The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-04-24
is MELON PATCH.
Senator Capper Says U. S. Now
Robbers ROOst.
Cites TO Senate Many Wall
Street "MeIOn Cuttings"
OIITn HnEOlIO nnnElKn AllnE
OUTRAGEOUS PROFITS MADE
Income of Corporations Has
More Than Doubled.
Points Out Sugar Gamblers for
Special Attention.

Washington, April 24.-'The United
States has become a robbers roost."
Senator Capper. Republican. Kansas,
declared in prepared address today
in the senate, in which he scored prof
iteering and said that if officers could
not enforce the laws they should re-
sign. and let men. who can take their
places"
Declaring that the proof of prof
iteering was in the margin of profits,
the senator said that in one year alone
during the war the gross income of
American corporations rose from 35 "a
billions to S41A billions. He read to
the senate long list of corporations
whose profits We're placed at anywhere
from 20 to 200 per cent.
wall streets melon patches" he
declared, continue to be warmed by
the sun of privilege. fortified by the
perspiration of labor, and watered by
the tears of poverty and this year will
raise a record breaking crop free from
the blight of income taxes. while the
people are being urged to buy their
coal early and be robbed for less, to
abstain from steak one day a week.
and to purchase war savings stamps
that the United States may live in nine
billion style on a six billion income.
AT this moment the most brazen
challenge we have had in this satur-
MALTA OF greed comes from the gam
blers in sugar. a corner has evident
ly been formed right under the eyes
of the department of justice. The can
ming season raid is on. For years the
sugar interests have annually and
openly and shamelessly robbed Ameri-
can housewives during the canning
season."
After reviewing the activities of
flour, sugar and cotton mills the re
cent supreme court decision holding
stock dividends untaXable, and the de-
partment of Justices campaign urging
use OF the cheaper cuts" of meat
which he condemned-Senator Capper
presented a list of corporations whose
earnings, he said, were proof of prof
iteering open, fragrant, scandalous."
The list. with the percentage of
earnings as given by Senator Capper,
included: Continental Oil, 200 per
cent; United Fuel Gas. 200: Ohio Fuel
Supply 100; Nonquit Spinning Co.,
100; Amoskeag Cotton manufacturing
Co, 1O0 American Tobacco Securities
Co, 100; ManOmet Mills. 6625; Hood
Rubber, 6625; Crucible Steel, SO;
Cleveland Akron Bag. SO; Union Bag
* Paper Co., SO; Auto Car Co., 40;
John r. Thompson Co, 33 Is per cent;
ST. Maurice Paper Co., so; f. w. Wool
worth, 80; Electric Welding, %; Pine
apple Co. IS; General Chemical, 20;
American Multigraph 20; Truscan
Steel. 20 per cent.
THE Standard Oil company of In
diana" the senator continued, has
recently increased its capital from
s1,O0O.O0O to $3O,OOO.0OO, giving it's
stockholders a stock dividend of 1900
per cent. The National Candy COM
pany's earnings last year showed an
Increase of 545 per cent over 1915;
Burns Brothers, the largest retail coal
dealers in the United States, made a
net profit of 40 cents a ton. against
231s cents in 1916; the earnings of
the United Drug company, doing a
business of 100000 900 annually. were
242 per cent greater than in 1915;
the American Ice company, which
cuts ice by the millions, but not prof
its, has in four years increased its
earnings 2S3 per cent; the Interna-
tional Cotton company, doing $4,000