Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-23
N0PROSPER|7Y.
F0RC|TY' SP00R
New York Housewives Grow
Desperate as Living
Expenses Climb


or Mitchell had been informed by
east side housewives today that
their children were starving to
death by hundreds" because Of the
high cost Of food he promised to
place before the board Of estimate
on Friday their plea that 81 100000
be appropriated by the city to buy
food for distribution at reasonable
prices.
Chicago, Feb. q. President J.
p Griffin Of the Chicago Board OF
Trade teIegraphed to the inter
state commerce commission and to
the presidents of~eastern railroads
insisting that unless an immediate
embargo were placed on all pro.
ducts east bound out Of Chicago
except fuel and foodstuffs the
country will face the danger Of an
archy and riotino.
New York, Feb. 81. The women OF
the New York tenements have taken
the food situation in their own hands
and planned series of public demon.
STATIONS to convince the mayor and
city officials that something must be
done to reduce prices. One of the wild.
est protest meetings the city has ever
known broke up early today after max
Of women and children to march all
day through Wall street and at night
through Fifth avenue.
An appeal was sent to President vii.
son and committee was appointed to
demand that the city appropriate ST.
100000 to be used Immediately for buy
ing and distributing food among the
poor at cost. Impassioned speakers
called upon the poor Of the east side to
organize and pledged the financial sup.
port Of the Hebrew trades union The
capitalists are blamed for the high cost
of food on the ground that they were
amassing wealth by sending it 10
Europe.
Mass meetings and demonstrations
continued today. The police were on
the alert to prevent fresh outbreak
Of rioting such as put many pushcart
vendors out OF business Monday and
Tuesday. Mayor Mitchell. who was alb
sent when several hundred women
tried to force their way into his Office
yesterday, promised to receive com
mittee today II it came quietly.
Call On Wilson To Act.
A thousand or more women attended
last nights mass meeting and at leas,
5000 more fought to get into the hall
Two hours elapsed before there was
order enough for the transaction o.
business. The following appeal to ths
president was carried with shout:
1--WE house wives OF the city Of New
York, mothers and wives Of workmen
desire to call your attention. Mr.. Presi
dent to the fact that, in the midst Of
plenty. we and our families are facins
starvation.
1.-The rise in the cost Of living has
been so great ard uncalled for tina
even now We are compelled to deny
ourselves and OUR children the neces
ssies of life.
1--WE pay for our needs out Of thu
wages Of our husbands. and the. Amer
lean standard OF living cannot be main
tained when potatoes are seven cents +;
pound, bread six cents, cabbage twent,
cents. oEicns eighteen cents and 81
, forth
I'VE call TO you. Mr.. President. IL
, this crisis that we are facing to recon
mend to congress Or other authorit!
measures for relief
! AS yet no date has been set for thu
parade on Wall street and Fifth
avenue. The organizers say they ex
pect to have several hundred Thousand
women and children in line.
a movement has been started to cal
a strike OF school children living il
the tenements, on the ground that thu
high cost of living make it necessar.
for all children old enough to go t,
work.
Food Trains Rushing In.
According to railroad officials. effic
iency experts are at work on behal
of virtually all the trunk lines, par
ticu!arly at Chicago, Detroit, Buffalo
F., Cleveland. Pittsburgh, and othe
points where the freight congestion il
most serious, endeavoring to make i
possible for food trains to be rushed
to New York Indications We're. the!
asserted, that shipments of perishabl'
foodstuffs were now reaching here il
! greater volume than at any time dur
! ing the past few weeks. Weather con
ditions were considered more favor
able for moving freight.