Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1924-10-02

He neglects to state that the farmer
i in Denmar- is within 125 miles Of all
consumers while in the United States
there is an average Of 1900 miles be-
tween farmer and consumer
| Z. lie said: We mean the sugar
monopoly" etc.
! The wholesale price of sugar at New
YORK since the 1922 tariff was passed
! has averaged a little. over cents
pound; the average, for three years
before the war was a little over Az
| cents an increase of 80 to 35 per
| cent. The average increase In the
price of all commodities has been AS
per cent Seventy per cent of Cuban
sugar (our chief supply is controlled
by four or five groups which operate
on foreign soil beyond reach of our
| Sherman anti-trust law. But for the
| competition of American beet sugar.
these four or five groups would con-
troll absolutely the price of sugar in
| the United States. The Republican
| tariff has preserved and fostered the
| beet sugar industry. The Cuban groups
want to destroy the tariff on sugar;
| so does Mr.. LaFollette.
s. He said: I'VE mean the trans
| portation monopoly" ETC.
The railways of the United States
during the last four years have never
earned more than 51s per cent on
physical valuation, and on an average
have earned less than a per cent.
There cannot be much extortion in
these earnings. Remember, labor COM
prises 10 per cent of railway operat-
ing costs. The average railroad wage
Is now 80 per cent above pre-war.
yet the railways, by great economies
of operation, have held rates on agri-
cultural products to a point only -
per cent above pre-war level Agrf-
culture needs reduction in freight
rates, but that does not justify mis-
statement of the facts. The only way
for Mr.. LaFollette to bring about the
gigantic rate reduction he talks about
is to reduce the wages OF railway en-
ployees, and if he does that he will
decrease consumption of the farmers !,
produce.
8. He said: I'VE mean the oil mo
nopoly, which dictates prices on gaso-
line throughout the land"
The average pre-war price of gaso-
line was 16 cents; it is now 10 cents,
an increase of about 10 per cent Re-
member the average advance in all
commodity prices was 40 per cent.
10. Mr.. LaFOllette charges that the
Republican administration failed to
enforce the laws against combinations
and monopolies.
The fact is congress during this ad-
ministration passed bills to correct
evils attending meat packing and
stockyards and the dealing in grain
futures. Under this same admins
tration 40 suits were brought to check
violations of the anti-trust laws, and
Al of them have been cleaned up;
this is greater record than was
made in the previous ten years. The
Federal Trade Commission has han
died 80 per cent more cases Of I'M
fair trade practices during the pres
ent Republican administration than in
any previous four years.
Senator LaFollette said:
8. I'VE mean to conserve those nat
ural resources and to make available
to the people at cost the light, heat
and water which can be developed
from the water power sites now
owned by the government"
What Mr.. LaFollette really wants
is government development and oper-
alton of public utilities. The govern
ment has never been able to operate
public utilities as cheaply as can pri-
vate enterprise. What Mr.. LaFollette
means, but is afraid to say is social
ism.
The federal water power act, in
force since 1920, insures permanent
public ownership and control of power
sites on public lands and power priv
ileges in navigable and international
streams, which contain So per cent OF
the water power resources of the coun
try.
Mr. LaFollette did not ON this oc
casion mention his proposal of tive
months ago about government OwE
ership of railways, nor his proposal
tllat congress SnOul0 oVerft0e the Su-
preme court. Under govern. ans own
ership of railways would he give emf
ployees the right to strike and disrupt
all transportation whenever they want
ed an increase in wages, or would he
suppress strikes among government
employees and thus thrust all of the,
railway employees in the country into
entire subsection to congress for their
fundamental living standards?
In the case of the plan to let con-
gress override the Supreme court, il
would be interesting to know whether
he various ninorilies in the UlliteG
States are prepared to sacrifice their
right to freedom of speech undes the
present Constitution ard subordinate
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