The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-13
KANSAS COAAENT
THE BIG QUESTIONS.

oouiS Say the TRUSTS anu SOAlUliio-
tons in restraint of trade, crushing
ut all competition, have arbitrarily
increased prices to the point of extor-
ION; others charge that the protective
tariff is to blame for high prices;
others again stellSus that these prices
are fixed by the law of supply and de-
inand, and result from the increase in
the volume of our currency, and from
other natural causes.
What is the correct answer to this
FERROUS inquiry? Can we attribute the
general advance of prices to comblna-
t ons in restraint of trade? II the
price of crude and refined petroleum
or the price of steel rails mad ad-
Vanced very materially during the past
ten years, and the price of other staple
articles had remained stationary, or
fallen, it would be a fair inference to
gay the increase in the price OF crude
and refined petroleum and IN the
l-rice of steel rails was because the
Standard Oil company and the United
States Steel corporation have mo-
copoly in the production or these arti-
Ties. But a writer in the New YORK
Independent says that the prices of
ten thousand articles which neither
the Standard Oil company, the Onlteo
States Steel corporation nor any otner
rust controls, have steadily advanceo
more rapidly than petroleum, ana the
rice of steel rails has not advanced a1
ALL
Monopoly can neither be defended
Tor excused, but it is not the cause of
prevailing high prices.
Are excessive tariff duties to blame
for these high prices generally? There
IS heavy tariff on sugar and the
American Sugar Refining company Is
one of the worst outlaws in the coun-
try. But sugar is one OF the rev artl-
c1es that mas not advanced IN prlce'
On the contrary it has gone down.
Ir 1907 we imported four billion
pounds of sugar, which paid a duty
y. over sixty million dollars ana ye.'
while the price of food products not
affected bv the tariff increased over
25 per cent during the past ten years.
the price of sugar fell 1.6 per cent.
Little men can't know much ABOUT
Zig questions. And all men are ilttie
III comparison with the Dig qti,,,as
we are compelled to guess; sometlnles
we are right, and sometimes Wrohs'-
Atchison Globe.
DEATH TOLL WILL BE LARGE.
Two German aeronauts have given
their lives to the science OF aerlal
navigation. But that will cause no
cessation in the work OF lnVehtioii anu
experiment in flying.
Scarcely an achievement OF peneH,
to the race has been carried through
without paying more or less toii "
death. There is daily danger on tns
rail, on the sea, in building olhlcuII
terranean victims are counted in nun
dreds. J..
But the railroads run daily with IN
creased speed. The sea is white with
sails or black with the smoke OF
steamers. No bridge project is TOO
dangerous to check engineers. Let II
appear that a tunnel is needeo ana
threatened perils will not postpone
ita digging. So
Only this month the deadly risks OF
mining have been exemplified in sew
eral parts of the earth, yet thousands
of miners are at work today under
ground where explosions are momen-
tari1y possible.
1t will be conceded that this latest
science to be taken seriously, is the
most dangerous of all. Its victims
have not been numerically large, out
they have been proportionately heavy.
In several years the deaths in aero
nautical circles will not equal the list
of dead reached at Cherry this
month, but that is because so few
persons will be above earti1's support,
compared to those beneath.
Yet nothing will check this deter
mined fight to overcome gravity and
acquire for man the power which ma
ture has given to the birds. Each
year will add to the victims but each
month will add to knowledge acquir-
ed and to hard problems solved.
It is foreordained that man shall
fiy.-Wicllita Beacon.