Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-05

servant. In a possible association Of
consumers with the producers of their
common necessities, the Intervention
of the go-between or trader is in a
measure dispensed with, or of little
consequence The producer and con-
sumer would be equally grateful for
the removal Of all obstacles to free eX-
changes. But as that is admittedly I'M
possible, they would be quite as happy
over the reduction of those obstacles
to the minimum.
Proximity of the means for the
supply of the necessities of a COM
munity is an invariable source of graf
ification to all it's components, The
mill, the factory and the farm are its
dependence for the food and clothing
it requires, and, when near at hand,
the laborer, the farmer and the man
ufacturer alike rejoice. In other
words, the presence of home market
enables commerce to conduct eX-
changes of commodities at a minimum
of impediment. The trader (distribu-
tor) may be brought into requisition,
but his place will be secondary; the
power to fix prices and afford to him
self inordinate profits may be with
held, reserved to the producer and
consumer at first hands and at first
cost as near as may be consistent with
fair profit and square deal to each.
1t must be admitted that whatever
obstructs the free passage of things
produced from the producer to the
consumer goes TO increase their cost
to the consumer. The Los Angeles
market is supplied almost wholly from
abroad, by the importer and distribu-
tor. AS intimated by Senator Flint,
a large proportion of the cost of the
articles constituting these supplies re-
mains in the pockets, sticking to the
fingers of importers and distributors
1t would astoniSh the most of us to
find how small a proportion of such
cost actually goes into the fingers of
the person who fashioned them. But
that proportion may be sufficient to
amount to good wages after all.
If prices were really regulated by
wages and other constituents of the
cost of production only, little room
would be left for complaint on either
hand. If to costs of production were
not added dividends to capital, rates
to transporters and percentages to
traders, more or less grasping and
greedy, a scale of reasonable prices
would easily be made to prevail.
That taxation by way of specific du-
ties on imports of foreign products of
itself has much to do with the MAX
ing of high prices of commodities is
neither apparent nor probable. The
limitation of dividends to capitalists
and of profits to traders and trans
porters within just and reasonable
bounds will accomplish all within the
power of government to accomplish
that we may 'live and let live
Conflict of interests
There is an ''irrepressible," a con-
stant conflict between the interests of
individual constituents of human So
ciety. The purpose of all human law
should be in aid of divine law pur-
posed for harmonizing those interests
A l-;g that looks to the advantage of
one man over another is not in ac-
cord with either tie divine will or the
precepts of wisdom in the service Of
humanity. The day of liberation for
Especial privileges has gone by. They
yet exist it is true, but as heritage
of the barbarisms of the middle ages
when might made right.
That the ideal of the ages-peacc,
justice and plenty''-is not within the
reach of the people of our time is
quite true; but does it not seem that
it is within nearer reach than ever
before?
When the point in our civilization
is reached that production shall con-
sist i'm the direction of all natural
forces and human energy to the SER
vice of man. to the end that poverty
shall not only cease, but be made i'm
possible to exist, cnd all the essen
tials of life in the higher and better
walks of civilized society made ac-