The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1920-12-31

He'd production. So has organized cap !
itaI. Has Mr.. Gillett ever heard of the !
Lockwood committee and its invest
cation of the building trades in Ne7
York? Has he ever paid any attention
to the testimony showing how indus
try after industry was organized t
levy tribute upon every form Of build
ing? How strikes were bought an
sold at the instigation Of rings OF con
tractors? How combinations OF stee
manufactures refused to sell thel
product to builders unless they coul' I
also dictate the kind Of labor that
shold be employed? How the business
I of erecting apartments and Office
structures and factories in this cit!
was so completely at the mercy c
these organizations that all free en-
/ terpriSe was crushed!
After Mr.. Gillett has digested som
of the testimony taken by the Lock
wood committee he would profita.bly
devote a little time to the coal trade
and the revelations that have been
made of the practices Of the men who
have been sitting production by ma
nipulating the market. Coal is one o.
the basic elements of production, anf
the coal crowd has been using bot
hands in robbing the public. Even the
Government has not escaped. Excess
sive prices for fuel have a great deal
to do with the slowing down Of in
dustry, but none of Mr.. .Gillett's indig
nation is poured upon the coal organi
cation. )
If the Speaker too were inclined tc
look further into the causes of dim
ished production, he need not leave
his august place as presiding officer of
the House of Representatives In front
of him he will find approximately 435
reasons, 435 being the number of mem
bers of the House in the Sixty-sixth
Congress.
For nearly two years American in
dustry has been petitioning for re
vision of the war taxes and for such
a reimbursement of the burden as would
permit production. Congress has neve
given one dollars worth of relief {
any kind. 1t has left taxes where they
were the day the armistice was signed,
and the Senate has likewise left peace
where it was then.
Instead of devoting itself to re-
vision of war taxes, the House over
which Mr.. Gillett presides has now
enacted a fraudulent tariff bill for tho
benefit of the speculative interests.
This monumental fake is perpetrate(
in the name of American agriculture,
on the pretense that American agri-
culture is suffering from foreign COM
petition. There could be nothing more
dishonest than this bill and the argu-
ments that are advanced in favor of
it. The only result of it will be to in
crease the cost of living, make labor
still more restless and put great for
tunes into the pockets of spectators.
Farm prices have not declined be
cause of importations of food but b
cause Europe is not able to pay fol-
American food which it so soreIy needs
for the lack of which millions are
on the verge of starvation.
Many causes have contributed to the
decline of American production dur
ing the last year. Organized labor has
behaved badly in numerous instances.
Organized capital in many lines of ac-
tivity has behaved equally badly; but
the worst record of all for ineXcusable
obstruction belongs to the Congress
of which Frederick H. Gillett is
Speaker. When he assails the unions
for sitting production, it is indeed a
case of the pot defaming the kettle
New York World.
The town of Youcalla. Oregon, has