Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1924-06-26
BRIG GEN'L. CHARLES G DAWES

publican ticket, is not what on,
would call profane man. Tn,
nickname, Hell and Maria cam,
from Dawes using this expression
when he appeared before Congress
sionai Investigating Committee which
was trying to ascertain whether GER
tain Army expenditures mad Deer
regular or not. Dawes, noting thai
something out Of ordinary had to be
done to arouse some of the commit
tee and the press to the fact that the
waste Of government money was GO
ing on every day, adopted heroic
measures \nd shouted, He'll and
Maria, il you men would spend more
time trying to stem the millions of
waste going on under your noses, in
stead OF looking for flaws in the bril-
liant record of the Army, We would
have Hell and Maria" of lot bet
ter Government" The newspaper
men seeing a committee being told
the truth in most emphatic manner
about the waste of the peoples money
seized upon his " He'll and Mark"
exclamation as good point on
which to hang news story and
this secured for Dawes the attention
of the citizens of the nation. The
explosion awakened the people and
they sided with Dawes in his demand
to stop the waste. This "cuss" word
undoubtedly was the cause of the
saving of millions of dollars.
Dawes career has been a most in
teresting one. He was born in Ohio
in 1865. His father was General
Rufus r. Dawes, Commander of the
famous Iron Brigade of Wisconsin.
Charley" Dawes worked during his
college years as chief engineer on
small railroad in Ohio He gradu-
the age of 81. In 1887 he moved TO
Lincoln, Nebraska. A great stream
of clients did not come hurrying to
the door of his office and odd jobs
of engineering during the intervals
of clients afforded him money on
which to live. The majority of his
meals were eaten at a 15c lunch
counter conducted by a man named
Dan Cameron, who catered to uni
yersity students and struggling
young business and professional men.
Here Dave met General John ].
Pershing, who had been sent as
'shave-tail' from West Point to
drill cadets of the Nebraska State
University. This friendship has
been further cemented as the years
have passed.
After building up a fair law prac-
tice, he moved to Wisconsin in 1894,
where he became President of the
La Crosse Gas Light Company, later
moving to Illinois. He was very
active in behalf of President Nc
Kinley during the campaign of 1896
and later became Comptroller of the
Currency under the Ohhio President.
In 1902 he organized the Central
Trust Company of Illinois and it was
largely through his personal efforts
that many farmers throughout the
middle and the Northwest were
helped through financial stringen-
cies. He served with distinction in
France as Chairman of the General
Purchasing Board and showed
Europe how American business men
can handle big things. He enlisted
in the Army. was made a Major of
Engineers and came out the service
a Brigadier General. In June, 1921.
General Dawes was named as Di-
rector of the Budget, accepting the
place with the understanding that he
could resign at the end of year.
His first year in office resulted in a
saving for the year 1922 of $1,000
100000 of the peoples money. Use
less expenditures were stopped super
fiuous clerks were let go, and some
heads Of Departments were publicly
taken to task for their slack coon
Grafton in behalf of economy in
government affairs. He headed
what is known as the Dawes Com
mittee OF experts to see if order
could not be brought out of econo-
mic chaos in Europe. His report
met with the favor of the German
people. 1t disclosed way by which
they could meet due obligations and
yet not be condemned to a life of
economic slavery. Strangely enough
the French did not look with dis
favor upon his plan in the industrial
world, it will be largely because of
the calm, sensible, business-like plan
worked out by Charles G. Dawes.
While Dawes is dynamic, hard-hit-
ting. and forceful to the extreme
there is an intensely human side to
his character. In memory of his.
son, Rufus, General Dawes erected
and operates the Rufus F. Dawes
Hotel for DeSitituta Men in Cbica 90