The daily sentinel., 1914-01-20
TRUST IN STATE MORE TO Be
FEARED THAN UNCLE SAM-..KEAT|NG

NOW, II Is estimated tnat 90 sOOv
men and women die in this country
every year of cancer, and Secretary
Lane propounded this query to con-
gress and the country:
Why not use American radium to
cure Americans? Why not place n
few men who monopolize our radium
deposits in a position where they
may pay us the outrageous price We
demand for this life-saving element
or we will ship IL to Europe'?''
He contended that the known de-
posits were already controlled by
three or four concerns and that there
was grave danger that they would
absorb all the other deposits as rap
idly as they could locate them
through the small army of prospec-
tors which they had placed in the
field.
Not Fighting Development.
Il am not attempting to check the
development OF Colorado's caruotite
and pitchblende deposits" the sec
retary assured me the other day. 81
am fighting the possible monopoliza-
tion of those deposits. | want them
developed to their fullest extent, but
that can not be brought about
through private monopoly. In con-
hhl1 ploblNh WI AiiSl oukg
is to endeayor to save the lives of
some OF the $1,000 men and women
who succumb every year to this
dreadful disease"
And the secretary is right. We
must not permit the formation or a
radium trust based on possession OF
the carnotite and pitchblende depo-
sits of Colorado and Utah. We OF
the west have had some bitter eXpsr-
iences with the smelter trust, which
mas done more than any other single
influence to depress our mining in
dustry. But We have had equally
bitter experiences with the forestry
service which has driven our pros
pectors-or, at least, large per
centage of them-out OF our noun
tains.
So the problem We are called upon
to solve is:
How can We insure the full and
prompt development of these radium
bearing deposits and at the same time
safeguard them against the greed of
monopoly or the paralysis OF bureau
cratic red tape?"
As pen these lines Secretary Lane
the members of the committee on
mines and mining of the house and
the members of the Colorado delega-
ton are earnestly seeking the ans
wer. For the sake of suffering hu
manity. hope God will give US light
to see the way.
Prison for Monopolists.
President Wilson has outlined his
antitrust program, and as | predict
ed in these letters It does not reveal
any disposition to "wobble. Tho
president has a delightful way of 60
ing to the heart of subject-hit-
ting the bulls eye, as 1t were. He
does this in dealing with the trust
problem by suggesting that guilt is
always personal"
| This means that after this demo-
cratic congress has amended the
sherman antitrust law. the monopo-
| lists who break the law will at the
same time break into Jail.
Heretofore, the soulless corpora
ton was held responsible for infrac-
tions of this statute. or course, you
could not send a corporation to jail.
All YOU could do was to fine it, and
then the corporation tackled the
amount of the fine onto the price OF
its product and Jones paid the
freight"
This was a very nice arrangement
for the corporation and very silly
arrangement from the point OF view
of those who wanted to see the law
enforced. The president believes
that we should not waste time on
the corporations but jAl the men
who run the corporations.
Postoffice Growth.
At last Uncle Sans postoffice de-
partment is making money. Chair
man Moon of the house committee on
postoffices and post roads in present
ing the annual appropriation bill the
other day said that the surplus last
year amounted to S3.S00.000. He
predicted that in less than 20 years
the government would be eXpending
$500. 100000 a year on this depart
ment. and that the surplus would
tctal S50,000,00O.
These figures are very gratifying.
but ! do not believe the American
people regard the postoffice depart
ment as a money-making concern.
They would like to see 1t pay its way.
and, OF course, they demand that It's
affairs be economically administered.
But they are willing to see the sur
plus devoted to extending and per-
fecting the service. There is plenty
of room for improvement. The parcel
post must be paid on its feet: the de-
partment should take over the tele
phone and telegraph lines, and the
100000 who are without free de-
livery should be brought into more
intimate relationship with the out
side world.