The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-10-18
THE ALUMINIUM MYSTERY.

 to this principle are valid subjects of political discussion. Unless the Repub- licans can show that their administration has been honest, then they must accept defeat. But that they cannot show, for they have accepted responsibility for the acts of those of their party who betrayed positions of high public trust, by failing promptly and vigorously to expel them from their high position. Indeed, they went further than that and actually tried to shield the guilty from exposure and from the penalty of expulsion. In that action they voluntarily made themselves accessory to the wrongs committed.
 In no way did the Republican adminis- tration show itself more resolutely de- termined to shield misconduct in high of- flee than in the blocking of the attempt to inquire into the conduct of the secre- tary of the treasury. But some situations are so bad that the evil odors will escape, no matter how tightly smothered. The great wealth of MT. Mellon is well known. He is one of the four or five richest men in the country. Nobody has held that against him. Indeed, the ability to ad- minister great wealth and to increase 1t would warrant the impression that the man thus endowed would be capable of administering the gigantic business of the United States treasury department. And there can be no doubt that, in some respects, MT. Mellon has administered his responsibilities in a remarkable manner.
 The real test comes, however, when an officials personal interest conflicts with his official duty. It is in this regard that MT. Mellon has been accused. His influential connection with the aluminium trust is in itself reason for alert atten- tion, for everybody knows that monop- oly, unless restrained, is very apt to take advantage of it's position and reap larger return than the cost of production requires in order to yield good profit. Although the production of aluminium has almost no foreign competition, yet the tariff on aluminium is very high and cannot be defended in any manner as be- ing protective of the industry against foreign goods. The aluminium tariff is bald gift to the aluminium trust extended as special favor by the party of pillage now in power. It is gift which the trust collects by levying tax upon the American purchasers of aluminium. It may very well be the deciding influence that kept Henry Ford from getting Muscle Shoals, for Henry is feared as a prospective competitor of the alumi- mum trust. The trust knows that when Ford enters the field the prices of alumi- mum will tumble like blockhouse in an earthquake.
 But the gravest charge against MT. Mellon is the settlement of the amortiza- ton claims of the aluminium trust against the government for nearly sixteen mil lion dollars. As Congressman Jeffers says, this sum is "far more generous than the amount originally claimed or esti- mated. Either the engineers responsi- ble for the original amount estimated to be due the company were extremely mod crate and did not do the company jus tice, or the engineers who made the final allowance were extremely generous to the aluminium company" A still more serious aspect of the affair, however, is the fact that MT. Mellon, although head of the department having adjust ment of such claims, did not call in disinterested authority to fix fair val uation, but himself officiated. As MT. Jeffers remarks: "It is an improper state of affairs where an individual hav- ing claims against the government for such vast amounts is himself at the head of the department which handles such claims. In so doing, MT. Mellon is as dev old of ethics as would be judge sit ting upon a case in which he had per sonal interest. And especially in a de- partment where any favontism in the handling of cases in that department is completely surrounded and protected by the wall of absolute secrecy which has covered all transactions within that par ticular department"
 And the party now in power not only refuses to permit any inquiry into the sacred privacy of MT. Mellon, but reso- lutely continues him in the position where he has such fine opportunity to do the things of which he is suspected. A gov ernment that sought to be honest would inquire into such a situation. A public official unjustly accused would surely de- mand an inquiry in his own justification. Let the people draw their own conclusions and decide whether they want to continue in power a party that not only is not shocked by revelations of betrayals of the public trust, but actually appears to condone and seek to justify such be- trayals.
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