Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-08-14
LET US REJOICE RATHER THAN SQUEAL

The Master Bakers have asked congress to place an
embargo wheat to keep the price OF bread down. This
may seem all right to the Bakers but how would it strike
the wheat growers? Would it be fair to them because
circumstances have arisen that gave wheat an extra
ordinary price, to undertake by law to prevent them get
ting that prce Scarcity of sugar. aided by comblna-
ton of the sugar makers often jumps sugar and generally
just when the canning opens If an embargo or
any other law used to prevent wheat going above It's
usual price, would it not also be proper to pass such laws
as would prevent sugar doing the same thing?
Labor at certain and under certain conditions
of scarcity commands price far above its usual reward
Should not under this same plan some law be made to
prevent this?
Due to the war all steel products much higher than
before How long would the steel trust stand for to
have embargo placed on steel in order to protect the
local consumer?
The same statement might be made about almost every
other product and if it is right to try keep the price Of
wheat down in the interest of the consumer the baker
why not keep the price of everything else down by law
Since the broke out two years ago, due to the
activity of the German submarines and the unusual de-
mand for ships charters this coast went from three
to five times what they were before the war The result
was that with wheat at unheard of prices in England and
among the warning nations the wheat grower here got
little more for his product than he did before the war If
it proper to cut down the price of wheat by law why not
cut down the cost of shipping in the same way? 1t can
be done by laying an embargo on everything thus making
the demand for ships far America is concerned a.
minus quantity.
The city dweler as general thing pays much if
not more for water he does for bread why not cut
water bills by law well the bread bills? If we are to
make laws override the old one of supply and demand
which with the aid of the trusts has far regulated all
prices except gasoine-which being ROckefeers special
property is above all laws-le make apply to all
things alike
Personally the writer would like to the farmers for
once get the full benefit of unnatural conditions and con-
seuuently big price for their wheat The brokers and
speculaors can be depended to prevent the grower
getting so much money that he will become purse proud
and arrogant He is forced at all times to meet the law
of supply and demand and when prices so low that
he cannot pay his taxes suggests any laws for
purpose of evening things up for him. He can make ends
meet as best he can and if he can't the sheriff visit
him No gentlemen let wheat go where it WILL let the
farmer sell the price the old law Of supply and demand
creates 1t is his right since he has to obey this law when
prices go below the cost of production 1t only about
once decade the farmer gets htched to the longend
of the doubetree and in the name OF decency give hm
the easy end of it when it belongs to him. 1t may make al
couple or three four dollars difference in year to each
of us but we can cut out movie two, smoke five
center once in awhile instead of ten, and walk down
town to business home from it few times and even up
Or better yet such have autos deny themselves al
few rides during the year and thus make John D. pay the
farmers the extra price John is probably better able
to stand it than any of the wheat growers Besides
if the farmers get the money they will put it back I'M
circulation where will all have chance at it, but when
John gets his clutches it like virtue lost or an UNI
brella under like conditions, it is gone forever.
Hughes has passed up the Willamette valley in order
to take pleasure ride over the Columbia highway Wel
xybn 10 haar him