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Show OMES SWEARS j LIKE TROOPER I IN TESTIFYING "We Didn't Go to War to Steal Money," Chicago Banker Tells Committee PLENTY OF GRAFTERS BEHIND ARMY. HE AVERS Thanks God the Army Was( American. Not Republican or Democratic WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 Turning sharply upon house war Investigating Investigat-ing committees as a whole, Charles G i Dawes, former head of the army supply sup-ply procurement service In F ranee, told one of them today that the value of their work had been rendered use-loss use-loss through Injection of partisan pol-, l ties, '! bitterly resent this effort to re- fleet, upon the entire army because s ine poor devil blundered In Switzerland," Switzer-land," he shouted. "You cannot put . a blotch on the army. What the belli did we go in for to steal money? lt was not a Republican or a Democratic war. it was tin American war and yet OS a rule these committees try to bring In partisan politics. lilst.P. M i l I I M 1 "You could use your time Investigating Investi-gating to a better advantage right hero trying to save disgraceful government govern-ment waste. You could save more money for the people, But as to France you haven't got evidence to make a case if one existed and I don't believe t iU "1 am not here to make . barges that would blacken the name ,,f a s,,i-clier s,,i-clier who can not corfi" m to be heard." Asked about grafters who followed the American army to Franc, Ceneral 1 a wes said I'LIM oi RAJFTKRS. Yes, they wer there, some of the lapst despicable characters on earth, trying to help the army by selling It things It needed at exorbitant figures: TIkt. was o:o man w. . aught and deported de-ported What s his name " Oh what's the use. 1 am not a muckraker. He was a traitor and 1 wish we could have shot him." There were many women at the hearing, but it didn't fease the general, gen-eral, who swore constantly. "Long after this committee is dead and gone, the achievements of the American army will stand us an ever-) ever-) -sting blaze of glory." he declared. "You have tried to make a mountain out of a mole hill, but thank God the army was American, not Republican nor Democratic." I I 8 Ls MH n Asserting that the people were tired of war talk and fault finding. General Gen-eral Dawes, banging the table, said: "There's no news in it If I wasn't here strutting around and sweating i hero would bo no news In this.'1 Mr Dawes pipped out a streak of oaths as he took up Ihe attempt In some quarters to criticize General Pershing "It will bo 25 or 50 years before Pershing's place In history is fixed." he said. "He could not have won I ho w ar had he sought to put popularity popular-ity above duty. And let me tell you the doughboys now complaining will live to see the day when they will bo proud that they fought under him. ' Declaring authority and responsibility responsi-bility in the army should be centralized central-ized in peace times as well as In wartimes. war-times. General Dawes said the Ajner-lean Ajner-lean army was "deteriorating again Into a bureaucracy Which is bound to prove Inefficient." P1NIJHE l POL1 l i I s "Eook at the pinhead politicians who are raising hell about promotions for men who earned them In France." he exclaimed. "They're doing It for petty reasons. It's a dirty shame. I wasn't in the rogular army, but 1 can be fair " The committee was told the "next war" would "break out overnight" and tho army add navy probably would get into a row as to which was to boss the affair. Generl Dawes declared the Fnited States aviation program had been "a terrible failure." largely because of "overconf idence and Inexperience." "Even If we didn't have tho planes, wo had tho aviators the best in the world." he added. |
