The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1911-08-17

| would mean his murder by the Rus
sian authorities. He is of the same
class of refugees as are Christian
Rudowitz and Jan Pouren, both OF
whom were granted their liberty here
against the demands of Russia"
DEMOCRATS TAPPING
THE TREASURY,
Down in Alabama, a corporation
| wants the Government to build a dam
on the Black Warrior River so that
1t would be able to use the power to
produce electricity at low price 1t
also happens that Oscar Underwood,
the leader of the House Democrats,
also comes from Alabama
These two facts should be noted.
The other day Representative
Sparkman, chairman of the Commit
tee on Rivers and Harbors, brought
up bill to appropriate So, 2S5,6SS
to Improve the Black Warrior
River joke in that bill provided
that the water power be leased to
the Birmingham Water. Light &
Power Co. for a period of fifty years
Talk about the Guggenheims,, the
"honest Southern Democrats can give
them cards and spades on selling out
the rights of posterity. A fifty
years franchise is going some"
to use the slang.
Now, that is not all The corpora
tion is to pay the government only
81 per horsepower per annum. The
company expects $4,000 horsepower
out of the dam and intends to sell
the same at the rate of $50 per horse
power.
To cover up their tracks, the Ala
bama Congressman argue that the
dam ought to be built SO that the
river might be used for navigation.
But the fact is that even when the
river is improved" it would be nav
igable for only 80 miles and then on
ly at a siN-foot depth. Besides rail
road could be built for less money
that is required to build that dam.
That Underwood is the man back
of this bill is evident that the meas
ure came up during the extra session
and reported favorably by a Demo-
cratic committee. But it is likely
that the bill will be held back for
the present as the Republicans do
not intend to let the Alabama bill
pass without making some political
capital out of it. The Democrats will
wait until a. favorable opportunity
presents itself to railroad" it
through.
BY the way, the Democrats say
that the extra session dan not con-
slider labor legislation because it is
tariff session. But stealing nearly
three million dollars for private
corporation and it's hirelings is "al-
ways in order
Can Socialist be Citizen!
Is belief in Socialism as bar to
citizenship?
Berger wants Secretary NageI to
pass on that question. In a letter to
the head of the Department of Com
merce and Labor Berger has submit
ted the case of DR.. Barkman, of Ray
mond. Wash. who had been denied
citizenship because of his belief in
the Socialist philosophy.
DR.. Brakman was denied his nat
uraliZation papers by judge who
told him that Socialism was anarch-
ism and would not give him a
chance to show that he was wrong.
The judge seemed to have been ignor-
ant as we'll as prejudiced against So
cialists.
Trusts Uses Socialist Argument
George w. Perkins. of the Steel
Trust is using the Socialist arguments
against competition. He points out
that we must follow Industrial evolu-
tion. However. he is evidently of the
opinion that evolution will stop after
| all industries are trustified Because
otherwise he would admit belief in
Socialism. He said:
! During the last quarter of a cen
| fury inventors have wrough nigh,
| revolution in the machinery and the
| methods by which business is tran.
sacted. No revolution at arms ever
wrought more radical changes. How
| long is it going to take us to wake
! up to this fact and govern ourselves
| accordin gly.
=, The wealth of a na+inn cannot he