The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1922-06-15
pERSIFLAGE AND MISSTATEMENT

pERSIFLAGE AND MISSTATEMENT
1t is worthy of notice that the ablest
Democratic Senators, men like Under
wood of Ala, Walsh of Mass, and Glass
of Va, have made very few speeches in
the Senate during the present session of
Congress. When they have spoken they
have had something to say which was
A.ortby of attention. Of different type
Watson of Ga, Helm of Ala, Cara
of Ark, and Harrison of Miss. These
en- are spendthrifts of language who
seem to believe that if they throw mud
enough some of it will stick. For several
weeks they have been throwing vocal
mud at Atty Gen. Daugherty. In season
and out of season they have charged that
he has not prosecuted the people who de-
frauded the government during the war
and some of them have gone SO far as to
say that Mr. Daugherty should be remov-
ed from office. They also charge that he
assisted in getting pardon for Charles
W. Morse, who was convicted of mis-
use of trust funds, and they have broadly
limited that Mr.. DsuGherty was still in
league with Morse and other people who
said to have been grafters. At first their
vociferous TRADES attracted some atten-
ton and perhaps some credence.
The facts in the Morse Pardon case are
as follows: Morse was pardoned by Presi-
dent Taft ten years ago, on the 18th day
of January. 1t was not partisan par
don. The faint of politics was not upon
ut. Mr.. Hull, the present chairman of
the Democratic National Committee. fav-
ored it; MIR. Cox, the Democratic nomi-
nee for president in 1920, favored it; all
the present mud singers favored it; Sena-
tor Glass, who was member of President
Wilson's Cabinet, favored it; Mr.. Over
man, Mr.. Fletcher and Mr.. Owen, all
Democratic Senators at the present time,
favored it: and more than score of
Democrats who were then members of
the House of representatives, favored it.
On the other hand a great many Republic
cans of equal prominence were in favor
of the pardon, including Mr.. Daugherty,
who at that time was practicing attor-
sney and was not in the political limeliaht
Whether or not Mr.. Morse should have
been pardoned we do not know, but every
body must admit that throwing mud at
Mr.. Daugherty for his connection with
this matter is in effect throwing mud at
all the other men whom we have men,
toned. All this talk about Mr.. Daugh-
erty's connection with the Morse pardon
case is shallow persiflage.
The implication that Mr.. DauGherty
and the present administration have done
little or nothing towards prosecuting
those who have defrauded the govern
ment is worse than persiflage. 1t is
mjsstatement. Here are the facts. The
present administration was not two
months old when an earnest investiga-
tion was undertaken to dig out the facts,
if any, on which prosecutions could be
properly based. An audit OF accounts
was undertaken, and, as the journal
stated last week, the government has
already recovered more than forty-hve
million dollars of over charges. Hun
,d~eds of other cases have been made
ready for prosecution and are to be Wig
,rausly pressed. Those who are &C
"a tainted with the facts and have con-
adhered than fairly know that the De-
partment of Justice is moving as rapidly
and actively as possible. 1t is the peanut
politician who is making all the clamor.
Owing to conditions for which the res
emit Department of Justice is in no way
comparatively few cases OF
imposition upon the government by the
can be punished by process OF
law. An official published list OF about
800 contracts. involving the payment OF
more than $500, OOO, 600, shows that these
contracts were executed, for the govern
.nent, by eleven agents and these agents
1nost of them, were captains or lieuten-
q nts in the air service. Many OF these
contracts were of the cost plus variety
and more of them were 80 loosely or care
lessly drawn under the terms OF the con
tracts as specified, that the government
could be, and was, robbed legally %. The
,est plus system was license to proh-
sear and the loosely drawn contracts gave
Ar opportunity to sand bag the taxpaylng
arbIic. However hard Mr.. Dauaherty