The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1922-09-08
Fair Play.

ll6 CO6I VI SoONOl ~ ASS Ia
ing OF coal, as is now proposed by
Congress, is anything but encour.
aging to the people who remember
the experience of government price
fixing during the war. We reproduce
an article by R. T. Small in the Nash
vile Tennessean, showing the history
of the movement and what it meant
as means of relief to coal consum-
ers.
This article shows that thru the
intervention of the government, when
Garfield took charge of the coal sup
ply, slack coal, which had been sell
ing at the mine as low as 25 cents d
ton, and on account of the war was
raised to SO and rs cents a ton, inl-
mediately jumped to $3.50 ton and
from that it has been gradually NOV
ing up in price until to-day it is, at
the mine, practically five dollars a
ton.
This is a true sample of govern
ment price fixing. 1t is not over
stated. 1t is just exactly the facts in
the case.
1t looks like these fellows who are
ever and anon bobbing up in the pa
pers advising government ownership
as the only solution of labor and EN-
ploying capital troubles would see
these things. But they don't and
probably don't want to if they are
particularly interested in the effect
that government ownership will have
on their own fortunes.
The coal operators are selfish
enough, but in this instance the
widest dreams of the coal operators,
if the government had not interviewed,
could not have brought them such a
fabulous price for slack coal.
How in the world are we ever to
be relieved from the extortion of
profteers God only knows. 1t was
said to be seven years after the Civil
War before prices were anything like
equalized. But we have entirely diff
at that time were competitive. They
are now controlled by combinations
of capital in restraint of trade, and
hence are being manipulated for the
benefit of the corporations and OPP
orators.
The trouble with the government |
is that Congress and capital are close
ly identified. Capital makes the way
smooth to Congressman for individual |
gain. Capital has very easy way
of interpreting the markets. The
result is that Congress is prone to
show its appreciation for this in
dividual interest with substantial
legislation in favor of corporations
In other ways the government is
working hand in hand with capital.
Take the steel trust as an example.
The government, when Europe is
bankrupt and unable to lift a hand,
is creating a mammoth navy of steel
battleships at forty and fifty millions
for each vessel. 1t is another in s
stance of the relationship of capital +
and Congress. The result is that the (
farmers cannot buy agricultural ma t
chinery at anything like reasonable
price. i
The nnrnnra 4 nnc and tho | q
ment are guilty alike. So we have S
the spectacle to-day of industrial u
strife, and while the Iawless acts OF
the strikers are to be condemned, the i
very attitude of capital towards the C
public is not encouraging. The at s
titude of the profteer in demanding
a reduction of wages fills labor with q
distrust and resentment.
There is no justification in the o
world for lawlessness, but when you g
ask the press and the public to de- CT
nounce it, you must not vince if tina 81
same press and public demand first 81
Of Congress honest legislation and of a
the corporations next fair prices to
The public and then fair play to la la
Dor. pl
AS an example of the course CT ca
Congress We point you to the re-
marks of Senator Borah, who is one b.
# the foremost statesmen and think q
RS of his time, viz: b.
THE time may come when the m
United States will have to stand, as pc
t were, at the Marine on this ques m
ion of preserving financial civiliza- pc
ion. The time may come when our pl
eserve, economic and financial, will pI
ave to be called upon as our reserve ST
+ man power was called upon in fir
917; and it behocvcs the American in
eopic and the American Congress to
repare for that, as we prepared for Isu
ne great conflict which confronted D.
6 in 1917 M
The nation which will lead in the in
lture, which will control anG domi re
ate, will not be the nation OF ar su
les, not the nation of navies, but M
lie nation Of economic power, Of fe
do