The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1920-04-06
SETTING A
PACE o rALMER

GtsA law
PACE FOR PALMER
On December 4. 1919, Federal Judge
Anderson of indianapolis announced
that he would direct a special grand
jury to investigate charges that the
coal operators and miners had con-
spired to raise the price of coal to
the public. The fundamental pur-
pose of the inquiry. as set forth by
Judge Anderson, was to determine
whether this is a government of law
or a group of men," The jury has
performed its duty and returned in
dictments naming rs miners and OPP
orators as having violated the Grim
inal code and the Lever fuel control
act. Bond has been fixed at from
$4,000 to 10000 in each case, and all
indications are that there will be no
delay in bringing the offenders to jus
tiee. The maximum penalty that may
be levied il convictions are secured
is a fine of $4,000, two years i'm
prisonment. or both.
1t is refreshing 10 see at least one
official of the judicial branch of the
government determined to test whether
the laws of the country shall be SUI
preme or whether they can be sue
cessfully defed by any individual or
group of men. Information filed in
Judge Anderson's court alleges that
the Lever act has been grossly,
openly and defiantly violated by
those connected with the production
of coal. There can be little doubt
that violations Of the same act have
been as gross, open and defiant in
other lines of production. But grand
jury proceedings have been conspicu-
Gus by their absence. Tired of wait
ing for the encouragement to take
action, committees of congress have
conducted inquiries of their own, or
sought information from the execu-
tive depar ments, as to the unlawful
manipulation of prices of wheat, cot
ton cloth, shoes, and sugar. 1t is
more than probable that if evidence
in those cases could be- procured
through grand jury proceedings,
enough would be uncovered to war
rant indictments and make possible
convictions of those responsible.
But Attorney-General Palmer APP
parently thinks the matter is of no
consequence. Instead of using the
machinery of his department to crush
profteering, his agents are busy get
ting out instructions TO ho%nseholders
on how to aYolo gouging by the re
taller, the success of which depends
upon the honesty of said retailer in
answering questions p%ropounded to
him by the Purchaser. In the case of
at least n commodity, sugar, Mr..
Palmer has himself beer a party to
the establishment of a price that has
been the signal for one of the great
est orgies of profiteering that the
country has witnessed. Although it
was stated by n of the senators
from Louisiana that the sugar pro-
duction of that state represented only
one fortieth of the total consumed in
the country, it is significant that every
BIZ of sugar to be found in the stores
since the PRONUNCIATION of the 1S-cent
price has suddenly become "Louisi-
ana sugar" and entitled TO be sold
for twenty cents or Whereabouts. The
house of representatives is now con
Quoting an investigation of Mr.. Pal
mer's connection with the profit TAX
ing in sugar, and impeachment pro-
ceedings are limited at.
But the refusal of the attorney-gen-
eral to do anything to reduce the
price of sugar is merely an aggrava-
ton of the lackadaisical attitude Of
the department of justice toward
practically every form of proiteering
that has been rampant in the past two
or three years. Only in isolated in
stances. like the indianapolis case
has an official been found with the
courage and determination to enforce
the law, and never with the whole
hearted cooperation of the depart
ment. 1t seems to have been the
policy of Mr.. Palmer to follow the
easiest way, both to his present COM
fort and future political advantage.