The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1921-02-10
DAWES PROVIDES
REAL SENSATION
TESTIMONY BEFORE COMMITTEE
SHAKES CAPITAL.
Rebukes Whitening
Holds Up "Smelling" Investigators in
True Light To
Nation.

one real sensation, parallel OF
which could only with greatest diff
ficulty, be cited. That was when Gen.
Charles Grosvenor Dawes, of Chicago,
a real factor in the European war
and a Republican in politics, told the
members Of the smelling" committee
of the house of representatives what
he and the country really thought of
them.
1t required great deal of courage
to shake these partisan Republican
members from the pedestal on which
they had perched themselves. But
so thouroughly was General Dawes
fortified with facts and SO stirring
and trenchant was his method of at
tack, that he proceeded with his pro-
gramme with scarcely single inter-
ruption. At no interval did he en-
counter opposition. The members
took their rebuke with that degree
of temperance and meekness which
should characterize men of greater
purpose.
Of course, the "smelling' commit
tee will continue it's operation. But
in it's heart, it is ashamed of itself.
Search for Scandal.
It is recalled that some time follow
ing the conclusion of the war and
preceding the national election, the
strategists Of the Republican party
concluded that it would be fatal were
the Democrats to make campaign on
the ground that they had conducted
the greatest war Of history not only
with signal success, but without a
single atrocious scandal. 1t became
instantlystheir purpose to conduct in
vestigations into expenditures OF
money. They knew in advance that
the United States in preparing to
meet the greatest emergency which
had ever confronted it had expended
enormous sums of money, and that
much of it had been expended un-
scientifically. They bent themselves
in an effort to lay bare such expendl-
lures, and impress the public that the
Democratic party was to blame; that
is was incompetent to administer the
government without imposing an un-
bearable burden of taxation.
AS they dived into the situation,
they found it advisable to intimate
only extravaganza and negligence,
but actual graft. In the end, through
a process of indirection, they impaled
President Wilson, Secretary Baker,
and even General Pershing. They
proceeded with a strange forgetful-
ness that the United States has really
achieved a meritorious thing in put
ting enough men in France to bring
about the defeat of Germany and save
the freedom of the world.
Democrats Invite Dawes.
Towards the end, they proceeded
from a course of making public ex-
travagance in preparing for war to
a course of making public extrava-
gance in disposing of surplus ma
terials following the war. The Dem
ocratic members of the committee
then did the strange thing of sum-
moning General Dawes, a Republl-
can so certain in his politics as to
have been considered by President
elect Harding as a worthy member
of his cabinet.
The selection of the witness was
exceedingly happy. In the beginning
in language which could not have
been as forceful without the free
and indiscriminate use of epithets
not expressed in more polite society
he declared that the Republican
members were proceeding on theory
that the war was a Democratic ano
Republican war, rather than al
American war. He urged them tc
recall the fact that despite the ex'
penditure of great sum of money
remarkable result had been achiev'
ed, and brought to their attention
the fact that long after they are
dead and forgotten, the great mer
connected with the war will be glo,
rifed by a grateful world.
Wither Under Rebuke.
In giving his testimony, Genera
Dawes paced up and down the flool
of the chamber. Frequently, he turn
ed his wrath against single mem
ber, and made him curl up as weet
in the path of fire. In the main
however, he excoriated the commit
tee as a whole. And the committet
proved itself no more able to resis