The Tomahawk., 1919-10-23


theories are afioat in government
circles as to the presidents nervous
breakdown.
From the one side you hear the
story that the collapse is directly due
to the presidents anxiety lest the
league of nations be defeated and the
world thereby thrown into even more
general warfare than is now going on
in Europe.
From another source you are posi-
lively assured that his illness has no
connection with any fear about the
ratification Of the league covenant,
but that he is heartbroken because so
many of his former friends feel that
he betrayed the IA points.
From still other persons comes the
earnest expression of belief that the
president is simply worn out, that his
nerves are merely jaded, and that with
a little rest he will be his old self
again.
There appears to be some truth in
the theory that the present attitude
of great numbers of his former friends
has made a deep impression upon the
presidents mind.
Unable to Relax.
Unlike many of his predecessors in
the White House, Mr.. Wilson has
never been able to throw aside the
cares of his office. Whether he has
been able. to act promptly on public
affairs is another matter, but the
worry of a thousand problems has
stayed with him, or trailed after him,
from the beginning to the end of
every day. Gradually the weighht of
this business has pulled him down.
Today he is below the point of being
able to apply his mind to any one
public matter long enough to deal
with it.
Friends and foes alike-politically
classified-are hoping that the presi-
dent may quickly recover his normal
strength. Regardless of politics or
public business, everything that any
one in public life in Washington can
privately do to hasten the recovery Of
the chief magistrate will be swiftly
and eagerly done.
A Steel Price Fight.
II one-fifth of the total steel output
of the country is produced in the dis
trict centering about Gary, Ind, and
South Chicago, why should raw steel
manufactured there be loaded with an
additional price equal to the freight
from Pittsburg to the Gary district?
Why this "Pittsburg base price"
graft for the United States Steel cor
poration?
That question is put up to the fed
eral trade commission by five big
steel-consuming interests-the West
ern Association of Rolled Steel Con-
sumers, the Birmingham Steel asso-
citation, the Joint Committee Of Civic
associations Of Duluth, the Southern
association of Steel Fabricators. and
the state Of Minnesota. The Southern
interests ask also why their price for
steel should not be fixed on the cost
of production of the steel they actu-
ally use, which is largely made at
birmingham, Ala.
Direct parties to the Pittsburg base
price game are the United States Steel
corporation and four of it's subsidiary
companies-lllinois Steel, Minnesota
Steel, Carnegie Steel and Tennessee
Coal, Iron and Railroad company. the
Steel Tube company and the Gulf
States Steel company.
Cost Lower in Gary.
It appears that steel is produced at
a lower cost in the Gary region, at the
foot of Lake Michigan, than in Pitts
burg. It gets its coal from close by,
while the iron ore is moved to the
steel mills directly by water from Du-
luth. The ore for Pittsburg must be
shipped by rail from the nearest port
on Lake Erie, after it's voyage from
Duluth. Yet the steel trust claims the
right to force manufacturer of hay
rakes, in Chicago for example, to pay
for steel produced at the lower cost
within As miles of his factory the full
Pittsburg cost, plus the freight rate
from Pittsburg, 500 miles away, plus
the profit that would be taken by
Gary's corporation for steel delivered
to the trade at Pittsburg.
The farmer, who is the real con-
Sumer Oh steel, mdy uuu d way " SCI
into this fight. He pays the freight
in this case, both flguratively and lit
orally.
Cummins Bill FriendIess.
Senator Cupmins. of Iowa, father
of the subcommittee bill for regulat-
ing the private operation of railroads,
which is now stalled in the senate
committee on interstate commerce, of
which he is chairman. gets comfort
from nobody. Even the elaborately
busy press bureau of the Railway Busi-
ness association, Of which Alba B.
Johnson of the Baldwin Locomotive
works, is president, has turned upon
him. They offer suggestions that
would throw more Of the expected rev.
enues into the control Of the railroad
companies. and would practically make
it certain that the government would
have no chance to administer any
railroad funds at all.
Cy1oun Plurnb vyho iS starting on a