The Colorado statesman., 1922-07-01


tance has taken place in the Pitts
burgh district, one tobacco comblna-
ton has been forced, and other COM
binations of capital are projected.
The government has been in close
| touch with all that has been going
on along this line and as far as OBJ
servers here are able to detect is not
greatly concerned. 1t Is true that the
Department Of Justice is making In
quirles for the purpose of satisfying
Itself that the antitrust law Is not
being fiagrantly violated, and that the
federal trade commission is keeping a
watchful eye on the proceedings 50
as to be sure that fair competition Is
not stifled. The congress is passing
the usual number of resolutions of
inquiry, but not much attention Isl
being paid to its activity in connec-
ton with the consolidation. What
the country would like to know and
what it probably will learn in due
time Is whether the Harding admin
istratlon is disposed to hold a liberal
view in regard to the organization of
trusts, so called.
Especially Wants Business Progress
The administration has made no
secret of the fact that above all else
it desires to see business go ahead
in the United States and also through
out the world. If the ruling minds in
the administration can be convinced
that prosperity will be advanced
through the consolidation of activi-
ties, 1t is reasonable to assume that
the government will not put any seri-
Gus obstacles in the way of the finan-
ciers who are Interested in the vari-
Gus combinations that are taking
place. 1t is reasonable to assume also
that the administration has already
given, the men who are behind the
combinations some intimation as to
how it feels on the subject.
Some well-informed men here be-
lieve public sentiment has undergone
a radical change in its attitude toward
great combinations of capital. The
World war, it is asserted, is respOn-
sible for this changed view.
After the War Profiteers.
Attorney General Daugherty now
has a special fund Of S500,000 at
his command which he is priv
ileged to use as he sees fit in the
prosecution of alleged war profiteers;
he has a special grand jury in the Dis
trict of Columbia to serve him, and
he has an array of twelve or fifteen
special prosecutors. some of them dis
tinguished while others are not very
well known. Certainly If there are
70
cause of frauds committed during the
war or during the tendency of the
armistice agreement, the government
ought to be able, with the machinery
it has set up. to put them where they
belong.
The public, it is reasonable to as
sumo, looks with favor on the turn
things have taken here in regard to
alleged frauds committed during the
war. 1t should be determined once
and for all whether crooks in high
places or in low places robbed the
government during the war. The talk
to the effect that there was much
looting has gone on spasmodically
since April, 1917. The strange thing
is that the whole truth was not
brought out long ago.
What Congressional 9robers Found.
The house of representatives of the
congress which preceded the present
one. that is to say the Sixty-sixth con-
gress. through special committee OF
fifteen, ten Republicans and five Dem
ocrats under the direction of Repre-
sentative William J. Graham of I'LL
nois spent more than Il year investi-
gating the conduct of the war with
the view to IScertainng whether
there were frauds which would war
rant prosecutions by the government.
This select committee spent a total of
SHIFTS IN making inquiries both in
this country and in France. While it
was III work. the senate conducted
eight war investigations in all. and
spent II total of $75.40T Thus the
SiXty-sixth congress invested total
of $222.77j in investigations of the
conduct of the war.
The SELECT committee of the house
which came to he known aS the Gr;i-
ham committee. submitte, ma iurity
and minority reports. The Republican
members of the committee alleged
gross eXtravu"ances in the conduct of
the war. and NJ least intinnied tlat
there was graft though they never
specifically pointed out the alleged
protitrrrs. The Democratic members
took the position that under ull the
circumstances he government was
warranted in spending monry with a
lavish hand in order to bring the war
to II speedy end.
The findings of the Graham com
mittee were submitted 10 the delnr
meni of Justice IN June two yen
ago. A FEW prosecutions were sTiIried
by the department rs - result of the
runnrt mn .hp reDurt as ., whole yyus