The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1920-10-28

It is understood that Harding mas
made his announcement that he is op-
posed to amnesty for political prls-
oners, solely because he has had con-
fidential information that Wilson IS
at last going to set these men free.
"Hard-Boiled" Smith, the bully who
tortured and beat and otherwise NAL
treated hundreds of soldiers in mill
tary prisons in France, has been turn
ed loose by Secretary Baker after a
few months of confinement, but to this
outrage Harding offers no whisper OF
protest.
TRIAL OF MINER LEADERS
Governor Frazier's craftsmanship
in the coal strike crisis of last winter
is recalled by the announcement that
the trial of John L. Lewis and other
officers of the United Mine Workers
of America on charges of conspiracy
to violate the Lever law by calling
the coal strike is to begin November
8 in Indianapolis.
At the time when the strike was
called, and when, after Lewis sur
render to Federal Judge Anderson, the
miners went out nevertheless, without
leaders or strike funds, Governor Fra
Tiers conference and agreement with
the union miners in North Dakota to
carry on the mining of Ignite under
any terms that might later be reached,
became the talk of the country. He
settled the strike, so far as North Da-
kota was concerned, without the loss
of dollar or a days work. The peo-
pie got fuel when they needed it, and
the mine operators who tried to cut on
this fuel supply ran up against the
guns.
WATERPOWER VULTURES MEET
A convention of the Waterpower
League of America, called to give the
new federal power commission a lot
of advice on the giving away Of pow
err sites to the corporations, met Octo-
Der z at the Hotel Washington. c. c..
Merrill, secretary of the commission,
which is made up Of the secretaries
of agriculture, war and interior, told
the convention that the government
is as anxious as the engineers and the
power people to get the new leasing
law into operation as soon as possible.
However, there is much preliminary
ground to be covered. Professor Swain
of Harvard engineering school and
Professor Dorsey of the University OF
Manitoba were among the speakers.
So were a number of power company
managers from the West.
Merrill said that the waterpower re-
sources of, the United States have
been variously estimated up to 300,-
100000 horsepower. Over so applica-
lions, involving from 100000 to g.
100000 horsepower at the most readily
developed sites, are now on file with
the new commission. This is more
than the total of all power applications
that have been made to the three de-
partments in their entire history.
No mention was made of any chance
that any town, county, or state would
get a power site for public purposes.
The scheme is for private and highly
profitable exploitation of power now
belonging to the public.
THE PosToFFIcE AGAIN
The National Federation of Postof-
flee Clerks has gone after" Postmas-
ter General Burleson and First Assist
ant Postmaster General Rooms for the
dismissal of IL members of the Chica-
go Postoffice Clerks union. These
men were dismissed because they pub
lished advertisements in the daily
newspapers, showing that Crippled
Mail Service Harms Public and Bust
ness Interests"
These advertisements set forth that
the denial of a living wage to postof.
flee workers was the cause of the in.
adequate force, and that because the
force was inadequate the Chicago post
office authorities violated most of the
laws regulating the hours and condi-
lions of service. The cost of living
was shown to have gone up 104 per
cent while postoffice wages had in
creased only 3712 per cent. Citizens
were asked to petition congress to pro-
vide an adequate postoffice force, fair.
ly compensated for it's work, as a
measure of protection of the inter-
ests of the citizens using the mails.
Rooms, who was the official directly
involved in dismissing the II men who
arranged the publication of these ad-
vertisements, charged that the adver-
tisements we're malicious, false and
of a reprehensible type" and that as
the union committee had solicited
funds with which to pay for the publ.
cation they were guilty of soliciting
money for fraudulent purposes.
The National Federation Of Postof-
flee Clerks now offers to let Rooms
pick a jury of three persons-outside
of the Burleson official family and its
inspectors-to decide whether any
statement in these advertisements
| was false. If any is found false, the
union will pay $1,000 to the Red Cross.
Rooms has not answered.