The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1910-01-07
WASHINGTON LETTER.

The familiar play called 1.-THE Official
New Years Reception" was again enacted
at the White House on January rst, 1910.
IF it could be introduced into the moving
picture show. it would no doubt attract
good houses.
At fixed hour the President and his
wife receive first the Diplomatic Corps
consisting of the ambassadors. ministers
and attaches from foreign countries.
These are quite numerous now, the more
important powers being represented by
six or seven persons. They all come in
the uniforms of their several countries
with gold lace and decorations, COM
posing bedizened regalia that our army
and our naval officers cannot attain. The
smallest South and Central American
republics display an area of gold lace and
decorations that outshines the uniforms
of the representatives of Germany
Austria and Russia, although those
countries are anything but simple in their
full dress official clothes.
After the diplomatic corps has wished
the President and Mrs Taft happy new
year and received their greeting in kind,
the members of the Cabinet followed by
the Justices OF the Supreme Court in the
dark silk robes in which they sit in court
and the Senators and Representatives in
Congress or those who happen to be in
Washington during the holidays, pass the
President and his wife and exchange
greetings.
Then come those in the Civil Service,
chiefs of bureaus and the officials of the
District of Columbia, followed finally by
private citizens who have formed long
waiting line.
This scene has been enacted for fully
hundred years, every President of the
United States taking part in it. 1t was
Mrs. Cleveland who, in the midst of the
reception, stated that she wanted to rest
moment and change her smile and
many President and his wife has had q
swollen hand and stiff arm for a week
after the ordeal
~
The question of the increased cost of
everything that man and woman use
internally, externally and eternally is
being investigated by the venerable Sec.
rotary of Agriculture, the question is vital
and widespread. 1t is pretty generally
conceded that the original producer does
not get more for his products than he is
entitled to and there is strong sus-
picion that the last retailer has succeeded
by means of combination, in reaping an
undue profit. The number of green
grocers in city. town and village, 1t is
said, is out of all proportion to the popu-
lation and it is argued that the great and
increasing list of these middlemen be-
tween the purchaser and the consumer
indicate the great extent of rich pickings.
Combinations and trusts are under keen
suspicion nowadays and the food. stuffs
trust is doubtless one of the most in.
tolerable of all. It is proposed TO or
ganize league to fight the high prices
in the necessaries of life which have been
increasing from year to year and have
now reached abnormal rates. DR.. Scharf,
well-known economist, has suggested
the formation of league similar TO an
organization formed in Germany years
ago for the suppression Of the exorbitant-
ly high price of coffee. The members Of
this league abstained from buying coffee
for time all over the German Empire
with the result that the price fell to a
normal point, competition was resumed
and the trust was broken A number of
distinguished men in Washington, in
Guiding members of Congress were
present when preliminary organization
was effected. A national propaganda is
proposed and women as we'll as men will
be enlisted. The plan of procedure will
be that when any article of food is forced
too high in price, the members will be
notified secretly that on certain day all
will discontinue buying that article. 1t
is believed that this would soon bring the
trusts to terms. If. for instance, several
millions of people should discontinue for
week the use of beef, there is no doubt
that it would have a very serious effect
upon the market The promoters of the
league believe that no trnst could long
survive such drastic tactics.
DIR. Scharf expects this league to spread
rapidly over The country and that it will
be able to force the food trusts to put a
fair price on their products. A few years
ago there was no country in the world
where food was so plentiful and so cheap
as in the United States Two months ago
the papers were full of reports of the
most bountiful harvests of corn, wheat,
barley, oats and vegetables that the
country has ever known. but for some
reason these bounties of nature never
reach the table until the purse Of the
family has been well uiph Exhausted in