The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1914-02-24

MIGHT b. in wage. ard SUGGESTED also
Erru.any were nor So much lower than
those in this country a. vas commonly
it remains 90 discuss briefly two
. eiHrf elem erf- - the existing sltua-
uNn. These are The prices 90 c0nmodt-
Ar- ant the matter ~ unemployment.
LhNlug the last OF these first let me saw
AIA- On" prince pal fact about the subject
SEEMS 90 o. the lack 90 precise knovI-
L-rAted Win caution lest wrong infer
, Sa,-- o. . araN buring the winter
thrown clt % WORK for climatic reasons
IN al our northern states and 10 is nor
... t..at ..,N -ANA-d concentrate a. Tor
-ara past they have done iu our Isrre
tlilr- and Industrial cvnf~rs. t-.tv-
. menus nave been made and denied Geo the
in New York this year than usual Ans
may D. true without meaning that there
~ s Ae.,I iuAl excess OF unemployed
o. Auuwu tu. b. in the act % sutrt.fr..
era. hundred millions upon subway
y,nslrueuon his has been widely adj
.N> a. ana as the work goes Ou
iIF'uEt"ut the winter % Is especially
".ii"rllNe g. men syvAtng employment.
N"w hurA provides literally Tor the un-
en- IIuN tu through its vast private and
public charities and this is an attra.-
i've factor 10 some who are Qua of work
An Incident b. the further fact that N,v
hyrk spends at times. as just recently.
M removing snow from the streets An
these factors uuld naturally draw al.
NJ -, y - ~ sN"l 'lIN lu numbers
u. even IN excess OF possible employment
I Tn" fact that they have - ratl,r-d
th'r" or In other cities in large numbers
b. iilS year may or may not have direct
bearing upon the prosperity of INDUSTRY
4 large part OF the unemployed az.
probably not those Who work an fac
tories but rather thoss who follow the
kinds ot labor which the in,l.mency ut
,n' s1aeyn l"rpidS continuing and which
are always suspended at Tins time OF the
II Cost Of Living.
Finally the question OF d.. cost OF
hNlnE must b" fairly met. Intelligent
eyes 20 plain facts aud IN counectiou
with the prices 90 commodities. or what
il properly called the cost OF Twins
mere are many facts Co be considered.
u u he tartit i~ one of these facts. and ls
APut ono ~ them. ! have myself long
believed 30 uurighteuus Co tax food. and
made my campaign Tor congress ON the
statement. Take tariff taxes Off food
d" not assume. howcs er. nor do l
sumo. that the tariff tax always con-
lr"lS the cost OF food. or that there
l were not factors which might rails, or
] lower the price Of food while the tariff
D remained unchanged. I do believe as a
matter Of course that removing IN.
4 tariff tax tends TO reduce the price Of
Z food and this 1 think q will d. easy TO
show has been the case
\ "Eut let "a take the larger view or
q th.s matter FIRST OF all. ~ food we're
/ high only ~ Wheeling We might dis.
. cu~s IL a- local matter and look for
} local cause II food were high only Ia
West Virginia we might discuss II az
"a state matter and look FOR a. state
. cause. II food were high only boz Ann
I erica We might discuss is wholly as "A
u national matter and look for national
! cause. But the TACT rs that food to-
I E,tner with other commodities has been
J ui late years relatively high an over
the world and Il must therefore. So u
4 is Co be discussed sauely. be discussed
. as worldwide matter. II f. not some
. thing caused by your local action OF hy
p your state action nor wholly by nation
al action. worldwide rise IN prices
must nave a UNIVERSAL ana not a local
cause. ana thoughttul men Of all part
les . d. recognize this fact such uni-
N... 0 eject which must / repeat have
. .''Ncrsal cause ma however be and
certainly o. modifed by local. state. or
national conditions. II you were Co pro-
vide. as French cities do. an aCtroi tax
"A municipal customs duty ON tood-It
would tend 10 raise the price OF food In
wheeling quite without regard To what
~ hlkht De IN Wet virginia or Ia
ohio. II the state OF West Virginia had
. such roads that food could only be haul
. ed into the interior Of the state at
h cost for carriage nifty times greater. let
. u- say. FOR that Is sometimes the fact.
than the cost per mile OF railroad
. freisht trans pOrtatiun,' then such "a con-
. dIuuu would, where u prevailed. tend
. To- raise the price OF rood regardless Of
1 other conditions II both OF these
. causes would tend To- raise the price OF
Z food and both these Cuuses would OPP
. crate whether crop was destroyed in
/ the west uI whether that crop was large.
. hut the fact OF the destruction OF that
. crop or the TACT OF the excess Of that
. crop might bee SO large a fact as 10
. ONofsume the operation 10 whole or in
' part OF either uT both Of the local
causes I have suggested.
Do" tariff tax Of the United States
on beef did NOT make % cost more TO
grow gattl" on the plains OF Ar-rutlua.
. II did tend Co make th" price higher
. hrf" AT nome. IT u.T supply was short
and We had 10 import Argentine beef.
chen tie tax directly operated to raise
the price. but if there were "a great eN-
. cess OF Argentine beef so that Their
market was overlooked with beef.
. then thgt beef might ba sold 81 a low
. er price even while the tariu tax stood.
2 on the other hand. DO there were "a short
+ aE" uI DO there Were only normal sup
b HlF OF Argentine u..'. then the tariff
/ tax thereon would be- more visible
. addition Go 90. cost In other words.
. us tarIm tax is one element and only
one element ln the cost of CummuIi-
. Ties. D. Is .uuctimes directly .Dlf It|
always tends Iu increase cost At times
factors lHUa.r .uuu 90 may operate. This
b. such .HN.Ha. common sH.a- a. Co Doe
beyond argument
49, Beet Price lowered.
-F'M D.. lr lh' .t '... in recent
Years ihe ,ariit ta> 'a. e." operated uu
food r- tu ruuk. 90 NI.Iu|g more. costly.
IHr exam rIH. there was a time recent Ig
when POTATOES we're Imported when our
supply was -UHUt. ana when OBJ. r4rIIf
. taN Hu HHfutH"- was equal fu about 30
per cent of their price. and u,e,-sariIA
% o. th. fa,r r,w Chat Arp,utiu, h,.T ~
4 u.iuG shipped fH Sew uNf. fr.u .. fH,
+ tariu raN. and tnis raH resulted 900 IL de-
. ,Hu, co. DID,, NuvIDsaI. Sew hur, mar
Boo iur beef .. about i.gr cents 20 pound.
. HI- f'uH.. I"n WHEN tftusuItt,a Goo che
. local Sew Nurk retaIT.r IJa resulted b.
reduction of 90, pIt., ui beef locally
BOO tN.I ..IN u. about I"tu GENTS "a pound.
.Ns ".. Does -"u. 'uf .iuv coz chat city
iu II.. N.. H..r absorbed rg f.. deal.
''. emo '.. u..U 'lI', .,.. a. y.r