Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1913-02-11
STUDY HIGH PRICES
PARTY THAT CAN DEVISE PLAN
TO REDUCE THEM WILL WIN
IN NEXT ELECTION.
so BELIEVE THE LEADERS
Democrats Say Reduced Tariff viii
Solve Problem, Republicans Assert
This VIII Lower Wages AIsc-Pro-
qressives Have other Ideas.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

BY GEORGE CLINTON.
Washington Washington leaders OF
the three parties, Republican. Demo
cratic and Progressive, say that the
party which can present the best plan
TO bring down the high cost of living
will be the party to be assured OF VIC
tory the next time there is a chance
for the people to vote on national IS
sues The leaders add that while the
parties and the people are talking
about the tariff, the trust, currency,
battleships and other things OF I'M
portanee. they are thinking mainly on
the price of beef, butter, eggs, clothes
and machinery.
In a measure the Democrats seem
to believe that the high cost of living
can be reduced by reducing the tariff.
Now Just as naturally as rain falls out
of an overburdened cloud. the Repub-
licans answer that If the customs are
cut prices will go down, but wages
will go down with them and that men
| with less money will be no better OH
VIII NV pllOGS lHdt lnCs "OA% 1890
more money and high prices. The
Progressives say that there is way
to solve the high cost of living and
that il is not to be found through the
tariff. The duties, they say, should be
cut to considerable degree. but not
as much as the Democrats desire, and
| that this cut with other things yet to
be definitely determined will reduce
the cost of living without reducing the
rate OF wages.
All Studying the Problem.
The high cost OF living is to be in
| vestigated by non-partisan body, but
whether it viii reach any conclusions
of value OF course remains to be seen.
The Democrats are going to study high
prices in connection with legislation
affecting the trusts, the tariff and the
| currency. They say that the trusts
keep up the high cost of living and
| that the tariff is the mother of the
trusts, and SO they hope through trust
| legislation and tariff legislation to ac-
complish the thing which seemingly
| all people want TO be accomplished.
The Progressive party, as has been
noted before in these dispatches, has
established a working bureau for the
| purpose CT studying the problem OF
the high prices for TODD, raiment and
rent. There are q good many men
and women connected with the Pro-
gressive party who are at once econ
omists and social service workers.
| These men and women have studied
the economic problems in the hope
that they might find some means OF
relieving the condition of the poor in
the congested districts of the big
cities where wages are comparatively
small. families are large and prices
are big
Some of the Republicans say that
the Progressives can go ahead along
these lines of investigation if they
choose to, but they will find that the
lines viii lead into the realm CT sup
ply and demand and natural causes
generally. 1t is only few of the
Republicans who say this as a final an
swer. There are leaders in the
party in Washington who maintain
that the high cost of living is the real
big problem of the day and that the
Republican party can get back into
power if it shall present plan which
seems adequate to it's solving. For
this reason Republican economists are
to study economic conditions and to
fhoFl1 m tho cgin q
leaders some time in the future, but
in plenty of time to make them avail
able in the congressional campaign
one year from next fall.
Who VIII Head This committee2
Washington dispatches have dis
cussed thoroughly the subject OF
which school of Democratic thought
is to control the next senate II
seems, as has been said in this cor
respondenee before, that the Demo
Gratis who say they are of the more
progressive school will be in the ma
jority Of their party in the senate and
will control the committee assign
Ilents and other matters of party mo-
ment. The subject of seniority of
service and the claim which it has to
recognition in the matter of commit
tee chairnanships also has been dis
cussed and reasons have been given
why Senator Tillman, who is the rank
ing Democrat on the committee on
interstate commerce, may not be
chosen by his Democratic colleagues
20 preside over that important body.
If Mr.. Tillman prefers the chair
nanshio Of the naval committee, on
which ne is at present the ranking
member OF the minority side, and fore
goes all claim to the craftsmanship of
the committee on interstate COM
merce, who will be named as chair
man of this committee which probably
will have before 1T for consideration
the most important legislation to be
undertaken by the Democratic admin
istration?
1t was the interstate commerce
committee of the senate which formu-
lated the railroad rate legislation and
which brought into being the interstate
commerce commission. 1t deals large
ly with trust matters because the out
put of trusts enters into the COM
MERGE between the states. 1t is
committee of the first Importance and
its recommendations made to the SEN