The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-02-07
MEAT BOYCOTT HAS
BEEN USED BEFORE
New Workers United to Force
Lower Prices at Close
Of the Civil War.
SAME REASONS ARE GIVEN
DEALERS IN FooDsTUFFs At
THAT TIME ADVANCED THE
SAME ARGUMENTS THAT ARE
EMPLOYED RIGHT NOW.

New York, Feb THE question,
"Why was not the boycott thought of
beforc:" has been asked time and
again in the present organized Austen
ton from meat. which, it is hoped. will
bring down prices in the butcher shop.
The meat boycott, so the story runs,
had its beginning in jest in the lunch
room of a Cleveland factory two weeks
ago, but the jest has become a move
mcnt widespread and in dead earnest.
Perhaps it is a new experience to
many who have ordered it. Oldtim-
ers, however, whose memories go back
to civil war days, recall another cru
SADIE, similar even to the little home
ly incidents. At that time, too. thou
sands promised to do without meat I'M
til exorbitant prices were reduced;
clubs were formed to protest against
the overcharges: clubs OF different
sort We're used to enforce abstention:
the government was asked to inter-
vene: combinations were assailed be-
cause they were, i'm popular fancy,
solely responsible for high prices.
When the war ended prices were
higher than ever before-far higher
than they ever have been since. Wheat
was $3.50 bushel. corn, $1.S,, pork
$40 a barrel of hundred pounds, beef
$50.
Start Of Boycott Unknown.
The protest of the people against
these charges was as spontaneous as
now. Just how it started would be
hard to say: likely enough it was in
much the same way But the hold 1t
took on the people was remark able.
Seven men, going home one evening,
from business in lower New York,
agreed that they and their families
would do without meat for sixty days;
within week their entire neighbour
hood was with them. Newspapers en-
couraged the movement in strongest
terms.
Pitiful little incidents were frequent.
The following plaintive letter is typ
ical of those who appeared at the time:
II am clerk in store and live in "A
tenement house. All last winter |
could hardly afford to buy meat, nor
can I buy enough now. There are no
reckless. eXtravagant persons around
where live. and the man | buy lit
tie meat of has few rich customers.
The little bits of beef and mutton we
poor people buy costs SO much that, as
my wife says. it is like eating money.
Why, a dollar is nothing"'
Some Blamed High Wages.
1t is literally true that there was
vast number of people in New York
city to whom the question of actual
life and death depended in a large
measure on the price of food. Yet
some of the poorer people entered into
a controversy over causes of the exor-
bitant level of prices. contending that
the anti-meat movement would have
no good effect. One man. in a public
letter stated that he was earning $50
q week, but thought prices were too
high, because wages were too high.
Many others, who were at a loss to
explain their high food bills, appealed
to the newspapers for the reason. Here
is the answer given by one of them:
Your butcher will say that meat is
higher now. owing to--what? The
price of gold? But. you will say, gold
is only 1873 cents in paper for gold
dollar. so that cannot be the reason.
The bad season? No, nor that. eth
er: the weather and crops were never
so fine. The army wants the meat in
the field? Why. the boys have come
home. Short supply of cattle? There
were considerably more cattle in the
market this week than were wanted or
sold. No, there is no reason but that
avaricious spectators put up the price
and you grumble and submit to be
fleeced. Learn resolutely to shut your
basket up empty rather than to submit
to extortion."
Butchers Bear the Brunt.
So after that, the butchers were
made to bear the brunt of public indig-
nation. In naive little note some
one wrote that butchers 'once" had
been gentlemen. AS a matter OF fact
while they were not primarily to
blame for the extreme level of prices
prevailing, they greatly aggravated the
situation by lacking their figures above
the point necessary to show legitimate
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