Semi-weekly herald., 1917-06-04
THE NEcEssARIEs OF LIFE

Perhaps no greater question has
than the one of handling the food
question Of the nation. With modern
| science back of the war program 1t
seems that today it is even more i'm
poitant to the nations of the world
that we prepare to raise crops and
provide the so-called necessaries of
life than il is that we organize arm
les for the field.
No sooner than had congress declar-
ed war it began the work on the mat
ter of conserving and supplying the
people OF the nation with food and
other nee essaries of life. 1t was
found that even in wartime the manu-
facturers of the nation could not be
| depended upon to do the proper thing
with reference to fixing prices on their
commodities. Many of the price ma
nipulators OF the great cities began
the storing of provisions and when
there was a genehral shortage the
prices went up by leaps and bounds.
| The people of the nation became
| frightened and began a campaign such
IS the country never before saw. The
whole nation as one man began an
industrial movement for the produc-
ton of crops. Then congress took up
the matter and food bill measures
were introduced in both houses. IF we
understand the bill correctly it is not
the intention of congress to interfere
with the regular channels of business
In this connection the Christian
Science Monitor publishes the follow
ing:
United States Senator Gore, at
one end of the Capitol, and Represen-
tative Lever at the other, introduced
on Wednesday, the food regulation
measure which is understood to have
the approval of the administration.
The measure is sweeping in character,
too sweeping to suit some even in the
majority, but its passage or defeat
viii determine whether or not there
is really to be an attempt, on the part
of the government, to solve what has
been repeatedly pronounced, with the
approval of millions of citizens. the
greatest and most pressing of the do
nestle problems of the nation. The
Gore-Lever bill is drastic. One of its
strongest opponents, Senator Reed of
Missouri. did not go too far when he
said that it placed. extraordinary au-
thority in the hands of the president
the department of agriculture and the
person who might be chosen admins
ter Of the law, if enacted. But what
is believed by thoughtful people, in
and out of governmental circles, to be
| essential to the cc.ntry's welfare, in
this respect, cannot he brought about
save thru the employment of methods
bordering on the dictatorial.
Nothing short of investment with
unquestionable authority will enable
Mr.. Hoover to obtain the informa-
tion which he must possess before he
can proceed to draw upon and dis
tribute the boarded food resources
Of the nation. He must be at liberty
to "pry" into private affairs, or in
other words, he must be free to dis
regard the claims of privacy in dealing
with so important question as that
involved in public comfort and public
sustenance. The term private right"
as usually employed, viii have to be
eliminated from the present-day yo-
cabulary, if public rights are to be
protected as the mass of the people
demand. There can be no escape from
the fact that, in the crisis now con
fronting the United States private in
forests must give way, in thousands
Of instances, before public require
ments.
This marks and emphasizes the diff
ference between war and peace. The
first consideration, in war, is the sue
cess of the cause in behalf of which
the war is waged All other consid-
erations are secondary. Some that
might seem important, in times Of
peace, dwindle into insignificance Yet
it is not necessary that power, dele
gated by the people to their govern
ment, shall be used without regard to
individual rights, or that it shall be
used to oppress any interest, or that
it shall be in any way abused.
Even in war times the United
States does not cease to be a democ-
racy, and even in war times those in
trusted with administration must see
to it that only where positively nee
essary shall the arbitrary or dictator
ial power with which they have been
invested be employed for any purpose.
This power will be granted, if grant
Il cd 81 Ill a.