The Washington herald., 1906-11-24
DENY COST OF VANITY
average People" Take Issue
with DR.. Powers.
LAY BLAME ON THE TRUSTS
james :. O'HaRan, Piumbers' Secre-
tary, says LRbOriHg Man Would
Buy Cheaper If He COuId-Mrs.
Main Declares Poorer Classes
Only wish 10 Live Better.

Only wish To Live Better.
Representatives Of "the average people"
yesterday took issue with the declaration
/ OF Dr. lie Grand Powers, agricultural
statistcian Of the Census Bureau. that
vanity and pride have caused the recent
| big Increase in the price Of foodstufs.
James :. O'Hagan, secretary of the
Plumbers Union, spoke for the laboring
man, and Mrs. Charlotte Emerson Main.
the newly elected president Of the District
| Federation OF Women's Clubs. for women.
/ Both We're positive that the common peo-
1 pie" would live on simpler scale were
/ il possible under prevailing conditions.
| Said AIr. O'Hagan: The average indi-
vidual or the workingman subscribes to
the shinbone theory Of Edward Atkinson.
| He prefers the shinbone because it makes
more soup and has more nourishmeut and
substance than high-priced and prepared
meats. But to-day you can't get it at the
gTocers as you used TO. and it Is COM
paratively as costly as any other meat.
! This is not vanity or pride Dr. Powers
/ is away OF. Pork. always the poor mans
meat, Is at present more costly than
steak.
Garry Their own Supplies.
''Workingmen don't want everything
/ they buy sent home. That is a mistake.
You can go down TO Center Market or.
for that matter, any other market. and
see them with baskets on their arms get
| ding their supply Of foodstuffs and taking
| IL with them. Some OF them carry baskets
to work and stop AZ the market or the
grocers on their way home II they don't.
their wives and children do a majority
/ OF the women daily seen on the cars rs-
turning home from market loaded down
with bundles are the wives and mothers
/ OF Iaborin2 men.
I rs il due 10 pride that we have 10 pay
/ $3.50 a month for q house that Is barely
/ NJ 20 live in. the same house that We only
paid Sl5 or SIC for not more than zen wears
ago? We don't live In -paIatial
homes-we caut even afford modern
houses in an ordinary ueighborhood In
creased rentals are nor due o. pride or
vanity
1T IS not pride or vanity that causes
Us 90 have goods sent We viii carry
bundles. Il is not the workingmen or
average people who have brought about
the expense Of delivery service. but the
s0-ealled better classes salaried and pro-
/ fessionaI men-as designated by Dr. Pow
crs.
Costs No More to BE Proud.
IF you go 90 any green grocer or other
dealer and bay q steak or any other
article and carry is home you pay just
as much for &c as YOU would II YOU had Z
sent Therefore. if the average people
have 20 pay their share in the expense
Of this delivery service. Notwithstanding
they might just as well share the benefit
1T is weu-l5nown fact that in couu-
Try towns. even those close TO big cities
where Jhey have no delivery service and
20 ice chests or other sanitary arrange
ments. and where the consumer buys in
bulk. the same prices prevail for food
studs as they do .u Washington and
other cities
1T IS not that we demand the best of
everything SO much as IL is that the
cheaper grades iu many staple food
stuffs are not obtainable They have been
forced out by the trusts and big dealers
because there was not sufficient profit
in them Take FOR instance brown SUI
gar. the cheapest grade of that staple ar
ticle IL can be bought to-day but at few
places. and then al the prevailing price Of
the granulated article. The same IS true
Of the shiuboue or s0-called soup meat
Living in democratic America. the la
boring man has a perfect right 10 feel
that he is as good as anybody else He
does not try to live like millionaire
or even better than the average, but he
does want 10 live as the average man
lives. not IN aff1ueuCe. but with the COM
fort Of a reasonable share of the necessi-
ties, and "a bright and coy home
She BIames the Trusts.
I certainly don't think that the in
crease in The cost Of living is due to
pride or vanity on the part Of the aver
age man. said Mrs Main In my opin-
ion il is due TO the increase Of price in
the original or raw article by the big con-
trolling interests. the trusts-the beef
trust the sugar trust. and all of them
whose names are TOO familiar For in
stance. the increase in the costs or meats
has not been made by the middleman.
small dealer or retailer; they pay more
for IT, The increase is due to the origi-
nal price charged them by the slaughter
ers
4 agree with DIT. Powers In q number
Of instances. and believe that many OF
his statements are true. but the average
people. the poorer classes. if you will.
should not be called vain and proud be-
cause they wish 10 live better than the
peasants Of Europe. Conditions are alto
gether different There they may never
hope to get away from the prejudice Of
caste. Here it is the reverse. and !: can
not be expected that they should care TO
have the difference eliminated or cur
tailed
SaIaried Men Hardest HIT.
Il also think that those who are on
a stated income or salary. the better or
professional class by imputation, are the
cnes who suffer through the increase in
prices. and not the laboring man. II is a
widely known fact that the wages of the
laboring men have increased proportion
ately, or at least almost so. with the in
crease in the cost Of living.
1t is the men who are in positions that
bring a stated salary who suffer. Take.
for instance men in the government en-
ploy. The same salary obtains in the
Office occupied by them that prevailed
years ago. This is in large measure true
Of government clerks and army and navy
officers.