The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1922-09-01
The Counter Play.

COURSE II IuSduS III IuC AloI paw
that Ford will stop manufacturing
cars because of shortage of COAL
He cannot get supply of coal for
capacity operation The other con-
sideration is the high price of coal
and steel. Mr.. Ford does not believe
in the tactics the steel mills and
coal operators are using to advance
the price of these commodities. Rail-
road and steel mill companies are
said to be large owners Of coal prop
critics, and the impression is gaining
credence that there is a conspiracy
between these interests and the
striking coal miners to take advan-
tage of the public. Mr.. Ford intimates
that wall street and money barons
are manipulating the labor unions
and that our national legislators are
powerless to prevent the trouble. He
suggests also the fact that the con-
spiracy has as its object the unload
ing of the rundown railroads on the
Government.
All these suggestions will be ridi-
culed more or less, but how much
real truth there is in the matter you
and are not likely to know. The
thing we wonder at and have good
reason to- is why men will not stop
at anything to advance their prices
and profits. The steel manufacturers
and the large corporate interests all
over the country get accustomed to
rapidly accommodating profits. The
eral, and having once got the habit
it grew like drinking and gambling,
with consequences really more Sc
rious than what are known as the
vices.
Men of this character are in the |
habit of getting together around the
Hobbies, in the smokers and on the
luxurious steamships. talking thru
the smoke rings of their increasing
WEALTH. anu pl hCJ VIII JOll
you it is not so much the wealth
they seek but the game of making
it. They talk of how much they
have exceeded last years business
the conditions. And
they tell it boastingly, notwithstand-
ing the fact that they are crucifying
the small interests. In the main
these things are pressing upon the
agricultural interests. The public
pays the bill. The crux is that Nero
fiddles while Rome burns.
There is day of reckoning, but
why can't we get together and uti-
lie all our abilities and energies TO
find a remedy for these things. The ,
buying of the railroads will most ,
assuredly not be the remedy. This !
will increase national debt and taxes
and augment the industrial troubles. 7
With our public vocational and re- 9
habilitation system we are now half +
socialists. If the Government buys q
the railroads we will be irretrievably q
socialistic. There will no more
democracy. The democracy of coun- r
try is in its freedom There will be q
nothing free in government owner n
ship. II will be more bond than free
If the Government has money to in +
vest for the benefit Of the people that
money can be used TO far better ad- p
vantag on the public highways Once E
get a complete national highway sys- o
tenn and there viii be no railroad
problem. The motor trucks will do =
the rest. By the time the system is =
complete there will be truck for >.
every mile of road. The public high -
ways are free like water. Every !,
nan can own a truck and there will =
be no strikes and conspiracies. !,
When this highway system is es. b
ablished then we can localize man :,
fracture, or make it practically local
md competitive. When we do there
will be no more industrial ills and
roubles. If the people of the United
states continue to depend on the rail y
Dads and the corporations they'll 6
ontinue to get deeper in trouble al! ii
he time. There will be no end but
isaster
Our executives and Legislators will .
alter to the money power in spite OF
II we can do, and what is there to ),
xpect from that quarter. The de- b
oct in our system is not susceptible :.
f remedy. We cannot overcome !
ne money power in elections and the :,
olitician wants a vote (Polly wants -
eracker). He is about as mercifui -
, the public as the capitalist.
The farmer. people and the public
ust take these matters into their W
Rn hands and work out their own ia
-oblems. So