The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-10-07
FORUMOFTHEPEOPLE
Articles Contributed for This Column
Must Not Be in Excess Of 400
Words. The Identity Of All Con-
nibut0rs Must Be Known to the
Editor. Articles VIII Be Printed in
the Order Received.
Richmond. Ind. Oct, S. 1911


Editor Palladium:
Some time ago the Palladium took
up the question OF the high cost of
living inquiring OF different citizens
their opinions of the cause of same. l
observed that the subject was dropped
like the aforesaid potato when the
city council recalled the peddling ordi-
nance. / take it that it was Lot for the
instruction of the Palladium that these
articles were asked for. but for the
readers, the people at large and main
ly the working class as that is the
class which suffers most from the
high cost of living. To student OF
economics and sociology the reason
for the high cos. Of living is obvious
OF course not all we'll posted persons
will admit the cause, much less advO-
cate the cause as the cure which
have in mind might possibly rob them
of soft snap. Also many would make
an effort to alleviate these evils il
they knew how Many also would ad-
vocate radical changes in our econom-
ic system but they fear they would be
called cranks or socialists or some 9TH
err horrible" name Last but not few
est in number are the demagogues
and quacks who are eternally spring
ing up with fake cures" and coming
out with schemes that are too ridicu-
lous to have the consideration OF a
really sane-winded public. Anyone
who will stop to consider will see that
it is not the fault of any one individual
or of any one class that the cost Of
living is SO high. 1t is the fault of the
economic system under which We live
refer to the competitive system. AT
one time competition was considered
the life of trade" 1t is certain now
that it is the mother of monopoly"
Competition and privately owned mon
opolies are therefore the primary
cause of the high cost of living. Il re-
fer not only to food-stuffs but every
thing essential to mans needs) Com
petition by the wasteful methods nee
essarily employed and the monopolies
by their exorbitant profits, on watered
stocks, etc, and the low wages paid
which decreases the buying capacity
of the workingman. We cannot rene
dy these conditions locally as the con-
sumer is often many miles from the
producer We can only remedy them
by an entire change in the entire econ
Omlc system, nation wide or better
still world wide. Human nature is
naturally progressive and therefore
we should not and absolutely cannot
look into the past for a cure to pre-
sent conditions however much some
may pine for THE good old days"
Never in the history of the world were
men so we'll versed in economics and
business methods in general as today
and every one knows that all indica-
tons point toward Capitalization and
methods However, this Capitalization
and cooperation does not benefit those
who need it most but at that it shows
itself to be an economical success APP
piled to business and manufacturing,
cooperation and Capitalization are at
this time indispensable for who would
return to the old fashioned country
store or to the old fashioned methods
of say making plows or wagons, one
or two men making an entire plow or
wagon. Why not then cooperate in the
manufacture, distribution and ex-
change of all articles of food, clothing,
etc. We see that in any one of these
the rich middlemen cooperate with
each other and with the large manu-
factories and large retailers to film
flam the consumer and the actual pro-
Queer. Why cannot the producer be
the consumer or if he produces more
of one commodity than he can con-
sumo exchange with his neighbor who
produces something else and this ex-
change without profit to any third par
ty. Some will say they produce moth
ing. If they do not they should receive
nothing, unless they perform part of
the duties of distribution or exchange
But such is not the case for as every
one will admit, those who produce ev-
erything have scarcely anything, while
those who produce nothing have every
thing heart could wish. There are too
many useless middle-men's mouths to
feed and backs to clothe between the
producer of any commodity and the
Ac lHcI 6tLS q 10"
price for his produce. the city consum-
er pays high price for the same
commodities. Between the two in the
middlemen lies the high cost of living
What the city man produces in shops,
for which he gets small wages, the
farmer who buys pays a high price,
the middlemen again. Perhaps the far
mer gets a seemingly high price for
say his hogs Is not the price of pork
chops correspondingly high whenever
he goes to buy? OF course. He cannot
much more than buy back one half of
hog in pork for what he got for the
hog on foot whether the price be high
or low. 1t is certain this difference be-
tween the price of hog and pork is
not all paid to the men who kill and