The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1922-10-19
LEST WE FORGET THE DEMO
CRATIC LEGACY

Tens of thousands of cruelty neg
lected ex-service men.
Untold millions of overdue and un-
paid public taxes.
Unsettled claims of between S12,-H
OOO,OOO,OOO and $4,000, 100000 in
volving the government.
The uaditing departments of the
United States Treasury from several
months to two years behind in their
work.
Unprotected foreign loans in the
sum of $11 900, 100000, the payment
of which the Democratic administra-
ton was trying to have indefinitely
postponed, looking toward their ulti-
mate cancellation.
The government involved in bill
lions of dollars of litigation for which
the necessary records and documents
to prove its case had either been lost
or purpOsely misplaced.
Democrats Destroy Records
The Department of Justice severe
ly handicapped in initiating prosecu-
tions of war grafters because under
the Democratic administration docu-
mentary evidence showing criminality
between government officials and en-
ployes and private individuals in rela-
ton to war and contracts had been
removed from the files and either hid
den or destroyed.
Hundreds of millions of dollars
worth of supplies and materials, the
result of unwarranted purchases dur
ing the war, stored, in warehouses
and buildings all over the country go
ing to rack and ruin, no effort being
made to salvage them.
Bureaus Of the government disor-
ganized; heads of bureaus refusing TO
TO cooperate to reduce expenses below
war time levels; discipline m the de-
partment utterly destroyed; the
morale of public employees gone and
an utter absence of efficiency in pub
lie service.
All of these conditions were due
solely to the Democratic administra-
ton of public affairs. They all grew
out of policies and methods in vogue
in the administrative agencies of the
government which were wholly con-
trolled by Democrats. The same
Democratic party and the same Demo
cratic leaders which contributed to
bring about these conditions are now
asking the voters to return them to
power. They are making their cam
paign for support upon the ground
that the Republican party has moi
been able in the short space OF
eighteen months to clean up the
debris left by eight years of Demo
cratic misrule, waste, incompetency
ineficiency and open graft and Grim
inality.
100000 Unemployed
When the Republican party came
into power March 4, 1921, there were
100000 idle working men. The un-
employment situation began to be
serious in the summer of 1920, wher
the Wilson regime was in full bloom
According to the files of the daily
press at that time, so many hundred.
of thousands of workers were turned
into the streets idle that Mr.. Samue
Gompers and the Executive Commit
tee of the American Federation OF
Labor held special meeting in Wash
ingtOn to consider the industrial
crisis. Mr.. Gompers gave out inter.
views during the summer and fall OF
1920, prior to the election, in which
he bitterly referred to the hundreds
of thousands of idle men.
On December %, 1920, the United
States Employment Service of the
Department of Labor, then under
Democratic control, estimated that
100000 workers ordinarily employ.
ed were then idle. On January 6
1921, the Plumb Plan League, com
posed of A. F. of L. Unions and Rail,
road BrOtherhoods, gave out state
ment in which they said that 1850,
600 workmen were at that time un.
employed. On April 25, 1921, a lit
tie over a month after the Republican
administration had assumed control
but before any of its policies coulC
possibly have been put into effect
Samuel Gompers himself issued {
statement IN which he estimated the
number Of unemployed to be 5000,
900.
LEST we forget
This legacy of paralyzed industry
and 100000 unemployed worker,
was left the Republican administra
tion by the Democratic party as a re
suit of eight years of Democrat,
misrule.
In a speech upon the floor of tn.