OCR Text |
Show Cleaner in the West WHILE the reports of the senate civil liberties liber-ties subcommittee of the committee on education edu-cation and labor state that $10,000,000 admittedly was spent by American Industry in the purchase of tear gas. other "munitions" and espionage, 'Utah, Nevada and Wyoming stand forth with a clear record. In Idaho a single industry and in Colorado two processors spent small amounts. Otherwise the two states may be added to the other three and given clean bills of health. Testimony was taken from representatives of the largest industries, and, as well, from workers' designated spokesman in the committee's long drawn-out hearings. Chairman of the committee com-mittee was Senator LaFollette and with him sat Senator Elbert D. Thomas of Utah. Both signed the report attesting the favorable conditions found to exist in these western states. Mines, smelters, mills, railroads, sugar companies and other principal enterprises wasted no money in their labor relations. Speaking in Washington Tuesday as the final report was released. Senator Thomas voiced his personal opinion that the greatest ill which cornea as a result of the use of espionage in industry in-dustry Is the ill that afflicts Industry itself. "The manhood of the spy is, of course, destroyed," he aid. "The worker's spirit is killed and ha becomes be-comes suspicious of his surroundings, uncertain of his friends, neighbor and associates at the work bench. But above all he teams to hate his employer bees use he knows his employer is treating him dishonestly, and his righteous in-. in-. dignation rebels." The $10,000,000 which espionage cost, he said, was for the purchase of "worthless and unreliable" unre-liable" information, for "destructive influence" and for "no purpose at all" at the expense of stockholders. This committee report reflects a condition generally known to exist in this region. The disclosures dis-closures present no "news," but it nevertheless Is agreeable to have them made as part of official offi-cial government records. |