The Washington herald., 1918-07-28
PR0HTEERING AND BOYCOTT.
The Latter Urged by Reader a. an
Immediate Remedy.

Editor The Washington Herald
Dickman. the union leader, Is
right. People who stand extortion
deserve to suffer. The boycott Is
within the reach OF every citizen,
and every labor and benevolent or
ganizatiop should urge its use at
the present time. With fruit and
vegetables spelling, in the hands of
tne producer for want of profitable
market there is no reason why there
should not be well supplied mar
ket In this city excepting the
methods of the profteer. Let them
Keep their 20-cents-a-pound toma-
toes. their 35-cents-a-quarf biackber-
ries. their high priced peaches and
canteioupes until they are offered at
practically before the war prices.
II should be held to be the patri-
otic duty of every good citizen to
hit the profiteer. and hit him in the
pocket. When the profiteer had cor
nered the corn he urged the people
as a patriotic duty to use corn meal
on which he doubled the price and
made many millions. He then
turned his attention to rice and
reaped q rich reward. Everyone re-
Allies what he did force on the
people in his manipulation OF the
sugar market. When the raw sugar
came in from Cuba for q few days
the people were able to buy sugar
and make their own molasses and
have something Mt to eat in that
line but the advantage was short
lived.
The profiteers filled the newspa-
pers with advertisements telling us
of the vast quantities of potatoes
rotting in the hands of the producer
and Of our duty to use them ana
thus save wheat which fike the corn
and rice effort proved to be only a
prelude to doubled prices. The fsh
demonstration Is in the. same line.
The people can use the boycott
on every perishable article and
make 1t exceedingly dangerous to
prohteer on that line but for per-
manent relief Congress should be
urged to act. and urged by every
organization which seeks the peo-
pies good.
The officers Of the regular army
and certain others are allowed to
purchase through the commissary
food articles at the original cost to
the government-at the contract
price not including transportation
or other charges. Potatoes which
cost 80 cents per bushei in Kansas
are sold at that price in Washing
ton. and the same principle applies
to the beef bought in Kansas City
and the -four purchased In Mime
apolis, Or the hams taken in at
Porkopolis.
1t is believed that a joint resolu-
tion Of Congress could extend this
privilege 70 the family of every per-
son now serving in the army or
navy OF the United States.
The central market could be
taken over by the government as .
war measure and a plant installed
for distributing to retailers supplies
at fair prices to be sold to the con-
sumer at a fixed and reasonable per-
centage Of profit. In these days
when billions are provided for the
struggling people of other lands
half million could be voted for
this purpose and provision made for
corporations that would answer the
same purpose in other cities. The
people are now the prey OF everyone
who wants profit or pelf and are
called upon to promote every good
cause and II Is time they were
shown some consideration. and or
ganized labor should be encourag ged
in the fight they are now making
against the profiteer.
c. A. LOJTNSBERRY