Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-06-26

own flesh pots That such persons exist how
ever, and scheming to advance prices to still
more extortionate lengths next winter, is not to
be denied. The problem and duty Of the hour is
to stop their atrocious scheme before it goes any
further. And that is the object of the Food Con-
troll bill pending in Congress.
In his recent statement to the Senate Mr.. Her
bert Hoover, whom the President has selected for
the post of food administrator said that in re-
peated conferences he had held with farmers or
ganizations, millers. packers and merchants he
had found 1.-THE sense of national service predom-
inant;" but he added, "even the majority would
be powerIess to eliminate bad practices unless
law to govern the situation were in existence.
Once enacted and fairly in effect the Food Con-
troll law will operate without friction as far as
legitimate, patriotic business interests are con-
cerned Indeed it will help those interests by
protecting them, along with the consumers,
against monopoists and spectators Merely as
stabilizer of prices and preventive against vio-
lent fluctuations, a system of food control by the
Government would be of great value to business.
The Administration will depend on enlightened
and loyal public sentiment in effecting economies
in the use of food, and will administer the greater
part of the entire system on basis of voluntary
cooperation. Just what is meant by voluntary
cooperation" Mr. Hoover explained in answering
Senator Reeds question, how he would handle
thousand bushels of wheat bought in North Dakota
and shipped to Chicago? The substance of his
reply this: .....
THE first matter would be transportation,
the rates of which fixed by the Interstate
Commerce Commission, consequently there
was no problem there. A proper milling cost
would be, fixed by the milers themselves by
agreement with the Government voluntary
their part and sufficiently remunerative to be
satisfactory without extortion. The same
agreement as to proht would be made with the
Association of Wholesalers. 1t was not in
tended, however to fix the price at which the
retailers should sell, but the Government
would publish at certain distributing centers
the standard of prices showing what the -four
cost at retail, and public pressure would do
the rest" t... .
These plans for voluntary cooperation will
work out satisfactorily provided there is law to
force1 the unpatriotic minority into line. But it
would be unfair and altogether prQftess to attempt
to bring the majority up to certain standards of
prices and methods of dealing if food pirates and
brigands left unrestrained. There must be
definite measures carrying definite penalties to
reach monopolists who hoard foodstuffs and to
reach all the criminals who gamble with those
necessaries on which the lives of millions of people
and the security of the nation itself depend This is
due the consumer whose very subsistence is
involved; it is due the producer, whose interests
often at the mercy of spectators; it is due
the honest merchant, who wants to make only
legitimate profit but who is powerless when the
gamblers are in control; and it is due the great
cause for which our country is fighting and on
which our national destiny is staked. The basic
purpose and basic necessity of Food Control legis
lation is TO protect the loyal many against the
reasonable few. On that issue, there be but
one truly American course to pursue, -.