Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-22
BLAME NEW RICH
Argentina Complains of High
Cost of Living.
REMEDIES ARE SUGGESTED
Too Many Persons Seized With
Delirious Passion for
Grandeur.
REMEDIES ARE SUGGESTED

Inc big nations are not the only ones
suffering rom the enhanced expense OF
existence, though they have been COM
planning the loudest about it. South
America now joins the chorus, and the
Argentine Republic. one Of the most fer
| tile and productive lands on the globe in
| proportion to its population, is bitterly
feeling the universal pinch. The Argen-
| tina (Buenos Aires) has some sugges-
| tons for relieving the situation which
| may have their lesson for us. First it
| examines the causes of the trouble, and
| finds them strangely like what our edi-
tors and statesmen have discovered here.
The extravaganza Of the newly rich. the
exactions of a high tariff and the gov
ernment's Indifference to the needs Of the
people are the three main iniquities. in
| the view of the Argentina This para
graph reads like some Of our American
| comments on conditions in this country:
In our rapidly progressing country
many Of the inhabitants have been seized
with delirious passion for grandeur.
| You hear of nothing but vast business
undertakings resulting in immense prof
| its. Dazzled by the spectacle OF poor
! men rapidly becoming rich. every one
| believes himself destined to soar aloft
and seize the very stars, fOrgetful OF the
| soil beneath his feet.
Ills Is tI1c OHiy way " 0ApLdln lnO
reckless spirit Of extravaganza which
| reigns in Argentina in the highest as
well as in the lowest classes. Yet few
| dare to speak of restitution in this land,
preferring to brag that a higher per cent
make fortunes here than In any other
| country. They even deny that any pow
erty exists in Argentina. The wealth of
the parvenus has been the veil. the
| screen, which seems to hide with
| fresh and verdant covering the true state
i nf things when IL Is set forth to Tor
] eigners.''
| The government shuts its eyes to the
measures taken by traders and importers
| to enrich themselves more and more
while the rights Of the laborers, the en-
! ployes, are invaded, and heavy prices I'M
posed at will upon the common neces-
| sites of life. The various municipalities
| must now intervene to provide better
cheaper dwellings for the poor in the
first place: hence we fead that in the
capital and in each important city
Housing of the Poor.
Sanitary houses for the poor must be
provided by the municipality at a mini
mum rent. This is most urgent. II the
central government once takes the in
itiative in this matter the example will
be followed throughout the country
This new housing of the poor. dis
tinctly socialistic movement, quite in &C
cord with the socialistic antecedents of
Argentina, must be followed up with
greater or less degree of free trade. As
we read:
There must also be a lowering or abo-
lition OF the tax or tariff on all articles.
whether imported or not Of primal neces-
sity. In the country and villages, as the
government reserves certain lands for
the church or public offices. a certain
territory ought to be reserved for free
farms War without quarter must be
waged against huge estates and land
grabbers who would monopolize the soil.
Small preprietorship must be promoted.
In this way those who work the land
will be directly favored in receiving the
fruits of 1t, while the land grabbers will
find themselves compelled to use their
surplus capital in some other way, there
by fostering the industries"