Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1922-05-18

By WALLACE BAssFoRD.

WASHINGTON, w ~. VI, May l3-The
people Of Washington, some OF whom
have seen many years of Republican
control, are used to seeing the high
salaried attorneys of the corporations
come to Washington and go away
with what they came for, but surprise
is growing over the fact that under
this administration they not only ask
and receive, but, what's more, they
get it all. Wearily the observers
wait to see Harding do some one thing
for the common good, rather than
many things for the good of the heavy
campaign contributors. Again the
words OF the Bible come home with
forcefnl truth !" Unto him who hath
it shall be given. ]" The great corr
porations have been relieved OF the
excess profits taxes, the corporation
taxes have been 80 re-adjusted that
the big ones pay less and the small
ones of lesser influence and ability
psy more, the tariff s,being SO raised
that the rich manufacturers will re :
ceive even more profit while the con-
sumer must pay more for all he uses,
the currency is being contracted at a
rapid rate, in order to make money,
the merchandise of the rich, more
powerful and far reaching. Encour-
aged by the applause of the privileg-
ed classes, the administration even
goes SO far as to turn over to the
Standard Oil Companies the great
ground reserves Of fuel oil which the
Wilson administration set aside for
the use of the navy in the years to
come. The great Teapot Dome region
in Wyoming, known to contain many
millions OF barrels of the precious oil,
has been given to tie Sinclair Con-
solidated Oil Company. The admin
stration probably trusted to public
ignorance to soften the shock, think
ing the people are. not aware that
Standard Oil of Indiana now controls
the Sinclair Company through stock
ownership, obtained while Harry Sin
clair was in Europe on business.
When he got home he found that con-
troll of his company had passed TO the
Standard. So it is with the great
California reserve; it is now in the
hands of Pan-American Petroleum,
controlled by Doheny, close ally and
partner with the Standard OF Cali
fornia.
When Harding won the election one
of the demands made Of him was that
Senator Fall Of New Mexico should be
Secretary Of the Interior; the preda-
tory corporations desired nothing
more than this, SO far as the public
domain was concerned. They knew
Fall and knew what he would do.
Certainly they are not being disap-
pointed. With such grabfest pro-
ceeding right out in the public view,
men are justified in wondering what
is being done with the public proper
tiesin Alaska, where minerals of un-
told value are known to exist, and in
which every citizen Of the country
has an interest, as In the public oil
lands of wyoming and California.
And Fall is not alone; the public
believes that other members Of the
csbinet are guilty of similar acts. In
fact, the whole administration is per-
vaded with this intense friendship
for the rich grabber Of spoils. Secre-
tary OF War Weeks is alleged to have
permitted the selling Of surplus war
supplies to business interests at ridicul-
ously low prices. Allthese sales have
been carefully engineered to prevent
the public receiving any benefit or
securing any relief from the high cost
of living. Those corporations which
furnished these supplies to the gov
ernment at fancy prices have been
permitted to buy back the surplus
with mere fraction Of the money
they received for the goods, to resell
+, the public at high prices, thus forc-
ing the people to pay for them twice
Zone through their taxes and again
when purchased for their personal
use. Congressman Woodruff alleged
that Weeks interfered to prevent the
Attorney General prosecuting war
profteers, while Congressman john
son Of South Dakota said on the floor
that Weeks had sent to Congress a
report on surplus supplies ssthe most
fraudulent, misleading and criminally
dsceitful. y
Woodruff charges that the Attor-
ney General permits the big-fellows
who control boctlegging operations
10 live prosperpualy in perfect free
dom, while throwing the little fellows
IL jail. Woodruff and Johnaon are
both ex-servioe men. They are max
ing war on the venality within their
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