The dispatch-news. [volume] (Lexington, S.C.) 1919-2001, 1921-11-09
TOM WATSON STIRS UP MESS
REGARD CONDUCT OF ARMY

we not have wheatless days for the
same purpose? Were not the women
busily engaged making for them gar
I tments of comfort and necessity? The
greatest indictment that can be
| brought against those who were re-
sponsible for their supplies was that
we gave a billion dollars worth of
| those supplies to the French Govern
| ment for S400,000,0O0 on credit-a
| debt which probably never will be
| paid. In the city of New York, only
few weeks ago, there were sold tC
speculator, a profiteer, five car
loads of boots at 25 cents pair. They
| were held in the depots here and else
! where when the bleeding feet of our
soldiers were tramping over the
frozen ground jim Europe.
Conditions of welfare were worse
than ever before known. The men who
followed Grant and Sherman and
Sheridan and Lee and Jackson and
Johnston and Beauregard did not
have to stand in trenches almost waist
deep in freezing water day after
dav until they contracted the incur
able disease which is known as
trench foot..' They did not have to
20 on useless marches-'hikes" be-
came the name-where if from sheer
exhaustion a man fell out he was left
to die by the roadside.
While 1 was making speech at
Covington in the campaign of last
wear I mentioned a hike that was
made after the armistice was signed,
and I spoke of the lives thus sacri-
feed without rhyme or reason. When
T had finished, an old man came tC
me and said, ''Mr. WATSON, what you
said was exactly true; the son of my
neighbor died on that hike, and he
died by the roadside with not hand
to- help him or anyone to speak into
his ear the last words of consolation.
Senators were here on the 4th of
March last when the President was
inaugurated; they saw the parade of
wounded soldiers-"the display of
wounded soldiers" is, perhaps "a bet
ter expression. 1t was pitiable; but
whether or not the condition of a
man who is wounded or has lost an
eve or an arm is worse than that of a
man who came unscatched from
battle to find himself homeless, with
wife who was homeless, with child
rem who were homeless, and coun-
try that had forgotten him, I leave
for philosophers to decide.
What have we been doing here that
we could not give the soldiers just
compensation? Have we not been told
that they upheld the civilization of
thousand years? If that statement
was true, what was their service
worth? Have we not been told
that they saved our own country? If
that statement be true, what is our
country worth?
Why have We not been able to
pay them a bonus? We were able
and willing to pay Colombia $25,0o0,-
900 to effect a peaceful entrance for
the Standard Oil Co., the worst tax
dodger on earth we were able to
give million dollars, without word,
to Brazil to assist her in having an
exposition and to build an edifice-
that will be hers SC long as it lasts
costing a half million dollars; we
were able to pay to Great Britain
s46,000,000 for carrying our soldiers
t. her own salvation in nasty cattle
ships, while England owes US nearly
s5,eo0,0o0,OOO and will not even pay
US the interest on that debt. We are
able to take off from the profiteers.
as my friend from Missouri (N1r.
Eeed) has pointed out, $45O,000,000
in taxes on excess profits.
Any bonus paid 70 the soldier
would add to the money Of every
community in the Onion and would
benefit country and town. white and
black, merchant, farmer, banker, and
laborer.
We do not propose to put tau
upon stock dividends representing net
profits. Why not? 1t is said it is
because the Supreme Court Of the
United States has said we could not
do it. We can do it. We can slight
ly change the wording Of the law.
propose to offer an amendment to