The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-02-20
BY Harry Cannes.

NAS" HASAOA tlCAuCuuOuo power anu
influence in Coolidge's imperialist exc
cutive committee sounds almost like
the plot of one of the tales of the
Arabian Nights. Yet the story of
Andy's rise thru justification is a
story of the invention, development
and manufacture of aluminium and
aluminium ware.
The octupus corporations built up
around the treasurer's interests is the
center Of attack at the present time
by the representatives of small capital
and the large farming interests in
congress. Especially are the repre-
sentatives Of the middle west capital
lists making a pretense at welding
verbal big stick against Andy's alu-
minum interests.
What particularly peeves the poll
tical spokesman Of the less fortunate
capitalists is the fact that Andrew
Mellon. in his position as secretary
of the treasury, and as the most in
fiuential mind in the Coolidge ma
chine, has been active in getting spe-
cial advantages for his aluminium in
dustries all over the world to such
an extent that he has an absolute
monopoly on sheet and manufactured
aluminium
Representative Hull of Tennessee,
has centered the fight against Mel
Ions trust around the attempt to re-
duce the tariff rate on aluminium so
that foreign companies might be en-
abled to- compete with Andy's COM
bine and smash his monopoly.
How can Mellon manipulate his job
50 that he can directly benefit his in
terests? The treasury department, as
a well-known liberal has pointed out,
is the chief point of contact between
machine politics and modern indus
trialism; the converging currents Of
politics and industry flow first thru
the treasury, then the white house,
and finally into congress.
Mellon is the foremost representa-
tive of finance capital in public life in
the United States today. In attack
ing the Mellon interests, the repre-
sentatives of small capital and the
large farming interests revert to the
old futile Rooseveltian tactics of
smashing the trusts, dream and de-
fusion at the present stage of world
imperialist development,
Arthur v. Davis, president of the
Aluminium company of America, in
testifying before the federal trade
commission said:
This company really consists of A.
d. Mellon and r. B. Mellon. Of
course, A. w. Mellon resigned as a
member Of the board Of directors
when he went into the government,
and we now have six directors instead
of seven. When he has finished his
work in Washington. he will again be-
come a member of the board of direc-
tors"
But Andrew has not relinquished
his 80 per cent OF the $4,000, 900
stock in this company. Moody's Man
ual quotes the capital stock of the
Aluminium company of America at
$1S,S29, 500 with a surplus of 2,153,-
SCI.
The growth of the Aluminium COM
pany of America and Andy's millions
is a romance of Imperialism. The
company originally was organized in
1882, to exploit the invention of
Charles NJ. Hall. Only $4,000 was
ever invested by anybody, and in
very short time by monopolist meth
DDS the company grew into 100000
900 corporation. The profits of the
company have at all times been ire
mendous. Ine1912-13 it was paying Is
per cent on a capitalization of $780,
100000, which is a return of $50 to
235 per cent on the money actually
invested.
The company has an absolute mon
opoly of aluminium mining, manufac-
turing. production and sales in the
United States. Not only that, but