Evening star., 1923-09-24
CAPITAL KEYNOTES
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

not. 1t was addressed TO Portland, Me,
and as the letter carrier walked fast.
all the way, it reached its destination
| in only twenty-six days. That beat
Washington local delivery by seven
years, eleven months and three days
But was not this giving of mail to
anybody outside of the postal service
| a direct violation of law? The postal
| service is government monopoly,
| jealous of its monopoly and there is
| a penalty for attempting to run OPP
| position. However. it is understood
that the messenger to Portland did
not run, yet he beat the eight years.
In justice to the very expeditions
| service ordinarily maintained by
steam. the regular schedule between
Washington and Portland is eighteen
hours.
- y *#
The National Retail Coal Mer-
chants Association in angry over the
anthracite settlement, and rises in its
wrath to fay the so-called "Pinehot
compromise" 1t pronounces its wrath
in these few words;
Arbitration has been reIegated to
the scrap heap, and arrogant organ
ized labor has gained the victory.
If merchants are to be sub
jected to price regulation by the state,
ii must be upon basis that will es-
tabliSh a rate of return for capital
and energy employed. sufficient to at
brains to assume facilities and effec-
tive use of same, adequate to the pub
lie need"
There are pending now in the
District of Columbia courts a large
number of cases against members of
the coal association of Washington,
charging them with price extortion
and conspiracy in restraint of trade.
1t is also alleged that owing to lack
of competition the coal dealers do
not undertake to install and use
modern labor-s saving apparatus, which
would clean and sift the coal properly.
There is an organization of coal con-
sumers being formed to prevent
extertion here in the city. None of
these conditions are attributable nor
to be credited to the "Pinchot COM
promise" A New England governor
recently summed up the coal situa-
tion in a few words: THE people
want coal; not resolutions"
Shakespeare must have looked for
ward to the day of Senator Brook
hart when he wrote:
"They that stand high
Have many blasts to shake them,
And IL they fall
They dash themselves to pieces"
The senator is in trouble again.
Not only must he defend himself for
what he said about former secre-
tary of Agriculture Ed T. Mere
dith, which Mr. Meredith estimates to
amount to thirty cents. but now he
must reckon the damages for what
he failed to say. on Labor day, which
one John Watt of the United Mine
Workers of America estimates at
$4,000. The senator had promised to
make q speech and it is alleged he
failed to Keep his appointment.
There is an adage which tells us
that speech is silver, silence golden,
but the range between the evaluation
of Brookharts Meredith speech-30
cents-and Watts claim of $4,000
for Mr.. Brookharts golden" silence
Is so great that gold and silver woul6
have to be figured at a far higher
ratio than 16 to l, If 1t spans the
spread.
What was 1t that Senator Brook
hart failed to say in $4,000 worth?
At what rate per word was he to
speak?
This litigation which brings to
light the possible value of things
said Gao eents) and the contrasting
value of things left unsaid 100000
throws the spotlight on the now fa-
nous Coolidge Pinchot telegram OF
congratulation after the coal strike
settlement So long as neither party
gives cut the telegram, but each de-
fers to the honor of disclosing it,
the telegram Is in the class rated az
out even MFR. Meredith would apsA
praise it at so cents.
ecsoyright. 1928. by r. =. coillr