The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-10-04
BY HARRY CANNES

ander of Russia stalked into the room
of He'll an Maria Dawes, seeking
counsel. From far-off Russia, the
grand duke had received disquieting
news. The Bolsheviks were exhibit
ing unexpected vigor, and chung to
political power. The European pow
ers were struggling with their own
working class, and, Alexander, grown
frantic, sought advice of the strong
man from America who had the repu-
tation of doing job in a thorough
going and ruthless manner. The duke
had been informed by his reactionary
coterie that Brigadier-gener Charles
Gates Dawes would be the right man
to appeal to for help in the fight
against the chain-free Russian work
ing class
For hours the grand duke opened
his heart to He'll an Maria. Dawes
tells about this himself. Nor did the
clustering former ward politician,
shady banker and tinsel-braided sol
der listen with unresponsive ear to
the czarist tale of woe. What Dawes
promised the duke no record exists to
testify. We have but Dawes own i'm
preston of the white-guard: ALEX
ander is in a position to know what
he is talking about, and tonight being
in distress of mind about the Crimea
where the Bolseyists are advancing,
and where a number of his children
are living still, he opened his heart
fully to me. He is. -. extreme
ly likeable. would trust him as a
man."
Turnout his life Dawes had attract
ed to himself the pettiest of reactiona-
ries as surely as putrid, dead body
attracts maggots. 1t was through no
accident that the shyster lawyer,
small bank and gas-corporation organ
izer of Lincoln, Nebraska, rose to the
position of republican vice-presiden-
tial nominee. His entire life was a
training for the qualifications of that
position.
The Mckinley presidential cam
paign of 1896 promised to be stiff
fight. All the political generalship
that Mark Hanna could muster was
necessary; and Illinois looked like a
weak state for Mckinley. William
Lorimer, who was then at the head
of the republican political machine
in Illinois, was not entrusted with the
job, even though he had the qualifica-
ton, so dear to the heart of Mark
Hanna, of being the crookedest poll
tician in the state Even the Chicago
Tribune, which today is one of the
firmest supporters of Dawes, could
not swallow the open, wholesale graft
of the Lorimer machine; and Dawes
was put at the head of the Mckinley
campaign in Illinois to work hand and
glove with Lorimer.
Thanks to Marx Hanna's genius and
the unceasing flow Of gold from Wall
Street, Mckinley got the presidency,
and for his pains in the affair, Dawes
became comptroller of the currency,
which job he held from 1897 to 1902.
Previously, Dawes only claim to
distinction were that his father had
fought with the Wisconsin volunteers
In the Civil War; that distant an
cestor had accompanied Paul Revere
in his famous midnight ride; that he
was born in Marietta, Ohio in 1865;
studied law and engineering, and in
cessantly smoked pipe while in
France he changed to cigars.
When Dawes quit his government
Job in 1902, he founded the Central
Trust Company Of Illinois, whose
board chairman he is today. In those
days it was fashionable for politicians
to organize banks OF become interest
ed In the directing Of banking insti-
tutions. William Lorimer, Dawes
old-time political bed-mate, became
heavily interested in the LaSalle
State Bank, organized by G. B. Nun
day. The LaSafie State Bank became
involved in a huge swindling scheme
which later wrecked the bank losing
millions of dollars. Lorimer and Nun
dav were indicted for defrauding the