Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-03-08
Hope For the Future.

/ seek in nowise to minimize the
inquiries that have been ordered. They
may agreeably surprise us all and &C
tually bring facts to light Legislative
investigations are under just suspicion
in this country, however. and these
present ones will receive public corr
mendation only when they earn it Let
US suppose that they will carr it and
so not diScredit them in advance. Let
Us have faith that they will not waste
the public money in mere futility or IL
downright efforts to comfort or conceal
the truth. But in the meantime let US
seek the facts ourselves and accept no
sophtstries or excuses as to the logical
conclusions deducible from the facts
we find.
Already the secretary of agriculture
has carried on an inquiry into high
prices and has come to the conclusion
that the food Trusts &re chiefly re-
sponsible. The District of Colun.,ia
committee has looked into the cold
storage question and has brought out
some rather suggestive testimony
about overripe eggs and putrid meat
The house Of representatives, is con
templating an inquiry by the ways
and means committee and the senate
by a select committee headed by Sena-
tor Lodge. 1t was this committee
that was charged by Senator Elkins,
the author OF the resolution which
gave 1t existence. with being q frame
up to shield the tariff
Hard on the heels of the high prices
inquiries comes the prosecution of the
beef trust. In Chicago the federal
grand jury is investigating. and in
New Jersey indictments have been
brought, but the meat barons have
cOntemptuOusIy defed notices to APP
pear.
In New York city and New Jersey
has been carried on an inquiry into
the milk trust that has resulted in sew
eral indictments. In New York state
Governor Hughes has ordered an in
veStigation of the purchase Of forest
reserves, concerning which there has
been some scandal in the public press.
Possible Wall Street Probe.
Following the collapse of the Hook
ing pool in Wall street, the Stock Elk
change has carried on an investigation
of it's own and has suspended two bro
pool, has been questioned, but could
not remember anything and left the
impression that his office boy was to
blame.
Wall street inquiry by the New
York state legislature is possible. At
least Assemblyman Frederick r.
TOombs has introduced a resolution
to that effect.
As to the Ballinger- Pinchot investi-
cation, the committee has already
been in session several weeks and is
hardly through with the examination
OF one witness, /. r. CLAWS Perhaps
the most sensational testimony given
by CLAWS was that the Cunningham
interests had kept James r. Garfield
out of the Taft cabinet.
One interesting and unexpected side
light on the Alaskan coal claims.
around which much Of the BaIhnger-
Pinchot controversy has ragged, was
furnished by two agents of the Nor
gan-Guggenheim syndicate in their
testimony before the senate committee
on territories. This evidence clearly
established the facts that a trust ex-
lists, that ]. z. Morgan is connected
with it, that there are 100000 tons
Of coal in the trusts Alaskan mines
and that the entire Boring river coal
district contains 5O0.OOO,OOO tons with
a net value OF S200.O0oOOO and a gross
value of $500, 100000.
Let the investigations go on. The
people cannot kuoV too much about
how their business f~ssesS,- conducted.
And now that the inquirieS have start
ed let those in charge be given to IN
derstRnd that the American people
will be satisfied with nothing less than
the whole truth.