The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-04-21
THE WHEAT oAMpLrns.

Under the laws of Illinois corners in wheat are illegal. and The Boston Traveller argues that Congress should prohibit such operations throughout the country. Just how far Congress can or should go in the way of regu- iation or control of private individual business Is . question that has always been mooted one since the foundation of the government That there should be punishment as well as prevention in matters which directly concern the food supply of all the people all will agree. but who should apply it? That Is the problem upon which statesmen and Isymen alike will differ. It should not be possible for any man or conn bination of men to run up the prices of food to q point that must mean suffering to the poor if to no one else.
 Ana The Traveller is really equally hard on the bakers of the country. de- claring that bakers who insist on fix inE the price of their iosves by the mysteries of the wheat pit are equally as cupabie as the Chicago specuiator That may be somewhat too sweeping. Of course # would be not only wrong but absurd for a baker to change the sizes and prices Of his ioaves with every fiuetuation in the price of flour. but If that commodity Is forced up and held up to a high figure. even by wheat gamblers. there is nothing left for the baker but to send prices up to something that win save him from loss. Tho primary fault. or crime, more properly. Is with the gamblers who secure corner on wheat for their own purposes, regardless of the privation and actual suffering it may cause the people. There ought to be remedy. we repeat, but who should apply It? The Bunalo Times thinks the government should take charge of 1t. and after calling attention to some of the conditions 1t says:
 aenersi m spGn must rummsss u throush re s fossy statutes and stretch the meaning of nusty decisions, to- see whether there exists anything Tn the shape of law saSisra s of tSs S wheat pie aa fro% nssP tah ing the bread out of the mouths of the people, Could there be any stronger proof than that of the yawn- eas ought ito to be be z i law occupyins so prom inent q place in the books that Mr. Wickersham could fnd It with his eyes shut. and so unmistakable in its interruptions attorney who ever un- dertook to legalize rasceiity could not pervert the working of the statute l.. France has had such law as that for put such an act into effect. Both these countries make 1t 0 crime to corner foodstuns
 It II. said that Mir. Taft will send wheat situation. It Is high time, and the only thing MT. Taft can do to make that message pertinent to the sondttions tss is tc ,arss iegislstieH simi. nj The moral. crime of cornerIng food stuffs should be made a crime in law.
 We are not very favorabiy impressed with the idea Of following Germany and France in the work of law mak- ing. There are wide differences be- tween those countries and ours, and in many respects 1t could hardly be con sidered sood or safe policy to pattern pur .legislation after theirs., Il is not likely that the Attorney General vii, De able te, ind any law that will sn- thcffze the administration to interfere. and If the President urges Congress to enact laws on the subject we may expect some warm debates. And after all t is possible that the matter will die out and be remembered only as a gambling furry.