Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-07-27

set minimum price or $2.oO per buSneI
on wheat, if it does not change its
mind before fall to suit some big spec
ulator. A fine price that, when we were
compelled to pay $500 per hushel this
spring. The Eastern farmer is lucky
if he has raised, through this weather,
enough to make one barrel of -four.
The Western papers state an abun-
dance Of wheat crops in the West, and
price per bushel is reduced one-h half
since Spring, yet the high prices on
-four and other foods continue. "Why?"
Our government is allowing spectators
to Bleed the people white" during this
war.
The Boston Post stated recently, that
when -four was SIS per barrel, in the
United States it was selling in war
bled England at $50 per barrel Eng
land imports practically all her flour
Is there any trust reason for our high
food prices?
The editor of Boston American has
published a print showing the size of
Germany as compared with the United
States. Germany is known from geo.
graphical survey to be the same size
as our largest state Texas. Germany
can feed from it's soil $4,000, 900 people,
endure the loss Of 100000 men and
find other millions, spend ten thousand
millions of dollars and find more thou
sands of millions. Supply the Kaiser
with numerous sumptuOus banquets, at
his various headquarters and properly
feed Its enormous army.
We have here in the United States,
sufficient soil. machinery, men and
money, if used with ordinary intelli-
gence, to feed not only ourselves but
the whole world. Consider the enor-
nous size of our country the great
abundance Of food crops on a whole,
which we produce. Is there any reason
with the faintest glimmer Of humanity
in it, to justify the existing high food
prices?
And Now Food Dictator Hoover
wishes us to sign pledge binding
| ourselves to conserve as he dictates.
We, the people who are said in our
Constitution to be the government
Are we? Do we have any voice in
setting reasonable food prices? No. If
we did have and we could by vote, we
should have set prices within reach of
the poorest people months. yes years
ago.
The Senate has taken three months
to decide one of the most vital ques-
| tons Of the day, to the common people,
and no prices are fixed vet.
Many and various unreasonable and
even foolish questions have been
brought up in the Senate for debate,
thereby prolonging the common peo-
pies financial distress, as prices con-
tinue eXtortionate.
VIII the Senate fix food prices at
last, to suit the common peoples wages
as they should with such an abundance
Of food as is known by Government
officials to exist in the United States.
or Will they pass a law compelling
spectators to release part, at least, of
their food in storehouses to the people
at reasonable prices? We can perhaps
judge what their decision will be bv
former decisions in similar questions.
DID the Senate pass the law, which
our representatives made, which would
have given government officials the
right to personally search the specu-
lators' warehouses, thereby proving be-
yond doubt the enormous amount of
rood hoarded up from the people? No,
Ihey amended the law to such an ex-
tent that the investigators are Obliged
to be content with the SPECTATORS es-
Inmates Of his hoard of food, which of
course is correct as spectators are the
most truthful people on earth.
There are too many Spectators In
the Senate who would have been
obliged to release to the people the
huge stores Of food which they are
now enabled to hold lawfully and
charge us any extortionate price, mean
While asserting scarcity of food as lust
cause for them fleeing us. If the SEN
ate had allowed that law to pass in its
first form as made by our representa-
tives there would now be an abund-
ance of food released from the spec
ulators' storehouses at reasonable
prices. And II our representative had
the power to decide the food price
question, without the Senate amending
the decision for their own interests. we
would see food prices set in a weeks
time and within reach Of all peoples
pocket books.
Many people in the United States are
they are obliged by high food prices to
pass weeks without meats of any form
Working people must have nutritious
muscle making foods. The farmers as
a rule. contrary to public opinion, live
palmer and less hearty than any other
class of people and that though finan
cial necessity. They are obliged to sell
what stock they can raise to meet
heavy cropping debts.
Now why not give the people
chance for their rights? Let US COM
bine and vote. Let us not be blinded
by party or individual promise on our
next election day. Let us remember all
the prtvations we have endured for
centuries, farmers and city people alike.
Many newspapers are helping and
can help the people through their COL
umns but some show the yellow streak.
Let all thinking people rise up and
assert our rights.
A THINKER.