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Show SENATOR 'OWENS .BARES COAL BARONS' CREED AND "WAGES" ALIBI ' By ROBERT L. OWEN, i U. S. Senator From Oklahoma; Author of Federal Reserve Banking Act; Precident National Popular Government League. I fear the average citizen does not realize sharply enough the close connection con-nection between his vote and his pocketbook. Bib business understands under-stands thiB perfectly, that is why it spends millions on campaign funds, maintains expensive lobbies at Washington, Wash-ington, watches appointments to important im-portant offices, and is in politics 365 days in the year. The average citizen djsgusted with "politics," need not despair of release from His-unjust burdens bur-dens if he will forsake blind partisanship partisan-ship and take a little intelligent interest inter-est in his government. Take the coal situation as an example. exam-ple. The nation gasped a few days ago when a ?2 increase in the price of coal was announced, the excuse given being the 27 per cent increase granted labor by the president's coal commission. commis-sion. Now comes the Federal Trade Commission, Com-mission, and gives the country the plain facts which prove that this wage, Increase averages only 45 cents per ton advance to them iners, and that 23 cents of this was granted by tho Garfield award at tho time of the strike last November! TWO DOLLARS IS DEMANDED TO COVER A WAGE ADVANCE OP 15 CENTS! , MU UiU- torn uptriuiuift iicuu una money to care for their families or, enable them to make a fair, profit and! thus (continue in business? For an- swer,' let us turn ji gain to "Senate, Document 259" the treasury report j giving corporation income and excess i tax returns for 1917. from which I have before quoted in these articles. At page 372 of this famous report are listed 31 bituminous coal companies of the Appalachian region, which had a total capital stock of $99,577,103. and which In 1917 made a total net profit of $26,261, 667 AFTER ALL TAXES HAD BEEN PAID. Profits Are Large. Twenty-three of these companies cleared net profits on capital stock, after paying taxes, of all the way from 100 per cent to 3955 per cent Six Pennsylvania anthracite companies cleaned up $1,081,550 profits, beyond all taxes, on a capitaL stock of $1,150,-000. $1,150,-000. Impossible of belief as it may seem that men would lake such advantage of our people with the nation at war, the government figures ai'e there. And remember these profits were made in some cases on watered capital. To a great extent this explains why the average American family man had to pay this last winter $8.81 per ton for his soft coal as against $5.-13 in 1913, and for hard stove coal $12.50, as against $7.73 for the same period. The Bureau of Labor Statistics furnishes us with these figures, and they are conservative. con-servative. No fair man who knows the truth can lay this enormous sudden increase at the door of labor, organized or un organized. My space is short, I can-1 not fill this articlo with unending sta-1 tistics, but reports of the Federal Trade Commission prove that between 1916 and 1918 the Increase granted operators and dealers on their coal , prices was proportionately FOLTR 1 TIMES that granted to labor. There Is a question of humanity, health and national well-being involved in-volved here. ' J All Experts Agree. j All experts agree that no wage worker can maintain himself, wife and a family of three children in ordinary' health and comfort on an income of less than $2200 per year at the present pres-ent time, and that $1600 is necessary, to escape the mere poverty line. From reliable data it is clear that the best paid coal miners during the war period were making $1400 perj year, the poorer paid down to $900; i and further, that even with the re-1 cent award the average yearly earnings earn-ings may be expected to reach around $1200 or $1300 per year, with a maximum maxi-mum of $16000 or $17000, just at the poverty line. Facts like the above, which might be multiplied indefinitely all to the same conclusion, are necessary if we are to arrive at just judgments and take wise action which will neither be precipitous pre-cipitous and destructive nor delay beyond be-yond the point when the public patience pa-tience Is exhausted. If the people will not realize the great value of public servants who are turning the light into the dark corners of commercial greed for profiteering, the special Interests do. The Coal Operators' Association itself it-self has brought a suit In the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia to enjoin the Federal Trade Commission from securing monthly data as to their cost reports. The case is before Judge Bailey. If the operators win, the usefulness of the trade commission is at an end, jbecause it will be shorn of Its power to go bohind business camouflage and Iget at the real facts which the people must know. It Is a business proposition with tha operators. A single letter to the an-tracite an-tracite operators from the commission on March 12. 1917. SAVED THE COAL CONSUMERS OF THE NATION . SOME $7,000,000. At that time the hard coal opera- ' tors were planning not to give the usual spring discount on anthracite, claiming increased costs of production on account of war conditions. The om-mlsslon om-mlsslon promptly Informed the operators opera-tors that "the cost data already compiled com-piled are conclusive against further price increases this spring." Mere publicity was enough. The discounts dis-counts were granted, and the operators opera-tors did not get the gouge of from $7,000,000 or $8,000,000 which they had expected. If it is good business for coal operators opera-tors and other combines to take an interest in-terest in politics and government, without distinction of party politics, then it Is equally good business for tho people to Interest themselves likewise. |