The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, October 28, 1918, Page 10

Colver Exposes Attack by Chamber Head of Federal Trade Commission Testifies Before Senate Committee * on Agriculture—Opponents Fail to Explain Themsélvcs Washington Bureau, Nonpartisan Leader. HY did the Chamber of Commerce of the United States issue that “report” denouncing the federal trade com- mission just after the federal trade - commission had re- ported” to President Wilson that the Big Five meat packers and their allied financial interests had con- spired to control the food supply of the United States and some of its allies in this war? That’s what the senate committee on agriculture has been investigating. It first subpoenaed Rush C. Butler, chairman of the committee of the chamber which drafted the attack on the federal trade commission, and Allen Walker, New York agent of the chamber, who some time ago wrote the begging letter to the “big list” of a hundred big financial concerns and persons asking them to pay $1,000 each to put the chamber on its feet. Butler and Walker together made it clear that the packers had been generous to the chamber, and that Butler was in hearty sym- pathy with the packers as against the commission. Next the senate committee called upon Harry A. Wheeler, president of the chamber, and upon Wil- liam B. Colver, chairman of the federal*trade com- mission. These two men represented the purposes of the two opposing forces—Wheeler, gene::grfin- chief of American big busi- ; ness, looking over the field to strike at enemies or critics of the organized commercial and financial interests; and Colver, responsible head of the govern- ment’s force which undertakes to shield the public from com- mercial monopoly and unfair competition. Wheeler came before the Senate investigators in a surly mood. He could not be induced to answer any question frankly " and squarely.” He evaded, dodged, attempted to put the senators on the defensive by assuming an injured tone, and in a variety of ways he gave the impression that he held the senate in contempt when it presumed to probe his business relations. Wheeler gave a beautiful example of the"puff- ed-up insolence which too much power over money can give to a man. COLVER ANSWERS ALL QUESTIONS Colver, on the other hand, . was eager to satisfy the ques- tions put to- him by Senators Kendrick, Norris and Kenyon. As a public official, he wanted, as he said, “to ascertain - the truth and make it known.” The public, his client, had no inter- est in dodging any question with relation to the federal trade commission or the.work it had done, or the reasons for | ¥ the attack made upon its work '~ by big business. When Senator Norris exam- ined Wheeler, he drew from the boss of the Chamber of Commerce:of the United States the fact that Wheeler’s organ- izati6én . has. some 1,100 -com- mercial and industrial organi- zations affilidgted with it, be- side 6,000 individual members paying $25 to $50 a year, and 2,000_ individuals paying $100 a year. The chamber is spend- ing, about $500,000 this year— all of it raised from these The vicious United Stat country. The commission was ders of the president and the United States Cha business attacking the testimony on this page partisan Leader show, business. Cartoonist W. C. Morris here. their most able modern successor. chausen lied for the entertainment o his country and ‘the common. peopl ‘the kept press, the misreprésentati /out 2 more democratic means of handlin or their monopoly privileges. members and affiliated orga.nizafiions. From every corner of the United States, from every banking group, every wholesale or retail mercantile group, . every manufacturing and transportation associa- tion in the country, except some of the smaller ones, the money is flowing into the coffers of this head- quarters in Washington. This money is paid to the chamber by the organ- ized business men of the country in order that they may sleep at night. They want a lookout kept in the national' capital for their peculiar interests. They want all possible information as to the moves of the progressive political and industrial forces that would endanger their vested interests. They want their share of the war orders given by the government in each line of manufacture. But above FAMOUS LIARS ACKNOWLEDGE A SUPERIOR THE DALY YAwp ALL RBOUT THE FARMER attack on the federal trade commission by the es Chamber of Commerce recently startled the working directly under the or- at the same time most people thought mber of Commerce was fairly represen- tative of the general business of the nation. president? Not at all. As Mr. Colver’s and other revelations made in the Non- the chamber is nothing but a den of special privilege masquerading as representative of general It is ready to throw its whole strength against the administration when any step -the war interferes with the insiders’ profits Was general considered essential to shows the two most famous liars of history doing homage to But whereas Ananias lied for himself and Baron: Mun- f others, the kept press makes a business of lying against’ e and declares dividends on it. The lastest big trick of h on of the federal trade comnfission,’i,s_;exfioa!e@\’on { : ‘The kept press will probably keep the laurels for lying__?;‘\tiluthfe people work ¢ g the news. all, they want the government steered away from “dangerous” tendencies. - When the federal trade commission, . then, came out with its disclosures of the criminal practices of the meat barons and proposed that the stock- vards, refrigerator and cattle cars, cold storage and branch meat houses should all be taken over by the gov- ernment, it was the chamber that rushed into print with a hysterical squeal of protest and-abuse. VICIOUS ACTIVITY Bl OF CHAMBER e It denounced the commission for hav- ing given up “important” studies of trade conditions prior to the war. It denounced the commission for having “recklessly” made up an estimate of the cost of production of coal last year, and it made charges of definite unfairness in the manner in which these estimates were secured. It ‘denounced the commission for its method of trying to get the facts about the criminal practices of -the packers, and it denounced the commission for having failed to cause criminal prosecutions when criminal charges were made. ¥ Finally, it denounced the whole attitude of the . : federal trade commission and demanded of Presi- oy dent Wilson that he appoint two men to existing vacancies on the commission who would reverse its policy. : ; S Wheeler, when he was asked by Norris about this B report, said he read it before it was published, and N e ; had “nothing to add” to it. Wheeler denied- that his bank, the Union Trust com- pany of Chicago, was “in any way connected with the pack- ers or packing interests.” Of course, in view of the fact that the packers are in- : terested in almost every line of Sk &/ food products, and in leather . and fertilizer and endless other concerns, each of which is af- filiated with the chamber through its own trade associa- tion, it would not be necessary for the packers to do very much to persuade the chamber to help them. But Senator p Norris ‘asked Chairman Colver 3 of the federal trade commis- sion to ‘tell ‘just why he had listed Wheeler’s bank, in the report, as-an .Armour institu- tion, ‘ § Ly “Because,” said Colver, pull- ing out a schedule from his papers, “we found that George i E. Marcy, who is a director of _ the Union Trust company, has for many years been the chief - man in the Armour Grain com- - pany, and is president of that concern. J.. Odgen Armour - " owns 64 per cent, and other members of the Armour family own an additional 22.9 per’ cent, of the stock of the Ar- - / mour Grain company. " The i fact that the head of this Ar- = ¢ b mour concerhn is one ‘of the di- p rectors ‘of the Union Trust company seems to me to defi- nitely establish the connection between ‘this bank and the packers.: - e e E - However, there was further - evidence in Colver’s hands. He & : 5 - read from another paper a list: = =~ il ‘|~ of the loans outstanding on the .= - NI s “books . of - ‘Wheeler’s bank, on. June 30, 1917, to the packers. ‘Armour & Co.: had been lent -$200,000 on a note; the Cuda