Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1918-01-10
Attacks or Hoover
oarengts;en tssssl IN
Estimation of Public

Estimation O. / u5ilC
II would nave been little short OF
marvellous had Mr.. Hoover, the food
administration, escaped criticism from
those whose private interests nave
been unfaVorably affected by his pol
icy. High as he stands in the esteem
Vi the people OF the United States.
the TACT that representatives of any
or the food trusts, combines, OF. mo-
nopolies had found it in their hearts
TO praise his methods would have Gre
ated widespread surprise and. per
haps, caused no little suspicion. The
attack upon him by Claus Spreckles.
president of the Federal Refining
Company, was nothing more than the
public expected, and its only effect
was to establish Mr.. Hoover still more
firmly in the confidence of the peo-
pie.
Mr.. Spreckles has complained and
charged before the senate committee
of investigation, of which Senator
Reed is chairman, that Mr.. Hoover
mlsmanaged the sugar situation. and
49, ii'o tliuc Il uCcH uGIleU
an opportunity of replying to this
complaint and allegation before the
committee. Consumers of sugar, how
ever, who have been able to purchase
the commodity, although in small
quantities only, at a fairly reasonable
standard price thus far during the
Iirlod of shortage, when in ordinary
circumstances prices would have been
al NY Tn jho ,,~,rt &c -
those in control of the market. have
not needed the Hoover statement that
has just come from the White House
TO convince them that there has nei-
ther been mismanagement nor dis
honest management on the part of
the food administration.
But the facts presented in this
statement are, nevertheless, Of inter
est and value, and they have the mer.
1T, also, of being simple and clear.
Prior to the outbreak of the war the
allies produced much of the sugar
they consumed, either at home or in
colonies, and made up by i'm
ports from Germany any deficit they
In those times they took only
100000 tons annually from the West
ern Hemisphere.
Since it's food administration was
created, in August last, the United
States has exported to the allies no.
$50 tons of refined sugar, and, in the
same period, Cuba has shipped to Eu-
rope 246,l33 tons of the raw product.
which, under normal conditions, would
have been shipped to the United
States. These figures represent Just
the amount of sugar shortage in the
country. No more sugar has
been exported or diverted from the
United States than, with rigid prac-
tice of economy, could be spared.
has been a sugar shortage, but
there has been no sugar famine" in
the United States. The food admins
tration is justified in claiming that it
handled the situation with the
view of sustaining the morale of
Great Britain and France, where the
ration has been extremely low.
Even with the expectations from the
United States into those countries,
the supply has been reduced in Eng
land to twenty-four pounds a year for
each person, and in France to fourteen
pounds, as against a consumption in
the United States of fifty-fiye pounds.
The intimation that the food adj
ministration has favored the allies I'M
duly at the cost of the in
the United States is a shameful per-
version of the truth. The Hoover
policy has been displeasing to great
sugar interests evidently because it
it impossible for those in CON
troll of the commodity to extort TWEEN
to thirty cents a pound for
from the consumers. The house
holders of the United States are more
than 5000, 900, 900 in, while the sugar
barons are more than $500, 600, 900
put, as a result of Hoover's "misman.
agement."
The more of this kind of .'1nisman.
agement" these h~ouseholders can get,
he better they will like it.-Christian
Science Monitor.
(Since the above was originally
Mr.. Hoover has appeared be-
ore the committee, where his policies
we're indirectly assailed by Chairman
Reed, Mr.. Hoover warmly defending.
-Editor.)
Remember when we we're kids? ,
you liked to play with me
etter than with anybody else?"
The millionaire was not ELUSIVE.
'sWe have queer tastes when we're !.
he observed. II remember / !
sed to like TO play with toads. J
.o~aisgilIe ColfieT-Journal. !
tb Gltfhefs9 i
'fse has q nlisfal5en conception of {
duty as a Citizen