Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-06-30
AN ECONOMIC REVOLUTION
is UNDER WAY

1NHIs war is going to be worth every
thing It costs economically. II marks,
indeed the beginning Of a new era in
sconomic history. comparable in its ef.
fects to the political results achieved by
Hoover and the men behind him are
doing in Washington is OF intellectually
more Importance than all the antitrust
laws ever passed. They are doing what
this and other Governments for genera.
lions have been trying to do. They are
eliminating ruthlessness from the conduct
ef business and laying the ground for
Q harvest Of fair dealing and fair prices
such as few citizens ever dreamed Of.
We have information, which we he.
heve to be reliable, TO the effect that there
n enough meat in cold storage in
America to feed the nation for six months
r not another animal were killed in
the meantime. What Is true Of meat
n true OF scores OF other commodities.
There il no scarcity in them. There is
an artificial poverty Of supply, arbitrarily
induced by spectators who have taken
advantage OF crucial situation in the
worlds history to pile up enormous
profits Mr. Hoover and his Investigators
are we'll acquainted with the facts. But
they have no faith in judicial processes
deed, turn TO methods productive always
Of delay, when their own experience and
the experience Of other nations have com
.bined to show them a way out? They
have discovered that all they need is
governmental authority behind them to
knock the enthusiasm out OF the food
sharks and reduce them to comparative
impotence.
For how many years have we had the
coal situation on our hands? 1t re-
surred with insistency, always with
another advance, and invariably there
was no ultimate relief for the consumer
But when the soft-cosl men got to Wash
ington and found that some experts, who
knew what 1t cost to mine coal and what
coal was really worth, were getting ready
to have the Government iX a price un-
less the coal men did it themselves, they
jumped TO cover in a hurry. There was
some patriotism in their action, too, as
American II he is made to see the situa-
tion with eyes fully open, There was
no three-dollar wheat after word reached
Chicago that the mulcting OF the public
must stop or the Government would take
control. There will he no -four at twice
the cost in America that IL Is in Eng
land when Mr.. Hoover is able to put his
yardstick on the supply and apply the
methods of Joseph, when necessary, to
the distribution.
The big lesson the war Is teaching all
peoples and all Governments Is that
economic robbery Of the people is not
an economic necessity. The world is
discovering a new principle in trade, as
It is in politics, the principle Of justice
and fairness Nor will that principle In
either case be again outraged by any man
or set OF men so long as the memory
OF these times fingers in the human
mind. Socialism some men may call IL,
bur it is nothing Of the sort. individuality
and private enterprise are not to be dis.
sged. 1t is only when men are greedy
and unjust that the hand OF authority
will fasten on them and lift them back
into the narrow path. We face no Utopia,
but there does stretch before us an era
when honest profits will be the only
profits that respectable men can win,
The cost OF living hereafter will rise
when there are natural causes for an
Increase.
Mr.. Hoover is right His task is not
10 penaiize people. 1t u to reduce the
cost Of food and to see that there is
enough food for ourselves and for our
allies He will do beth Of these things
% soon a. Congress permits him to go
ahead.