PaRTISAN INVESTIGATIONS.
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t is this shining record of tremendous achieve-ment that Republican managers and the ChicagoPlatform seek to shame and besmirch. VariousCongressional committees, which for want of amore appropriate term, are called “smelling com-mittees” (Laughter) were appointed for the pur- 13 pose of ascertaining whether or not there was anygraft in the conduct of the Great War. Overeighty investigations have been made, over twomillion dollars have been wasted, and the one re-sult has been to prove that it was the cleanestwar ever fought in the history of civilization.(Applause) Through the hands of a Democratic Adminis-tration, there have passed more than forty bil-lions of dollars, and the finger of scorn does notpoint to one single Democratic official in allAmerica. (Applause) It is a record never be-fore made by any political party in any countrythat ever conducted a war. (Applause) If Republican leaders are not able to rejoicewith us in this American triumph, they shouldhave the grace to remain silent, for it does notlie in the mouths of those who conducted theSpanish American War to indulge in the luxuryof criticism. (Applause) What was there inthis war to compare with the typhoid infestedcamps and the paper soled shoe controversy of1898? What was there in this war to compare tothe embalmed beef scandal (Applause) of theSpanish-American War? Despite all their in-vestigations, not one single Democratic officialhas either been indicted or accused or even sus- 14 pected; and the only dignitary in America, ofany outstanding political significance who hasexperienced unpleasant contact with the publicstatutes, is Truman Newberry, of Michigan.(A pplause, loud and continued). The very power of the Republican Party toconduct a partisan investigation of the war, tocriticise the President, to control the organiza-tion of the Senate and to wreck the prospect ofworld peace, rests upon a bare majority of one,secured through the tainted senatorial vote fromMichigan. (Applause) The Republican Party became so fixed in itsincorrigible habit of conducting investigationsthat it finally turned to the fruitful task of in-vestigating itself. (Applause and laughter)For the first time since they entered upon thisprogram, they discovered fraud and graft andgross and inexcusable expenditures. The reve-lations disclose the fact, long understood by theinitiated, that the meeting at Chicago was nota convention but an auction. (Applause andlaughter) The highest bidder, however, did notget the prize. The publicity which overtook theproceedings frustrated the initial purpose.(Laughter) In more senses than one, the recentChicago Convention has left the Democratic 15
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