The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1922-05-19


ury on a scale SO gigantic as to b'
almost unbelievable"
! Watts said that he was required
by oath to protect the public interes
when it was assailed by crooks Of
! big and little degree and that he of
fered no apologies for having livet
up to his obligation.
! "The record is clear" he added
) "and will show that organized inter
ests are looting the government, anC
no man can charge me with breach
of trust so far as the interests OF
the people are concerned"
Why Watts Was Removed
The record seems to be perfectly
clear that Watts was not discharged
| for "disloyalty to the government, ,
but for "disloyalty to the service
He had talked to members of con,
gress and given them information
that placed the Department of Jus.
tice in an embarrassing situation. He
had revealed some facts of the stu.
pendous grating that was rife dur.
ing and since the war, and his promp
removal probably will be a warm
to other subordinates that it is the
wise course to keep a still tongue or
this taboo subject.
Watts offending was in giving
congressman Woodruff and John.
son evidence gathered by him tend.
ing to prove:
l. That hundreds of contractors
had overcharged the government, in
many instances getting away with
millions of dollars.
2. That army officers had as
| or in H.,
that many whose guilt could not be
service and promoted.
3. That in the sale of surplus
supplies after the war there is rea-
son to believe the governments
losses may be reckoned by hundreds
of millions. and that much of this is
directly traceable to army officers
who had charge of the transactions
A. That the facts proving these
statements have been turned ovel
to the Harding administration.
B. That up to date Daugherty has
done practically nothing to prosecute
the guilty.
An Old Tale
| The tale is an older one than il
seems, and there is much more back
of the dismissal than appears on the
surface.
Some understanding of Major
Watts real position may be haC
when it is recalled that he is the
man responsible for exposing the
abuses In connection with army sales
contracts. AS an army officer he
tried in the summer of 1919 to pre-.
vent huge quantities of harness
from being sold under special ar.
rangement at ridiculously low prices
to the United States Harness Co
| of West Virginia, group of former
army officers. under the gravest
suspicion of having conspired while
still in the service of the United
| States, to pave the way for indie
feasible contracts.
| Following his efforts to prevent
the making of the harness contract
Major Watts was discharged from
the army. Congressman Graham
and his subcommittee on war eX-
penditures took up Major Watts
charges and on evidence supplied by
him and discovered largely through
him they condemned the harness con-
tract and recommended cancella.
| ton. This action was followed some
time after by an effort from the
| Attorney Generals office to have the
War Department cancel the contract
Major Watts had meantime entered
the service of the Department OF
Justice
Finally. under pressure from Persi-
dent Harding himself. the harness
contract was cancelled by Secretary
Weeks. The company protested, and
the Department of Justice seemed
unable to force decisive action
against it. The case still hangs.
Major Watts was doubtless an
embarrassing person to have around
| a government department. He Of
fered absolute proof that the army
which can do no wrong. had been
at fault, and he persisted in piling
up evidence which the Department
of Justice could use for civil or GRIM
inal prosecutions. The Department of
Justice did not like him.
What Will Answer Be!
1t is an entirely fair statement
that whatever offense may be
charged up to Major Watts, he can
not be accused of having betrayed
the public. All his efforts were di-
rected against the enemies of the
government. He saved millions in
the harness deal alone. He has
gathered mass of evidence that
will enable the government to save
many additional millions. and per-
haps send the grafters and crooks
to Jail. That certainly ought to
have commended him to the attorney
general as the right sort of person to
have about, particularly if the aim
of the department is to see that
crime is punished.
Evidently not. however. Major
Watts was kicked out with as little
ceremony as would have been given
to servant who had run off with
the plate.
His disloyalty to the service the
average citizen will construe as dis
loyalty to the crooks and grafters
who have been holding high revel at
the expense of the public treasury.
If congress is worth it's salt it will
stand back of Major Watts and see
that he gets his vindication with the
public. 1t is plain that he does not
belong in the Department of Justice
and perhaps he would be unwilling
to return there. Two painful expert
ences such as he has suffered are
about sufficient for even two
listed fighter. But it will be little
less than a calamity. and a grave
breach of the American spirit of fair
play, if congress desists until it
has made full use of the information
he has gathered and lends it's efforts
to the work of falling crooks that
temporarily has been impeded.
When a man gets into a pickle he
seldom preserves his temper.