The Gem worker and the Idaho labor herald. (Boise, Idaho) 1914-1917, 1916-05-11
CONTROLS CONGRESS
Special Interests Secure Valuable Concessions
From Nations Law Makers

= he pubic landS cOmHlttee ol thc
Senate has taken a fairly good land
leasing bill that passed the House and
made it about as bad bill as any
public plunderer would want. The
committee struck out all provision as
to the proper leasing or the proper
other development of coal lands, leav-
| ing coal land monopolies secure from
competition or free to grab some
more under old imperfect laws when
the public had its back turned AS to
oil lands it put in a lot of jokers in
the shape of references to old forgot
ten statutes and practically waived
all right OF the public to the lawfully
remaining oil lands of the public do
main-con6rming old grants to pri-
vate grabbers that would otherwise
be illegal.
Just to show that it knew what it
was doing, this same public lands
committee of the Senate recommend
ed the passage of a bill, introduced
by the chairman of the committee,
Senator Myers of Montana, which if
it is enacted will grant to a private
corporation, the Republic Coal Com
pany, a subsidiary to the Chicago,
Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway COM
pany, more than 1000 acres of coal
land in the state OF Montana but be-
longing to all the people OF the Unit
ed States, which is officially estimated
to contain ten million tons of higl
grade coal, worth about thirty million
dollars. The bill would give it all
away for about $4,000!
That coal grab has been beaten
twice-in two Congresses. But see
the persistency with which the plum
derers return to the attack. They think
they know this Congress.
The Water Power on Public Lands
Bill has also been changed in the Sen
ate public lands committee from The
mildly respectable bill that the Hous,
passed into a bill that is almost a.
bad as the Shields Bill, the latter re
ferrine only to the water power o
navigable rivers.
A fake Rural Credits Bill has beer
! approved by the Senate Committe
on Banks and Banking, while th
e House Committee on Banks an,
/ Banking has made up its mind ais
to approve it, although the Hous
committee has not yet made its re
= ports. This misconceived Rural Cred
S its legislation is all in the interes
t OF bankers and investors and a
r against the farmers and others VIII
e need credit 1t puts on the back c
F. Labor another enormous bankers
r trust and an enormously expensiy
i governmental machinery to help kee
= borrower from getting money Z
e reasonable interest. 1t stands in til
i way of really good rural credits les
{, islation.
i Along this same line, the House ,
L Representatives voted down, by
i vote of ten to one, a few weeks ag
d the proposition of Representa-,
= Howard of Georgia to increase Il
n amounts that can be deposited in po
d tai savings banks and to increase Il
lie usefulness of those absolutely sa
st depositaries OF the wage-earneI
S, money. The banks did not want Il
a competition of the postal savin
~ banks. And so the House OF Repr
v sentatives did not want it either.
Id These are only the most glaring
stances of what the powerful pri'
at legged interests are doing with II
r Congress.
re Now LET labor watch where the
lie men of the senate and house pr
pose to lay the taxes-the burden
t. paying for preparedness" for war
of it Is forced, and for the ways of pea
;ir in government,
nd Watch how these interests that 2
lie using Congress for their grabs
.er public wealth will use Congress,
ai- you let them, to place more taxes
at labor and to dodge rightful incol
es, taxes, inheritance taxes. taxes on
nd profits and taxes on privately moh'
IS: oIized social values.