The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1910-04-01

of food has increased from 25 per cent
on some things to 200 per cent on
others. What is the cause2 Several
big men answer. Mr.. James ]. Hill
says it is high living" Mr.. Ogden
Armour says it is the law of nature. "
Mr.. Judson Harmon, governor Of Ohio,
points to the enormous difference be-
tween the prices paid to farmers and
other producers and those paid by the
consumers" The president OF the
United States blames the increased
gold production and says that we live
in an automobile age" but he
doesn't tell who's doing the riding.
Several months ago this magazine asked
Mr.. Benson to seek the real reason
for the steady upward climb of prices.
He has discovered the fellows who
ride, and Mr.. Judson Harmon's idea
seems to be the best bet. Mr.. Ben
son explains in the following story, the
first OF an Informative series, what the
producer gets and what the consumer
pays, and there's a vast difference
which goes to the happy crowd in the
automobile. Read this story. It's
cold-blooded fact, and the biggest men
in the world, try as they may, can't
dodge fact.-Editor Parsons.
Mrs. Tessie McGovern, frugal wo-
man and excellent housewife, of Kanka-
kee, Illinois, says the cost of living is
too high. Mr.. James ]. Hill, great
railroad builder, operator and financier,
disputes her. Mr.. Hill does not deny
that the prices Of butter, eggs, meat
and vegetables are exceedingly alti-
tudinous, but he objects to the use Of
the word TOO" 1t sort Of gets caught
in his feelings and tears. Seems to
carry with it the implication that rob-
berry is going on. She seems to ig-
more what Mr.. Hill believes to be the
fact--that the cost Of living is high
only because the things upon which
people live are relatively scarce.
Mrs. McGovern and Mr.. Hill, let it
be explained, have never met. Mr..
Hill never heard OF Mrs. McGovern.
Mrs. McGovern never heard of Mr..
Hill. Mrs. McGovern is only poor
workingman's wife. Mr.. Hill is only
an old man who eats porridge and
milk, and bread and milk, and grubs
for money. In their stations in life, in
their prospects and in their purposes,
Mrs. McGovern and Mr.. Hill are so
unlike that never before were their
names printed together on the same
page. Their names are now printed
together on the same page only for two
reasons:
Back of Mrs. McGovern stand all of
the women in America-and most Of
the men.
Back Of Mr.. Hill stand few of the
biggest men in America.
Our good friend, Ogden Armour, for
instance. says the cost of meat is high
but not TOO high. Goodness
knows, he wishes it would come down.
He says he could sell more meat if the
price would come down. But what
can the poor man dor He cannot
regulate the supply Of and the demand
for meat. The Lord creates the sup
ply (as we shall presently see) and the
people create the demand. Mr.. Ar
mour is only the humble purveyor who,
standing between the source and the
destination, pushes the product along.
Mr.. Armour said as much one day
last winter, when the meat boycott was
on. A reporter for Chicago news
paper had followed him to his magnif-
cent country home. They were sitting
in the library, discussing the price OF
beef. Mr.. Armour had assured his in
quisitor that he might entirely elimi-
nate the packers from the situation
that produced the high prices"; that
prices were high by reason Of the laws
of nature" and that natural laws
could not be changed"
Then Mr.. Armour looked out the
window-out over his thousand whiten-
ed acres. More snow had begun to
fall. Quick as fash, he turned and
spoke.
ST think there will be lower prices"
he said. This snow, which has been
general all over the country, has been
a great thing. 1t will mean immense
crops this year, and immense crops will
mean lower prices for corn, which, in
turn. will mean cheaper meat. Indeed,