Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-06-29

orators who 'conscientiously refuse to
lower prices because they would be
fracturing the Sherman law. How the
prices reached their altitude IL not
known. They perhaps sprouted wings
and SCARED because we now know that
no reputable coal operator would risk
Earring the Sherman law particle by
combining for the purpose of putting
up the price Of their product. Not on
your life.
THOSE LINN COUNTY CASES.
Mount Vernon Record.l
From later reports it seems that not
only were the cases against Jirka and
the girls dropped by County Attorney
Lockwood. but that on account of their
being dropped the damage suits, filed
~ the girls some time ago against the
Cedar Rapids daily papers were also
dropped. Will someone please explain
just wherein the county attorney and
the county are interested in any libel
suits these girls, or any other girls
bring against any paper in Linn coun-
ty? This is an interesting question.
and leads to much speculation. For
instance. 1t leads to the question, were
these suits against Jirka and the girls
brought in good faith, or were they
brought for the purpose of developing
evidence against the girls that could
be used, If not in forcing them to drop
the damage suits then in defense for
the papers? 1t has been common talk
that this was the object of the suits
for months. In the meantime the coun-
ty has been obliged to dig UP five or
six thousand dollars or SO. So far as
the Record is concerned it does not
believe hat County Attorney Lock-
wood had planned these suits for any
such purpose, but it seems very evil
dent that he has been in bad company.
SUMMER COAL AT WINTER PRICE.
davenport Democrat
Fill the coal bins, says the Greater
Iowa Committee; it finds that there
may be more demand for coal next
fall and winter than the mines and
railroads can handle.
But the people who must pay the
coal bills want some information as
to who gets the so per cent increase in
the price of coal over what they would
have had to pay year ago. They
find that coal with which they could
fiji their bins year ago at $3.50 ton.
costs s, now. No one seems willing to
say who is getting that $3.50. And peo-
pie who are paying similar advances on
everything else they eat or use, are
convinced that someone is making an
unfair profit off their necessities.
Secretary Lane spoke for them eff
fectively as usual when he talked to
the coal men at Washington Tuesday.
He left 1t to them whether they were
men of vision, whether they were
small or big. The country wants a
large policy from large men, he de-
clared. Men who are big enough to
head the coal business and operate
mines. he held. ought TO be large men.
They ought to be above petty prof
iteeNng. If it proved that they were
not, he uttered the plain warning that
is also written all over the face of the
times, that the government will fix
the price of coal If it does not also
take over and operate the mines.
The local situation resulted in a
some time ago, TO start a
coal yard movement
which any people were in sympathy
with even II they had their doubts
about the success which would attend
the attempt. They knew that the dis
tress Of the average householder as
he digs down to pay for storing next
winters coal. Is real and genuine. 1t
deserves serious consideration, and If
it does not receive it from the coal
operators, who are apparently the only
men who can relieve the situation.
we may expect the government to step
in and give the overwhelmed consum
er some relief