Evening star., 1924-06-22

in the same period of time. l don't
believe you can pick flaws there, and
I am not speaking as a Democrat"
Rather significant, that last phrase
particularly as he is now the nom
publican ticket
Pleading that the Army and it's Of
hcers be protected from ''muckrakers
who pick fyspecks," Gen. Dawes, who
insisted, by the way. that he BE-
called mister and not general, since
he was now out of the Army, said:
Look at the pin-head politicians
who are raising hell about the promo
tions for men who earned them in
France. They are doing that for petty
reasons It's a dirty shame. 1 wasn't
in the Regular Army, but I can be
fair"
Praised Gen. PershinE.
Gen. Dawes gave Gen Per-
shing nigh praise as commander of
the A. E. F. He said it would be
twenty-five or fifty years before Gen.
Pershing was given his right place
in history. He could not have won
the war" said Gen. Dawes, '1f he
had placed popularity above duty
Gen. Dawes was called by Dem
ocratic members of the investigating
committee-the House was at the
time in control of the Republicans
to refute charges to waste and ex
travagance, and to testify particularly
with reference to the liquidation of
American accounts in France and the
sale of surplus war material TO the
French. One of his Questioners,
Representative Bland of Indiana, Re
publican. suggested that the surplus
food and clothing might have brought
more than the s4oo,0o0,000 paid by
France. Gen. Dawes replied emphat
icaly:
TT is just that sort of fool argu-
ment that forced Great Britain to
hold on to its stock and attempt TO
drive a hard bargain. The stuff IS
there today rottin. England lost
billions of dollars listening to that
sort of talk, listening to a lot OF
people who were afraid OF muck
rakers at home. They are raising the
devil in England now because Eng
land did not sell its supplies when we
sold"
Continuing, he said:
I'VE cleaned the slate, and Congress
today still has claims pending that
date back to the revolutionary war.
1t is a big job and we are proud of
it."
Necessity of Qujck Action
Here is what Gen. Dawes had 10
say about the necessity of quick ac
ton and lack of time to haggle over
prices of materials needed during the
war:
Sure. we paid. We didn't stop to
dicker. Why, man alive, We had
to win the war. 1t was mans Job.
We would have paid horse prices for
sheep if the sheep could have pulled
artillery to the front The man like
Johnson there Che pointed to Repre-
sentative Royal c. Johnson of South
Dakota, a veteran of the war. and was
chairman of the subcommittee con-
Quoting the hearing) was standing at
the front to be shot at We had to ges
him food and ammunition. on, II ;
alright now to say we bought TOO
much vinegar and too many cold
chisels. but we saved the civilization
of the world.
At anoter point in his testimony
Cen Dawes came to the defense of
England and attacked the politicians
again.
'I am no more ashamed TO stand
up here for England than for the
United States. 1t seems to be fash
ionable in American politics to attack
England. 1 am not in politics and
am not going to be. And thank God
that in a crisis like we had there
were no chickering's between the Eng
lish speaking people
Gen. Dawes paid his respects also
TO some members of the diplomatic
CORPS. scoring the system of making
appointments through political pull.
He said:
THE diplomatic system Of appoint
ing men with pink tea experience in
war time was a rotten failure. Sharp
was all right (referring to the am
bassador to France) when the rest of
them were utter failures. 1t was all
due to the appointment of society
men-pink tea fellows. Why, We
couldn't get anywhere. We had
George McFadden over there and he
did in three days what the diplomats
couldn't do in three months.
How Surplus Was Sold.
Discussing akain the sale of sur.
plus war material in France against
which there have been criticisms. Gen.
Dawes said:
Now here is how we sold it: Mem
bers of our commission. including
Judge Parker. sat down at table
with the French. We laid our cards
down. I told our friends that soms
of US had suggested different prices
That this bird Parker was a hard.
boiled egg and was standing out for
$3.50. 100000. I said l thought $780,
100000 was fair and we traded"
Over the question of distinguished
service medals Gen. Dawes broke
loose again with considerable vigor.
1T was the greatest mistake OF the
war and it played hell with the serv-
ice,'' he shouted. You opened Pan
dora's box and satisfied nobody 1t
was a new toy and the man wearing
one on his chest wanted to lord it
over some poor devil who deserved it.
but who was not eligible because Con-
gress limited the award to men in
high positions of responsibility"
Gen. Dawes said he didn't believe
a damn word" Of charges that Gen.
Pershing permitted unnecessary loss
of life after the armistice. He de-
nnunced the War Dsnartment ren-r