Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1920-02-04

Ind the laws against unfair competi-
ton, shall be taken away from the
ederal trade commission and given to
1 separate board or commission.
Senator Gronna and Senator Norris
are opposed to this transfer of au-
thority. They say that if the federal
trade commission is to be denied the
chance to make use of it's great store
OF knowledge of the packing industry,
and new body having no such knowl-
edge is to be given charge, the effect
will be to give the packers free re n for
another 10 or 20 years Of lawlessness.
Moreover, the very fact that the fed
eral trade commission is to be depriv-
ed of this great field of control over
industry will discredit the commission
in the eyes of the public unfamiliar
with the situation; and that it will re-
suit in next depriving the commission
of it's authority over the coal industry
and perhaps the steel and other basic
industries: Congress will have been
'emboldened to kill the federal trade
commission by starvation.
THE COMMUNIST CASES
Secretary of Labor Wilson is about
to decide the issue, put up to him dur
ing the past week, as to whether the
Communist party is an illegal organi-
cation, under the recent amendments
to the immigration act. The question
was raised by lawyers for some of the
thousands of members of the party
who were seized and thrown into Jail
early this month-many of them being
held without warrants.
If the secretary decides that the
Communists are not ipso factO crimi-
nails, then an attempt will probably be
made by the repressionist element in
congress to pass a new law to bring
about their suppression. If, on the
other hand, he decides that they are
criminals because of the fact of their
membership in the association, they
will doubtless appeal from this ruling
to the federal courts. Procedure in the
courts will be slow and will perhaps
drag without final decree until the
1920 elections are past.
ADMITS IGNORANCE
Representative Newton of Mime
apolis, attempting to interrupt Repre-
sentative Browne of Wisconsin, who
was assailing the Graham sedition bill
in speech on the floor, challenged
the statement that some portions of
the Declaration of Independence would
be unavailable under this bill.
Take the part of the Declaration"
| said Browne, where it states that
whenever any form of government is
| destructive of these ends it is the right
| OF the people to alter or abolish it.
Also that clause in the Declaration of
Independence which states that when
long abuses and usurpations evince a.
design to reduce them under absolute
despotism, it is their right, it is their
duty, to throw off such government"
To which the superintendent New
ton replied: II have not read the
Graham bill"
better read the bill before trying to
defend it. Newton denied that he was
defending it, but he proceeded to say
that he had run down a report that
portions of the Constitution could not
be mailed, under sedition bill, and
the report was untrue.
Browne concluded his speech with
| these lines from Joseph Story:
| Here shall the press the peoples
| rights maintain,
Unawed by influence and unbribed by
gain;
Here patriot truths her glorious pre-
cepts draw,
Pledged to religion; liberty and law"
NAVY MEDALS
Our navy is bound to have more or
less trouble over the distribution of
medals for meritori0us service-no
distribution, in fact, could please all.
But the public would hear nothing of
the disagreements were not certain
powerful interests anxious to discred-
it Secretary Daniels. For several
years he had been advocating that the
public keep certain oil lands on the
public domain to guarantee a ready
supply of fuel oil at all times at a
reasonable price.
A great excitement was raised
when liquor was abolished from the
navy for the same reason. With un-
usual efforts being made now to rob
the public domain, Daniels position
becomes obnoxious to the interests.
Whatever the merits of the medals
controversy thew are lost In ~f1ia