The Columbus dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 19??-1922, 1922-01-11
SEAT OF NEWBERRY
WAS A COSTLY ONE
so REPUBLICANS THINK
MICHIGANDER SHOULD
CLING TO 1T
FINE EXAMPLE SET
To Guide Future Generations In
The Purchase of Political
POwer.-DemOcratic
Interest Revived.

Mr.. Wallace Bassford, the DIS
patchs correspondent in Washington,
in writing from the Nations Capital
under date of January 9th, says:
The most of the Senate Republicans
evidently take the view that the seat
belongs to Newberry because ne
bought and paid for it, for there can
be no other reason for their attitude.
The price was a bit high, for several
hundreds of thousands have already
been accounted for, but just at that
time the Senate was practically tie,
and control in the hands of the blg
interests was very important.
A new party is being organized IN
Nebraska-or the revival OF an ola
one-called the Progressive party
The Wall Street Journal doubtless
discovers danger that it may grow
into something that will take from
the Republicans a few seats in the
Senate, for it has not forgotten the
Populists, the Silver Republicans, the
Bull Moosers and the Non-Partisan
League. 1t is curious what an at
traction those parties have for the
Northwestern farmers. Probably ~
is due to their having repeatedly been
stung by accepting Republican prom
ises. Certainly the moral is plain
they might vote the Democratic
ticket. The Journal devotes the best
part Of a column to crushing the new
party in its very inception-whlch
would be some indication of its pos
sessing both virtue and possibilities.
Cordell Hull, the able chairman OF
the Democratic National Committee,
recently made speech in which he
devoted two hours to some OF the
failings and shortcomings of the Re-
publican party. The Washington
Post promptly took up the cudgeis in
defense of the administration and
took occasion to warn Mr.. Hull OF the
embarrassing position he would be In
"if somebody in the audience should
ask for an accounting of the money
spent during the war" Has every
one forgotten that the last Congress
constituted the Graham smelling
committee" to go into that very
thing, for the purpose Of digging up
enough scandals to keep the Demo-
cratic party out of power forever
The Committee spent nearly a year
on the job and finally agreed that
there was one corporation toward
which the finger of suspicion might
we'll be pointed-a great Pittsburg
steel corporation Of which Secretary
Mellon is director! This doesn't
seem to have hurt the gentle Secre-
tary greatly with the Administra-
tion. for he is still handling the peo-
ple's money and has been of great
aid to the big rich fellows in get
ting them "unsoaked" in the matter
of income and excess pro6ts taxes,
but it suggests that Republican edi-
tors might find it less embarrassing
at times to be better informed.
Secretary Mellon is not very well
known to the general public, a fact
due largely to his peculiar reticence.
With him secrecy is a foible. He is
connected in a large way with some
of the worst predatory corporations
in America, such as the Aluminium
Company Of America, one of the
greediest of the monopolies, but it is
practically impossible, after searching
through all sorts of manuals, to learn
anything worth while of these COM
panies, their income or their profits;
they are all well concealed. So it !
was in the days of John Barleycorn,
when Mellon was making a huge for
tune out of whiskey and beer. Few
are aware that the Mellon family
wealth rivals that of the Rockefellers. 1
In fact, it is believed that the family
controls about two billions of capi-
tal-twice the amount Of the national
debt at the beginning Of the war
and also controlled the Republican
machine of Pennsylvania through the
late Penrose. Secretary Mellon is an
officer and director in banks and in
surance companies with resources Of
$500 O193,541. He is an officer and
director of other companies having
known assets of 1888. 3.4SO,923. He is
head Of a family having a controlling
voice in banks with resources Of SIS /
S45.31O more, and corporations with
assets Of S1O6,7O2.26 additional,
making a grand total Of S1.739, ,222,-
O39. It is small wonder that he is
satisfactory to the big interests.
Mr.. Tincher Of Kansas. in the ex-
1lberarce Of his soul. cried out i'm the