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The Commo.ner
f OL. 21, NO. 10
The Commoner
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TIIIJl qOMlttONEK, LINCOLN, NEB.
have not sufficient moans of bringing their griev
ances boforo the public. The avenues of infor
mation are all in private hands. The partisan
newspapers, are partial to their side and do not
fairly present the situation. It is imporsiblo
for a man with convictions to present the op
posite side as strongly as( ho presents his own.
The so called independent papers may be divided
into two classes, viz.; those that try to be inde
pendent and those that do' not try. Those that
try do not succeed because tho bias of those
Who own tho paper will not permit impartiality
in tho presentation of the issue and there are
many so called independent papers that are
now adjuncts of predatory interests and de
liberately deceive the public. In the contested
states that decide presidential elections, Repub
lican newspapers are almost always with the
corporations that enjoy special privileges. The
public, therefore, is not clearly informed as to
tho real issues and as to thn arguments pro arid
con. I see no hope oxcept through the estab
lishment of a national bulletin not a newspaper
but a bulletin under bi-partisan control, which
will furnish the three things needful. First, a
clear presentation of the issues as they rire
stated by tho two sides. Second, a comparison
of the arguments as they are offered by the two
Sides in editorial space supplied to representa
tives of tho various parties. Third, space for the
presentation of the claims of candidates sj that
tho. candidates without wealth can have the
same access to tho public that the rich candidate
has. i . i ,
These are a few suggestions which I deem
worthy of consideration. I appreciate" the op
portunity of presenting them to so representa
tive a- body of Southerm Farmers.
H L.
Officers of the federal reserve bank are giving
out. interviews to the newspapers to the effect
that -there is no reason to believe a permanent
depression of business, exists and they urge upon
business men tho possession of an optimistic out
look. If; tho average business man had been
ablo to make as big a per cent tho last year as
the federal reserve banks piled up at tho expense
of tanners, .stockmen and small business men
theyr . might, eel optimistic, too.
i ' i
An Omaha grand jury has .ndicted ninety
eight persons for frauds connected with thotfi
pancing .and, operation of corporations that
earned money only forthe promoters. Ninety
eight seems like a large number of-men to
gather in, a, judicial dragnet until one stops to
recajl how many were actually engaged in bilk
ing the public during the blue sky craze,
v The packers having cut. the wages .of their
employes are to have a strike on their hands
Haying cleaned up tha stockmen the packers rv?'
dontly feel that they would have little difficulty
in restoring old-time peonage conditions in the
sjaughter-houses,. - y tuo
A lot of com-plaints are hoard about telephone
service, the principal one being tho failure to
wjrk of the lines connecting tho wholesalpra
i with the retailers of the country. wmiesaleis
Lincoln's Municipal
Coal Yard
The following statement by City Commission
er Charles W. Bryan is made in reply to a state
ment published in The Journal Sept. .29, 1921,
and credited to H. T. Folsom, of the Union Coal
Company. Mr. Bryan says:
"On Monday, Sept. 26, I presented to the city
council an official report as city commissioner
and superintendent of the municipal coal yard,
giving information relative to the operation of
tho municipal coal yard, I felt the council and
the public were entitled to.
In the State Journal of the morning of Sept.
29 there appeared a statement credited to one
H T. Folsom, of the Union Coal Company, under
the following heading: "Brands C. W. Bryan
as a Lie Spreader." Tho Journal's lead story
preceding the Folsom statement vouches for the
Folsom statement in the following language:
"In a statement issued Wednesday H. T. Folsom,
of the Union Coal Company, nails as unadulter
ated lies four statements made by Commissioner
Bryan in a communication submitted by the lat
ter to his colleagues of the council last Mon
day." The low plane on which the statement was
prepared and the manner in which it was written
up by the newspaper are entirely out of harmony
with present day civilization, education, culture
or good taste. The statements made in the mu
nicipal coal yard attack are not worthy Of a re
ply, but as the attack was made on a depart
ment of the city government and was intended
to discredit the municipal coal yard and to intim
idate the head of the city department in ques
tion from continuing his efforts to protect the
public, I will set forth below the proof of the
statements made in my official communication to
the council and will trust the public to judge for
itself as to who lied:
I stated in my official communication to the
council that "a good man with a team could
earn $16.00 a day during tho coal hauling sea
son, and that a man with a truck from $25 to
$30 a day." Mr. Folsom brands this, official
statement of mine as "lie No. 2." I will' let Mr.
Reed, a coal hauler with a team, answer Mr.
Folsom. I have a signed statement from Mr.
Reed as follows:
Lincoln, Neb., Sept. 29. 1921.
"I hereby certify that I have hauled and de
livered with a team 24 tons of domestic coal
in one day, the haul ranging from ten to thirty
blocks to the trip.
H. D. Reed, 2269 Y street."
t will also let Mr. Wentink answer Mr.
Folsom. Mr. Wentink operates a truck? and in
a signed statement he say3.
' Lincoln, Sept. 29, 1921.
"I hereby certify that I haye hauled 27 tons
and delivered it in one day. I have made $111 in
six days hauling coal.
John Wentink, 2539 South 9th street."
. I stated in my official report to the ' council
that "it was possible for a coal dealer to pay for
a motor truck within from sixty to ninety days
out of the profits that some coal dealers are
making out of the delivery of coal." Mr. Folsom
branded this statement as "lie No. 3."
By referring above to Mr. Reed's letter, you
will note that at the rate of $1.25 per ton Mr
Reed would make with a team $30 per day or in
sixty days make $1,800. In ninety days he
could .earn $2,700. You will note that Mr Wen
tink with a truck hauling 27 tons in a day at
$1.25 per ton would make $33.75 per day In
sixty days at that rate he could earn $2,925 or
in ninety days $3,037.50.
When I stated in my official report to the
council about the municipal coal yard that "a
man with a team could earn $16 a day, that a
man with a truck could earn from $25 to $30
a day and that- a coal dealer could pay for a
truck out of the profits of his coal delivery in
from sixty to- ninety days," my statement was
very conservative. Two thousand dollars earned
in sixty days would pay for about three trucks
and $3,000 in ninety days would pay for about
four and one-half new trucks or pay for about
seven good second-hand trucks. " In other words'
a coal dealer out of his profits on the delivery
of coal could pay for a fleet of trucks in sixtv
days or for a flock of trucks in ninety days
capable of delivering 150 tons of coal a dav
I think the public will agree that Mr Rood
5S2 &r: IX. have ma ot "
' In my official report to the council I stated
that "the municipal coal yard hnri anni..-.
ii.-i i.i n.An fn o'-t c i. - civtQ un
represented a 'saving of about $750 to those wh
had purchased their coal up to that time frni!
the muny coal yard." Mr. Folsom branded H
statement as "lie No. 4." - ULQ lhat
When I was pushing the municipal coal yam
project last February and urging the old coun
cil to put in a municipal coal yard to protect thn
public from prafiteering in coal, I stated that
"it -was costing Lincoln people upwards of $7 00
per ton to get coal delivered to their bins after
it had reached the city of Lincoln on the train "
I quoted the price of coal at the mine from fed.
eral government reports to show that coal could
"be bought for $2.75 and that it was being sold
in Lincoln from $14.25 to $14.50 per ton. 1
challenged the coal dealers to deny it, and they
did not daro do bo.
Tho public joined in the demand for a mu
nicipal coal yard, and whei it appeared aa
though the old council mlglu yield io tho de
mand and put in a municipal coal yard, the
price of coal was reduced, by coal dealers from
$14.50 to something like $11 per ton. Then
when the old council stated that owing to the
fact that the price of coal had receded and that
the winter was nearly over and they did not
deem it necessary ta put in a municipal coal
yard, the price of coal was advanced to above
$12.00 per ton.
After my election in IVTay and the movemont
had been gotten under way to put in a munici
pal coal yard by direct vote of the people under
the initiative and referendum and the petitions
were in circulation to adopt a coal ordinance
and to recall two members ot the council in or
der to reduce the cost of living and the coal
ordinance was permitted by the other members
of the council to be passed and put into effect,
the price of Central Illinois coal or what is
known as cheap, sooty Illinois coal, w.as reduced
to $10.50 per ton, and In, some instances to
$9.75 per ton. .The high grade coal that the
muny yard is selling-at $10,50 is $4.00 a ton
less than the same coal was being sold in Lin
coln when I commenced the movement for a
municipal coal yard last winter, and as the price
of this grade of coal has advanced at the mine
55 cents a ton since last March, the purchase
of the 315 tons of qqaCreprdsented a saving to
those who had purchased Jfy of more than $1,200
in place of the conservative statement I made of.
$700 in my official report to the council on Sept,
26.
The figures and statements in proof of this
answer tOsMr. Folsom's so-called branding of
"lie No. 4" can be verified in the columns of the
Journal and statements corroborated by the
manager of the municipal coal' yard in Omaha,
Mr. Butler, verified by advertisements and of
ficial statements ""that have appeared in the
Journal since last January, and I will let Mr.
Butler's- official statements and the other state
ments referred to dispose of Mr". Folsom's charge
of "lie No. -4."
In my official statement to the council that
Mr, Folsom attacks, I stated that "the price of
coal in Lincoln had been reduced about $2.00
a ton by coal dealers notwithstanding the price
at the mines had been advanced to from 50 to
and 75 cents a ton since last February," Mr,
Folsom branded that statement as "lie No. 1,
and in his tirade to the pross stated that 'on
last January the price of Illinois coal was from
$7 to $9 per ton F. X B. the mines, and since
that time had been reduced as low as $2.25
for the Central Illinois coal (which is tho cheap
sooty coal) and $3.75 for Franklin county coal.
In proof of my statement that the price or
Illinois coal had been advanced since February
from 50 to 75 cents a ton and that Mr. Folsom s
statement that the price of Illinois coal in Jan
uary was from $7 to $9 a ton at the mine, needs
some further explanation, I will quote prices
of actual purchases . in, the opui market by Jj
large whole'sale coal dealer whoso books win
verify the figures which I auote :
T 1921 Price at Mine r
Jan. Franklin Co.. .$4.15; Central 111.. .?3.Jj
Feb. Franklin Co... 4.1 B; ;- Central 111. . 3.7&
Mar. Franklin fin 3 kh.. notl Til... 3.0U
-. - W V U U U ft WliU ---.
Apr. Franklin Co..
May Franklin Co..
Aug, Franklin Co..
Sept. Franklin Co..
3..G5; Central III..
3.8 5 ;, Central 111- -
4,05; Central 111..
4.05; Central 111..
2.75
2.50
3.25
3.50
These figures representing actual purchases
by a Nebraska wholesale coal dealer at tiie
prices, and during the months named prove mj
statement that coal has advanced from 50 to
75 cents a ton since last February, and Mr. Fol
som's own statement shows that the price of coai
has been reduced $2 a 'ton or moro notwith
standing the fact that thg price of coal has gon"
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