Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-04-28
"WE STAND FOR 1T"

Is there limit beyond which the specuator in food
sufs cannot go There may be- but if So has not yet
been reached There is absolutely nothing in this broad
land of that does not cater to him and get out of
his way giving him clear track matter how great
the loss inconvenience causes Just now we have the
spectacle of this element placing fictitious value on
fictitious wheat, and thereby establishing fictitious
value the real grain The peoples bread is doubled in
price and they stand for it, simply to allow the dirty
spectators in the Chicago wheat pit gamble with each
other and this while putting up but small per cent of
the stakes
loads of eggs sderacked in the Chicago yards and
had been for five six days Eighteen million eggs were
held by spectators the tracks, and there stated
be double that amount Of eggs in the city, Chicago spec
uators had thirty-sX million eggs held out of the
market to increase the price already high it should
be- and then some Not only the eggs held out of the
Market but 55 held by those spectators and
used as warehouses for their pnder while others were
having their business ruined by lack of cars True the
gamblers paid S. day in the way of demurrage but what
of that? They added that overhead charge to the price,
and the paid for the eggs demurrage and ALL
besides the enhanced price the speculator able to
charge by making fictitious shortage.
1t was the same with regard to shortage in other
lines The big munon plants sent thousands of cars of
material to the seapors that there ships to car
ny away The result that cars that were made for
transportation purposes where used warehouses; the
railroads and the interstate and state commissions per-
hitting it to be done for tring demurrage charge in
charges would have forced the cars to be unOaded in
few days. The spectators and mnition makers were
selfish in taking this course, the railroads criminal
in permitting it, and the interstate and state commissions
appointed to supervise such things and protect the peo
pies rights We're incompetent and crminally negligent
1t may be claimed the commissions not able to act
because the law did not provide the way In reply to this
it be said that this conditions has been in existence
for two years more and none of these commissions
have recommended any legislation that would have tend
ed to relieve the situation and put the back to their
proper use.
So much for the specuator the railroad managers and
the commissions All that has been said of all of them
does not half begin express the blame that lies with
you and me- and the balance of the citizens of this broad
and free country the land of liberty where form of
despotism intrude without our consent but
which gets here just the same The speculator grabs
what he wants-and stand for it. He dips his spoon
into coffee and ea doubles the price of our bread and
does just what he peases and top of this takes
for his private use-and we stand for it. The rail-
roads collect their little demurraga and hout us when we
demand products be hauled to marketand we stand
for it. The officials supposed to look after these things
and prevent them either poWeIless or criminalyI
negligenta stand for it. On top of this growl
at the SPECTATORS roast the commissions and damn the
railroads. And all this time the real culprts you me- and
the balance of u.s. false to ourselves each other and
to our country, because---we stand for it,
Now that the Gladiolus is the official flower of Salem
what shall we do with it? Does from that fact become
a fellows duty to grow of it? 1t seems the pro-