The Washington herald., 1917-06-27
Prices, Wages and Prosperity.

! III lnSSe Gays OF national mendiCancy,
when so many of our lawmakers and
departmental administrators are try
ing to get things for the government
without paying for them. it may sound
like treason to speak up once more in
favor of the United tates paying it's
way like any other nation or any Of
| its citizens,
BY what rule OF right can any pow
erful Cabinet minister insist that
commodities shall be furnished to the
government in great quantities at
loss and at much less price than to
other nations or customers?
Isn't 1t sort OF democratic heresy
to demand special privileges for the
government when it is really a COM
petitive buyer with its own citizens?
Isn't it a sort of republican-demo-
cratic heresy to insist that the gov
eminent shall go into the field Of pro-
duction and exact rebates on the
| things it is to use?
Readers of The Herald who follow
the reports OF the metal market must
| have noted that at the end of last
week pig iron was quoted at S5l a ton.
The price year ago was 500 75 n ton.
At the same time steel bilIets at Pitts
burgh were $lCO a ton, as against $45
ton year ago. Copper, electrolytic,
was "a cents a pound against % cents
a year ago. and tin was 6S l-2 cents a
pound against 20 cents a year ago
II you are going to follow steel back
to the pig iron, it might be well to
follow it back to the ore beds, and see
how greatly the price of iron ore, of
the various elements which enter into
IRON and steel manufacture, have also
! increased and the Investigation OF the
Trade Commission will no doubt bring
| out much which will be Illuminating
even to Senator Vardaman. But IL our
cabinet members are going TO cut the
price OF steel they must cut 1t in all
fairness to the small purchaser as we'll
/ as to the government. Dare they do
that? If they are going to cut steel
~ per cent they must also cut pig
iron 70 per cent. One is dependent on
the other. II they are going to cut
pig iron 20 per cent they must 60 to
! the ore fields and cut ore 20 per cent
II prices must come down, SO also
| must wages. The workmen in the
steel mills have had increases in
wages of 10 per cent. piled on 10 per
| cent many times in the last few wears.
I Ihese must come down. The work.
men in the furnaces have had their
wages raised; so also have the miners
and the various classes Of workrnen
who find profitable employment in this
greatest of Industries.
/ Now what are we going to do? Are
! We going to stimulate industry or are
we going to stamp it out? The Kaiser
would say. by all means stamp it
| out. He would give an iron cross to
each United States Senator who makes
an attack on industry at this time.
He would be strongly in favor of hav-
ing double standard for all COM
modities-one for the United States
and another for the citizens of the
| United States. Or are we going to
apply the rule of common sense and
make an end of cheap clap trap? Steel
Is nigh, but 1t is no higher relatively
than cotton. Shall we force the price
OF cotton down arbitrarily 20 per cent?
Snal We force down the price Of
wheat arbitrarily 70 per cent? Con-
sress Is going to put an excess war
tax on steel. Why not on cotton? Let
us be frank and honest in This mat
Ter why Is cotton so high? Because
OF speculation? Not at all Because
the demand is SO great that it is no
Joke that soon cotton will be a higher
priced commodity than silk.
1t viii not be an easy thing to CON-
unue to play Jack, the Ripper. with
great industry and still make II per-
FORM Its full functions in production
Tor war. 1t would be about as easv m
dam Niagara. ~