot of big men
Quit their jobs and went over there
TO help. We cleaned the slate and
congress today still has the penang
claims that date back to The kevo!u-
tionary war. 1t was big job aud we
ere proud Of it. In finding fault ana
hunting responsibility you. don't have
far to go. Pershing was the commaA-
der-in-chief and his shoulders are olg
enouch, thank God, to bear IT,"
Mr.. Bland questioned Mr.. Dawes
about excessive prices paid for equip
ment and material.
"Sure we paid" he said. eve did
1T stop to dicker. Why, man aliVe' we
had to win the war. It was man S
Job. We would have paid horse prices
for sheep if the sheep could have pull,