The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1921-01-15
PROBE OF
COAL ROBBERY

Revelations that are coming almost
daily from the Senate committee in
vestigatins the coal situation are
startling in the extreme. Ofncial
graft. careless inenciency and lack
Of adequate supervision over actions
Of subordinates have all conspired to
create an artificial coal valuation,
aside from the direct burden put upon
the government In the payment OF ex-
cessive prices for its fuel. 1t appears
that erroneous predictions of coal
shortage have been published by gov
eminent departments. with the result
that Industrial managers have bid
against each other in feverish at
tempt to fill their own coal dumps
before the supply was exhausted.
But the remedy for all this is not
federal control of the coal industry.
II the laws now on the statute books
are vigorously enforced, and honest
and capable men placed in positions
of responsibility. there will be no need
OF turning to other means of relief.
The gougins IN coal prices to which
the people have been subjected is due
primarily to President Wilson HIM
self for his obstinacy In appointing
and keeping In office men of demon
strated incapacity or unwillingness
to exert themselves In the public's
welfare.
Perhaps the most notorious OF those
who have proved faithless to their
trust is Attorney General Palmer. An
energetic administration of the de-
partment Of justice would have
brought SUFFICIENT indictments among
dishonest federal officials and private
coal proflteers to have struck terror
to their hearts and brought about
speedy lowering Of the price. There
are ample laws and adequate penal
ties against the abuse of public trust.
and there are special laws against
profiteering. The weapons were In
Mr.. Palmer's hands, but his utter i'm
potency to make them effective is
common knowledge.
It has been brought out at the hear
ings that the war department paid
1925 ton for coal that cost only
1925 to produce. Not only was that
a big direct loss to the taxpayers. but
the transaction further served to
boost the price Of other sales. Secre-
tary Baker had complete authority to
interfere and prevent such extrava-
gance, but he did nothing. Other off,
cials of the government demonstrated
their incompetence when they warned
the country against a fictitious coal
famine and stimulated prices accord
ingly.
A President with more concern for
his own countrymen than for the al
deviation of troubles in Europe would
have stepped In and peremptorily or
dered his subordinates to take the
action that would have saved the peo-
pie from excess fuel expenditures OF
hundreds Of millions Of dollars. but he
remained in the seclusion OF the
White House, listening to voices In
the air. and arranging the boundaries
of Dalmatia. Jugo-Slavia and heaven
knows what other mushroom repub-
lies of the old world.
THE nation must be patient few
weeks longer. Then there will be
President whose thought will be for
America first He will have as his
executive assistants men pledged to
the execution of the laws. and the
people will get the full protection to
which they are entitled hereunder.
Once the new era Of law enforcement
has had an opportunity to prove its
effectiveness we shall hear but little
of government operation of the coal
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