The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1922-09-15
Who GOT The MONEY?
ASKS LEGION WEEKLY
Wants Strict Accounting Made of &c..
600, 100000 War Expenditures.
Want PrOfiteers Punished.

of a series of articles prepared for the
American Legion Weekly, the first of
which appeared in it's issue of Sep
TENDER 8. The articles are the fruit
Of many weeks spent by careful in
vestigators digging into the official
files at Washington and gathering in
formation in various parts of the coun-
try, with a view to demanding prose-
cution of guilty men who made millions
during and since the war through
criminal practices imposed on the gov
eminent, and suits for recovery of
their ill-got gain.
Under the title who Got the
Money!" the first of the articles is
intended, it is announced, to tear aside
the veil that has obscured from the
public the actual working of the gov
ernment's hastily built war machine
during the conflict, and it's just as
hastily built machine for liquidating
old obligations and returning to nor
NAL endeavor after the armistice.
Care is taken by the author of the
article, Marquis James, however, to
make it plain that the great major
ity of men who were cogs in the ma
chimes were imbued with the highest
patriotic motives, and that to the great
majority no hint of corrupt practices
or dishonest intent can be charged.
"These articles deal with financial
losses sustained by the government
during the war;" the article states.
"They are not intended as a reflection
on the thousands of men who had no
part in these losses, any more than the
fact that we have criminal courts is
to be taken as ar implication that hu-
man nature is not generally inclined
to be law-observing."
Presenting in the way of striking
contrast the case of an 18-year-old
private in France who was sentenced
to a year and a day in Fort Leaven-
worth for the theft of a fifteen-cent
can Of army beans, and the meticulous
exactness of the government in hold
ing officers to strict accountability
for war materials consigned to the
care of their men as requisites of
fighting, the first article pictures a
saturnalia of profit grabbing by I'M
scrupulous "men who remained at
home," made possible by government
laxity. So fragrant became the ac-
t~ivities for "easy money" the article
charges, that the feeble steps already
taken by the government toward pros
ecution of offenders, and steps which
are promised have resulted in the fol
lowing condition of affairs:
"People are quaking in their boots
who never quaked before, people who
a few monts ago boosted no one could
touch them. No one would dare and
for some ingenious reasons, the Army
can't afford a scandal it would un-
settle business politics will prevent.
And even yesterday l heard, THE gov.
eminent can't afford to do this thing
With such crises as the coal and rail
strikes at hand popular faith must
not be shaken
"To front the impending assault
barricades of defense are going up
expensive lawyers retained, influential
friends 'seen,' men who might talk
approached with propositions" alibis
arranged, trips to Europe planned, i'm.
portant documents performing some
surprising changes of hands.
"Another category of men are ap.
pearing onthe scene, with tales which
almost surpass belief; tales of at.
tempts at bribery and corruption, and
these failing. of threat and persecu.
ton; tales of virtual reigns of terror
instituted against men who knew toe
much; of men bounded and driver
from one employment after another
reduced to poverty-and all this be
cause they were honest; tales of wives
and children, patching and scraping
not knowing where next months rem
is coming from-women who, had thei1
husbands made just n little slip,
could now be living like queens"
Liquidation of the governments OBJ
legations after the armistice embraced
two major activities, it is pointed on
settlements due to the sudden can
collation. Of contracts for material ant
the sale of material on hand-and i
is with some of the conditions sur
rounding these activities that the frs
article chiefly deals, preparing for tn
exposures detailed in the subsequent
articles. Handling the settlement
was the War Department Claim:
Board. Conducting the sales was thu
Purchase, Storage and Traffic Division
of the War Department. under which
operated the Director of Sales. Boil
organizations were extremely compli
Gated. The Claims Board was created
by the Dent Act of March, 1919, whicl
empowered the Secretary of War t.
make "an equitable settlement" o
outstanding contracts, but prohibitet
the payment of profit on any contrac
not completed. How the Dent Ac
worked out in reality is taken from tn
article:
"The Claims Board paid out to con
tractors more than half a billion dol
lars, and concerning these payment
official controversy is growing NOR
bitter as the days go by. So i~nsisten
seem to be some of the demands for al
entire review of all the Boards &C
Invites that such a course seems like
ly at this writing. The Board ha
been characterized as a close corpor
alton adverse to having its activitie
ronoro11,, Eoo,,y, ovoo %L,o,,rL +l,o Wo