Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-01-18
An Overlooked Factor in the Problem
BY Bishop W. A. Gambler

The increased cost or living is being
felt so keenly that Congressional in
vestigation is proposed to ascertain the
cause and the cure of the trouble. 1t
has become a matter of concern to all
classes Even people of large means
who have incomes quite above the
pinching point are being rorced to con-
slider it.
The men who own and control great
trunk lines of railway find that the in
creased cost of living is bringing to
them most perplexing problem. Their
employees complain that they can not
live on the wages which are paid to
them, and they are able to show by
facts and figures that their complaint
is just At the same time the author
tiles of the railroads claim that their
receipts do not permit the raising of
wages. Both parties, thus standing
upon facts which neither of them Sc
riously denies, find themselves con-
fronted by an acute condition which
gives distress to each and no little anx-
iety to the public. In the midst of
what seems TO be a most prosperous
period there are rumors of possible
strikes which would entail great loss to
all concerned and much inconvenience
and suffering to many thousands OF
people.
Many theories are preached to ex-
plain the situation and various RENE
dies are suggested for it. Men are not
waiting on the slow process Of a Con-
gressional investigation to tell what is
the matter and what we ought to do
about 1t.
The trusts come in for much CEN
sure, and doubtless most of them de-
serve the condemnation which they re-
ceive. The effort to make money out
of human need by coercive manipula-
ton of the prices of the necessaries OF
life is a most reprehensible thing. 1t
is an ancient sin, ana it is as wicked
as it is ancient King Solomon seems
to have had in mind some such thing
as a corner in grain" when he said,
HE that withholdeth corn. the people
snail curse him; put blessing shall be
upon the head of him that selleth it."
(Proverbs XII, 36). And that stern and
rugged old prophet Amos spoke some
words which require no forced accom-
mediation to make them apply to certain
conditions of the present day. With
warmth almost amounting to fierce
ness, he exclaims, Hear this, o We that
swallow up the needy, even to make
the poor of the land to fail, saying,
When will the new moon be gone, that
we may sell corn? and the Sabbath,
that we may set forth wheat, making
the ephah small and the shekel great,
and classifying the balances by deceit?
that we may buy the poor for silver
and the needy for a pair of SHOES; yea,
and sell the refuse of the wheat"
(Amos viii, 4, s, 81. The prophet saw
men impatient of the hours of religious
worship that they might get their spec
ulations, and we have men of that sort
among us. He saw men raising the
price of bread-stuffs so that it took
big shekel of gold to get a little ephah
OF flour; and we have that also. He
saw men manipulating weights and
measures to get gain dishonesty; but
he saw nothing or this sort equal unto
the fraudulent weighing to which the
agents of the Sugar Trust" have been
addicted Many of the trusts" are ex-
posed TO the remuneration OF Ine All
cent scriptures as well as TO the mall
edictions of living people who still be-
lieve in honesty and fair-dealing. But
the burden of responsibility for the
increased cost of living can not be laid
upon the trusts" alone, reprehensible
though their doIngs may be. IF they
were all dissolved, as seems to be pos
slble just now, the high cost of living
would still continue unIess some 9TH
err things were changed
The 'robber tariff is charged with
helping to increase the cost of living,
and it can scarcely be doubted that
there is much justice in the charge.
The principle of protection, which en-
riches one man or one interest at the
expense of all others, comes dangerous