Great Falls tribune., 1921-01-29
THE REWARD OF
PATRIOTISM.

~ one Of Andrew Carnegie:
young men who he took into part
aership with him. He was reputec
% have said that Mr.. Schwab was
worth a salary of half a millior
dc'lars year to him. We do moi
remember whether the canny
ocotchnan actually paid him tha,
much salary or not, but Mr..
Schwab became a millionaire at ar
early age and has become a multi.
millionaire since. He has built up
a great independent steel plan,
outside the trust. When the
United States entered the war Mr.
Schwab was one of the big men
who was hired by Uncle Sam at
a dollar a year to help win the
war, and as the German sub
marines were sinking allied ships
with alarming success and it SEEM
ID vital that we should build them
with all possible haste. President
Wilson assigned the job Of build
ing new ships to Charlie Scfwab
as president and head boss Of the
ship building activities of the ma
tion. He got the ships built faster
than they were ever built before
in the history Of the world. He
turned them out by hundreds in a
very short time. He accomplished
the results desired, and the repub-
lie got its armies and munitions
and supplies across the water IN
a fashion that astonished the Ger
mans who thought it impossible.
Incidentally he spent vast sums OF
money. Undoubtedly good deal
of money was spent extravagantly.
It is unavoidable when such vast
operations are undertaken in head
long haste, with vital necessity
pricking in the rear. The war was
won.
Congress hoping to find some
scandal that might smirch the great
record of the Democratic admins
tration that conducted the world
y,ar to successful issue, appoint
ed an investigating committee to
delve into all the great war actlvl-
ties and expose any scandals they
could find. The committee, known
as the Walsh committee, sent for
all the soreheads, discharged otti-
cials, disappointed contractors,
and men with a grievance they
could find, and published their
testimony, even in some cases sup
pressing evidence that contradict
ed these stories. Among others
they had before them a witness
that said that Charles M. Sehwab
had been paid $2eo,Ooo out OF the
government funds as personal ex-
pense money although he had testi-
fled that he paid all his own ex-
penses and never drew dollar OF
government funds. 1t seems that
some auditor of the shipping board
told him that voucher existed
that proved this to be the tact.
Then this tale was published broad
cast. Mr.. Schwab once more ap-
peared before the committee ana
insisted that the story was untrue
and demanded vindication. he
got it all right. The committee IS
sued a formal statement with
consent to the effect
that the statement was not proven
and further that they were salts
fled that it was not true.
So that particular slander was
rather promptly nailed. But at
nat it was circulated all over the
United States first, and it IS NOR
ally certain that 1t Will ne repeat
ed often in the future by those
who do not like Mr.. Schwab, ana
there are millions of such people,
who either do not know that the
charge was unproven and untrue
or who will ignore that tact For
Mr.. Schwab is head of the Bcthle-
hem Steel company which is lead
ing a fight against organized labor
over the open shop principle, and
he is a well-hated man as well as
A much admired man among his
fellow citizens. Whatever we may
think of his attitude OF, labor ques-
tions, there is no doubt that he IS
4 big man, an honest man, and
patriotic man who served his coun-
trv we'll in the time Of its greatest
need. It is, however, a rather
common experience for such men
TO be paid for their service with
ingratitude and often with malici-
ous slander.