The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1917-07-13
SCORE ONE FOR
SECRETARY BAKER
UpSets the Fine Plans of Big
Coal Thieves.
1.-THE Public, New York.

rector Clifford of the Council of
National Defense takes it's place
as by far the most important
development of the week in the
domestic situation. Writing as
President of the Council, Mr..
Baker makes it clear that the
regularly constituted Admins
tration is to hold the reins with
a tight hand during the process
of industrial mobilization. In
repudiating an agreement on the
price of soft coal entered into
by four hundred operators with
the sanction of the Coal Produc-
tion Committee of the Advisory
Commission of the Council of
National Defense, Baker serves
notice that this committee and
the many other groups of bust
ness executives, now so active
at Washington under cover of
governmental authority, shall
not transcend their purely ad-
visory capacity-that it is for
the President and his regularly
constituted agents to make the
important decisions on which
the policy of the Government is
to rest. "As you are aware, J"
he writes to Mr.. Clifford, the
Federal Trade Commission has
been directed by the President
to ascertain for his information
the costs involved in coal pro
ductiOn. [ am to some extent
familiar with the progress made
by the commission. The infor-
nation | have from that and
other sources, | think justifies
me in believing that the price of
So, suggested or agreed on, as
maximum, is an EXORBITANT,
UNJUST AND OPPRESSIVE
PRICE.
Mr.. Bakers letter has sig
nifcance far beyond that of any
squabble over coal prices. 1t
clears the air at Washington
like a thunder-clap. Until the
day of it's publication, the vari-
Gus subcommittee working
under the Advisory Commission
of the Council of National De-
fense had been so many sacred
COWS" with respect to the atti
tude toward them Of CORE
spondents and minor govern
ment officials.
Secretary Lane of the Depart
ment of the Interior had partici-
pated actively in the conference
of coal operators whose action
Secretary Baker denounces. Sol
had Commissioner Fort of the
Trade Commission and Van H. |
Manning, director of the United
States Bureau of Mines. The
Official Bulletin, published by |
the Committee on Public Infor-
nation, had hailed the price
agreement as patriotic step, |
and had published Secretary
Lanes speech urging such ac-
tion in full. Mr.. Bernard Ba-
ruch, chairman of another i'm
portant committee on raw ma
terials, had issued statement
deploring any tendency to hag-
gle over prices at this time. Men
eminent in the financial and bust
ness world, giving their time
free to the Government, appar
emily carried things with a high
hand at Washington. And while
radicals watched with doubt
and alarm, the Administration
apparently welcomed this state
of affairs, was becoming the re
cipient of blessings from such
doutful sources as the Chair.
man of the Board of Directors
of the Steel Corporation, Presi-
dent Roster of the San Francis
co Chamber of Commerce, and
Mr.. E. T. Bedford of the Stand
ard Oil group.
That Secretary Baker should
have written his letter to Direc-
tor Clifford without the sanction
of the President is unthinkable,
1t amounts to a stinging rebukeI
of Secretary Lane and Commits