Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-03-08
TOO oNE-sIDED

lost his sense of humor. That is the
conclusion we prefer rather than that
he never possessed such a sense, for
if the latter were the case his own
performance in the ex-parte investi-
CATION of the packing industry would
force him to laugh at himself, just as
so many observers are laughing at
him. Indeed, it is to be feared that
his ridiculous unfairness and the atti-
tude of unfairness in which he is plac-
ing the federal trade commission will
defeat the aim of the investigation
and blind the public to the few really
valuable facts he has disclosed with
regard to the conduct of the industry.
Yesterday Mr.. Heney waxed indig.
nant and eloquent in declaring that the
five big packers whose businesses
center in Chicago ARE flooding the
country with propaganda matter seek
ing to discredit this investigation"
He introduced letters taken from
the packing companies files, indicat-
ing that they had considered joint
publicity campaign to tell their side
of the story, and that they had reject.
ed the plan finally because it would
have been a confession that they
were acting in combination.
Every line of business, wholesale,
retail and manufacturing, has it's asso-
Citations, and it is not to be wondered
at that the men engaged in
the packing industry should rec
ognize their community of in
ers of shoes, the coal operators, the
retail grocers, the lumber dealers and
the individuals engaged in hundreds
of other lines of trade or industry.
They share the cost of publicity cam
paigns, and, often, of legislative cam
paigns. The fact is Of common know
ledge and is not regarded as illegiti-
mate It remains for Mr.. Heney to
ascribe sinister motives and to hint at
dark plots.
The packers, possibly, are distrib-
uting propaganda to offset the effects
of the investigation Mr.. Heney has
been conducting so feverishly and
with such noticeable brass band ef-
fects. But il they are attempting, as
he says, to discredit the investiga.
cation, they are wasting their time.
Mr.. Heney himself is doing that most
effectually.
An instance is that of General
The letter in which the Des Moines
manager for the Armour company
made the suggestion that a box of
soap and toilet articles be sent to the
Camp Dodge commandant was cited
by Mr.. Heney with as much ceremony
as if it had proposed donation of a
block of Armour stock to the general.
The casual reader did not need Gen.
eral Plummers prompt statement to
convince him that if the "fussy old
codger" had been disposed to accept
bride for granting the Armour com.
pany an exclusive concession at Camp
Dodge he would have set his price
higher than a bar of soap and a tube
of shaving cream. But apparently
Mr.. Heney was unable to view the
subject from this angle. Hence the
conclusion that the California sensa.
ton maker has lost his sense of
humor.
There is an Unborn desire for fair
play in the average Americans make
up. Also, he prefers making up his
own mind to having it made up for
him Mr.. Heney's method Of mixing
mere drivel with real evidence is no
worse than his evident determination
to make the investigation entirely a
one-sided proceeding. Such a course
does not appeal to ones ideas of fair.
ness.
Mr.. Heney's methods give rise to
speculation as to whether he Is work
ing on this inquiry by the day or for a
lump sum. If 1t Is the latter, and If
his figure is not quite high, he is con-
victing himself Of poor judgment by
attempting to everyday his part. At
some points in the maze Of accusation
which he is piling up against the pack.
ers there are some facts which would
bear further investigation by author
lied government agencies with ideas
of judicial procedure. But 1t is appar-
ent that someone with mora Of an abil-
ity at picking and choosing than Mr..
Heney has evidenced must wade
through the records and sort out the
wheat from the chaff before anything
of tangible good can be expected to
accrue.
MAKING GOOD
Americas soldiers have had their
first experiences with the Germans and