The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-07-24

In an argument a. legislator was told
1.-THE law of supply and demand will
defeat YOU" He exclaimed In reply,
Then I will repeal the law"
This article is written with the idea
OF showing that In the United States
for the last fourteen years we as q
people, in our attitude toward sare
water-power legislation, have SHOWN
an ignorance OF our own interests as
lacking in intelligence as that Of the
legislator alluded to. That the law Of
supply and demand is fundamental and
inexorable no one will thoughtfully
deny.
All over the world today people arc
suffering because of the high cost Of
living. This high cost of living is the
direct result of a shortage in food sup
ply, and this shortage in food supply
obtains because the law of supply and
demand is out of balance. To bring
up the supply Of food the principal
need is for labor. and yet our labor
supply is daily being reduced below
normal by war demands and their at
tending destruction Of labor. If, then,
we can devise method OF sensibly in
creasing our labor supply we are be-
ginning on sure foundation If we are
trying to relieve the high cost of liv-
ing.
The labor problem is undoubtedly
the greatest problem confronting the
world today, and our best observers OF
this question are beginning to see
that only as labor and capital devise
plans looking to permanent better
ment Of labor can peace between the
two become happily permanent. To
bring about this peace labor must
work efficiently and labor must be con-
served and used in manner produc-
ing the greatest good to the greatest
number. About the only commodities
we can sensibly ignore in campaign
for efficiency are air and salt-oceah
water.
Water Powers Conserve Labor.
The writer will endeavor in what
follows to set forth the claim that the
Harvesting of our water powers will
conserve more labor and produce bet
ter living conditions in the United
States than can result from any other
agency or group of agencies that can
be mentioned by the anti-water-power
development crowd, who for the last
fourteen years have labored so sue
cessfully in the use of misrepresenta-
tons to kill the water-power industry
in the United States. Facts are al
most always uninteresting reading,
and the public at large is generally I'M
willing to stick to even one page OF
facts unless the public Is hungry.
Secretary Lane has recently said
that there is in the United States 49,
100000 water horsepower undevelop-
ed. The attacks on water-power en-
gineers and developers began in 1908,
and since that time the aggregate fall
ing off In ,water-power development
amounts to more than 100000 hip. In
other words, II water-power develop
ment had been encouraged during this
period and continued at the normal
rate of development prior to 1903, we
should have an additional 100000 hip.
at work today and the public would be
fixing the rates to be paid for this
great additional amount Of energy.
The consumers would be enjoying
saving of at least $50.000,000 annually
in their power bills, and, most import
ant Of all, as will be shown later, 100,-
600 laborers now engaged in following
coal from the bowels of the earth to
the ash pile would be free for other
more important work.
In addition to the foregoing, the de-
velopment of this 100000 hp. would
have been a great benefit to our farm
ers, because of the cheap fertilizer 1t
would have produced. Besides this,
about $274 200, 900 worth Of railroad
equipment now hauling equivalent coal
would be available for other most i'm
portant and crying needs. But the
"conservationists" decreed otherwise
and the waste goes merrily on.
Call Labor and Capital to Service.
This is fine price we are paying for
following during the last fourteen
years the proposals Of impractical, I'M
informed, though probably well-mean-
ing, men who have no intimate knowl-
edge of our industrial life and the re-
sponsibilities related thereto. In this
hour Of the worlds greatest trial the
s. O. s. calls are now directed in the
main to laboring men and to the great
Industrial organizations commonly call
ed corporations. If our country is
saved, it will be these two grea. ele-
ments that will achieve the result,
aided by our men of finance and by the
engineering profession, rather than by
those whose principal job is talking
loudly about matters they. have been
fooling and bulldozing the people
about for a long time in the past.
The war should bring capital and Ia
Dor nearer together in the future and
so enable them to conserve our re-
sources and help one another for the
common good, and thus make US yearly
more immune from the cranks in and
out Of our legislative bodies.
Much has been said in the past about
our coal. More important
today, however, is the need to con-
serve our labor. The following analy-
clio will he }ntaraSfinor IN those WIN