New-York tribune., 1920-05-20
j. kenyon Asserts
Senators Block
Price Reduction
Republican Leaders Are
Blamed for Delays in
Legislation Designed to
Lower Cost of Living
Lodge Denies Accusation
Iowan Urges People to Form
Anti-Profiteer Societies to
Expose Guilty Persons

From, The T'Ybune's Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON, May 19.-Senator
Kenyon, Republican. of Iowa. charged
in the Senate to-day that Republican
leaders of that body were preventing
the consideration of legislation de-
signed to lower the cost of living.
Senator Kenyon called upon the
average people" to rise up and sweep
out the profteers, to scrap them on
the junk heap of disrepute"
Leading citizens in most communities
are the chief offenders, Senator Ken
yon declared, and he urged the people
to organize profiteering societies
and make public "the doings of certain
distinguished citizens who are robbing
the community"
He charged that the Republican
steering committee had kept the Ken
rck-Kenyon packer bill from coming
before the Senate.
Il do not think any committee or
group of Senators should have the
power to dictate what legislation
should be acted on or to prevent GER
tain bills getting hearing" said SEN
ator Kenyon.
Senator Lodge declared the steering
committee was not preventing legisla-
tion from coming before the Senate,
but that he and other members of the
committee deemed it necessary to in
sure action on the supply bills before
the recess and that they, therefore, had
been put first on the calendar.
THE steering committee has merely
recommended what it thought ought to
be done, said Senator Lodge. 'If the
Senate disagrees with the recommended =
tions it has power to override them"
Senator Johnson, of California, said
the minimum wage bill also had been
"shoved into obscurity" and gave
notice that he would try to bring it
before the Senate at an early date.
Discusses Farm Conditions
Senator Kenyon said the public
might as we'll understand that farm
products would continue to be very
in price He predicted a world famine
in few years if present conditions
continue, and said that in not far dis
tant day hunger would drive people
back to the fans
Il believe nearly one-half Of the in
creased cost of living is due to the
protiteering,' he said. "The people are
cursing the profteers; they are damn
ing Congress because it does not do
something, and there is a spirit of hate
deve loplng in this country that is omi-
nous. Is it any wonder there are dis
cord, unrest, discomfort among the peo-
pie when the patrioteers with JUNCTION
wrap the flag about them and denounce
every one who questions their right to
rob the American people as Bolsheviki
pro o-GermanS and creators of unrest {?
These gentlemen who seem to think
the right Of plumber belongs to them
and that the American people are the
legitimate objects of their plunder had
better wake up They had better not
sleep on while the ominous rumbling
on the oncoming storm can be heard
by all except themselves.
They are producing more Bolsheviki
IN this country than all the Bolshevik
propaganda could do.
In Benedict Arnold's Glass
"Some of these profiteers and patri-
oteers are among our strongest takers
for Anne ricanizing this country. No one
needs Americanizing as much as they
do. They are just as much traitors to
this country as was Benedict Arnold. as
they are undermining the very founGa-
tions Of the republic and they are de-
stroying the hope and confidence of the
people in this government.
"Blue-sky promotions are going on
all over the country-stocks represent
ing nothing but wind. In all the towns
OF the country can be found smootn
gentlemen selling these stocks to the
unsophisticated. The people of my
state, it has been estimated, have been
robbed of at least $500, 100000 in blue
sky promotions. Some Of these robbie, s
are leaders in the community of
them leaders in churches loaning their
names to such schemes and helping i,
the wholesale robbing of the people
Compared to the patrioteer and the