Evening star., 1924-02-01
SCORES DEMOCRAT
WAREXPEND|TURES
G. o. P. Official Answers Hull
Teapot Dome Comment by
Recalling Waste.

George B. Lockwood, secretary of
the republican national committee,
who is also editor Of the National
Republican. regarded as the unofficial
organ of the committee, in an edi-
torial in the current issue Of his
newspaper attacked the record of
the Wilson administration in the con-
duct of the war. The article was in
reply to recent comment of Chairman
Hull of the democratic national COM
mittee on the oil lease disclosures.
Chairman Hull" the statement
lays. has issued a pronunciamento
in which he attempts to give the
color of partisan politics to the dis
closures in the Fall case. Secretary
Fall is republican, it is true: he is
former member of the Harding ad-
min iStration.
! MIR. Doheny is one of the nations
most distinguished democrats. He
was I member Of the platform COM
mittee of the last democratic national
convention; he made a speech in the
fore the convention for the vice presi-
Dental nomination by the California
delegation.
'Mr. Doheny was the largest con-
campaign fund in 1916: he have gem
erously, it is said, to the democratic
campaign fund of 1920. 1t was at
Mr.. Doheny's instance that the late
Secretary of Interior Lane. who had
passed upon oil leases in which Mr..
Doheny was interested under the
Wilson administration. retired to ac
eept employment with Mr.. Doheny at
a salary of $4,000 a year.
"Other important officials of the
Wilson administration took employ
ment with Mr.. Doheny at fabulous
salaries.
The less said about partisan poll
tics in this connection perhaps, the
better; it is not matter of partisan
politics. but of personal and official
wrongdoing for which no party can
be held responsible unless 1t con-
dones the crime and fails to prosecute
republican national administration
has made itself clear: it will go to
the bottom of the matter and prose-
cute any one found criminally liable.
Mr.. Lockwood continued that when
the shameful facts as to the weak
ness of our war management, under
which wholesale crookedness ran
rampant, became known" President
Wilson attempted to drive out of the
democratic party those who pro-
tested.
Lists War Purchases.
Contrast this with the action of
President Coolidge" he said, who,
Immediately the facts came to light,
announced his purpose to prosecute
every wrongtioing vigorously with
the ableSt counsel it is possible for
the government to employ. represent
ing both of the great political par
ties"
Chairman Hull having invited at
tention. MIR. Lockwood said. to the
"unblemished record of honest and
faithful service" under democratic
rule, it would be in order to recite
Just a few of the high spots of the
last Wilson administration Some
of those listed We're as follows:
Bought 41,000.000 pairs of shoes
for 3.500,000 soldiers.
Bought 149.456.611 bread cans. or
forty-two for every man under arms.
paid out s4S4.425,566 on claims
presented after the war, many of
them without a contract.
spent 100000 for coke ovens that
produced no coke: $4,000, 900 on pic
ric acid plants that produced no acid:
S121. .661 900 on terminals and docks
at which no ship ever tied up; S116.-
100000 on poison-ga plants that fur
nished gas: $4,000, ,000,0o on ships which
took no part in winning the war.
Loans Lack Evidence.
ELEVEN billion dollars loan to for
eign nations without evidence of in
debtedness, making collectinos i'm
possible except by negotiation.
purchased $4,000 saddles, 1000, 900
sets of double harness, 1,14S.000 horse
covers, 2,S5O.000 halters for the 391 900
horses and mules used in the Army:
purchased $4,000 copper-tipped
branding irons to brand the govern
ment's $1,000 horses and mules;
bought s2l000.000 of ambulance har-
ness when our ambulanceS were mo-
torized.
Spent s2O6632 e2o. for sixteen ma
tional army cantonments, built by the
cost-plus system, which could have
been built for S12S.101, ,399; spent
$1,000, 100000 for camps and canton
ments in which the conServatively
estimated waste and graft was $780,
900, 900; $60,000,000 to built a powder
plant at Nitro, w. Va, which never
produced a pound of powder: $90,-
100000 in constructing and operating
which produced no powder that could
on nitrate plants at Sheffield. Ala:
Muscle Shoals, Ala: Toledo, Ohio, and
Cincinnati, Ohio, which did not pro-
duce a pound Of nitrates during the
war.
spent to the date of the arrnistice
s1,051 100000 for aircraft construc-
tion without producing a fighting
plane; spent s1,191, 900 for artillery,
with the result that 1873 American
made guns were on the firing line