The Alaska citizen., 1912-09-02
TRUTH ABOUT
 HIGH PIECES

v the dear people why prices are so high why We have a "fifty-cent dollar" We have learned at last that when prices 20 up. dollars go down. even if We do have the blessed gold standard.
 The price of money. like every thing else. depends upon supply and demand. The increase. since 1896 in the per capita irculation. is an important factor in raising the price uf all commodities
 President Taft has inaugurated a worldwide inquiry to determine the veal reason for high prices and de wise plan to protect the people from unjust extortion.
 Now that both old parties in their national platforms. while pointing with pride" to their records. promise to investigate this momentous prob lem, il is high time for somebody to get right up in meeting and tell the TRUTH.
 Newspapers. magazines. preachers and politicians have filled the air with conflicting opinions as to the cause of high prices. but none of them have told the WHOLE TRUTH
 Some have been brave enough to tell PART of the truth but for sel fish reasons, were compelled to leave the people in more or less dark ness
 Democrats ask you to believe that the tariff is to blame for high prices. They do not explain why it took the tariff fifty years to pro duce this result. nor do they refer 10 the fact that all civilized nations are facing the same problem Our tariff cannot make prices high in Germany. France and England. Most Democrats admit that perhaps trusts have something 10 do with high prices, but regard the tariff as the i''''''' VI 'lu9 ItN uO HOt attempt to explain the fact that trusts exists in free trade countries Their vision is defective. but they are willing to investigate"
 Old line Republicans deny that the tariff is the mother of trusts They hold that Protection is the mother of Prosperity They are willing to investigate" but refuse 10 permit their administrative prem ises to be searched for the cause of high prices.
 Both old parties have promised to destroy the trusts. root and branch They made the same promises when trusts were in their infancy. If they could not destroy babies how can they hope 10 overcome an army of giants?
 President Taft destroyed" the Standard Oil Trust, and the act of "dissoiu;ion" increased the value of John D. Rockefeller's stock $79.000.- coo. Since it's destruction" the Tobacco Trust has fully realized its dream of avarice. Other trusts are longing for dissolution. They await the call of death" but will Not go as the galley slave, whip
 ped and
 Scourgcd to his dungeon. but as one Who wraps about him the draperies His couch and lies down to pleasant
 dreams"
 Trusts may be controlled They cannot he destroyed. They are destined to SERVE the people or ENSLANE them.
 Socialists place all the blame for everything wrong on capitalism" This one word, in their lexicon, ex- plains high prices, low wages, pov- erty, monopoly, shame, sin and crime. Their nostrum is panacea for all ills. They refuse to consid CT any remedy short of the destruc. tion of capitalism" and the coop crative commonwealth"
 The Prohibitionists lay most of these ills at the door of the liquor traffic. and argue that it's annihila tion would lead to the solution of every other problem of human life The National Progressive party, while in swaddling clothes. admits that trusts, tariffs, monopolies. spec ial privilege and graft are in some mysterious way connected with the cause of high prices. but do not pro pose to abolish the tariff, nor de- stroy the trusts. It's leaders agree "a revise the tariff downward, put an end to privilege, and control trusts, in order to force prices down and protect the people.
 There is an element of abstract truth in nearly all of the foregoing opinions, but they fall SHORT of the whole TRUTH.
 Where the tariff enables it's bene- ficiaries to maintain higher prices than would other wise be possible. il can be held responsible. In some instances this is undoubtedly the