Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-07-08
PENROSE ASSALS
US. PRICE FIXING
Calls 1t "Worst Mistake"
and ''Forerunner of Gov.
ernment Socialism"
TO ATTACK SERIATIM
By a Star Correspondent
Washington, July 8.

Inc necessity and demand for Gov
ernment ownership and operation Of
different public utilities and the extern
sion of the system of having the
Government fix wage scales and adopt
other Socialistic doctrines. is the direct
result of the grievous error made, when
the Wilson Administration first began
10 f1x prices of raw materials, Senator
Boies Penrose, of Pennsylvania. as
serted today.
The Administrations action in fixing
prices for raw and manufactured
products. instead of allowing the law
OF supply and demand to attend to the
matter. was one of the worst mistakes
this nation has made in connection with
prosecuting the war, said Senator PEN
rose.
The Pennsylvania Senator will make
series of speeches in the Senate set
ting forth at length the bad economic
principles on which tn Administration
is wasing this war, he declared today.
Promises Series of Speeches
Whenever l can get a suitable and
convenient opportunity to do Sc | shall
make series of speeches in the Senate
exposing the grievous economic mistakes
made by the Administration in carrying
on the war" said Senator Penrose.
There may. of course, be cases of
notorious conspiracy concerning prof
iteering and price-raising," continued
Senator Penrose. but these cases are
few and far between.
This war ought TO be fought, so far
as the United States is concerned. with
due regard to sound principles of poll
tical economy and not by reviving false
economic theories long since buried in
oblivion. The law of supply and de-
mand cannot be abrogated
Fixing Cuts Production
"Price-fixing curtails production and
stimulates consumption. It begins with
one article. and the necessity immedi-
ately arises for including a vast number
of articles. 1t winds up with arbitrary
fixing of wages and government owner
ship and control of raw materials. II
persisted in, it will develop into a gov
ernmental socialism far more radical
than ever advocated by socialists.
High prices work automatically to
curtail consumption more effectively than
autocratic powers to coerce the public
at an expenditure for their enforcement
of many millions of dollars
Excess profits as the result of high
prices can easily be gathered in by the
tax collector or to any limit. whereas
~ lllIoNtI lSIltS tHe treasury.
Business Prepared To Pay
American business men would be will
ling to pay any taxes II the Government
would let business alone in its ordinary
economical transactions. Some of these
ideas being carried out by the Admins
tration have been adopted by foreign
nations who are now seeing their error,
Attacks Souanderjur
Declaring 1.-THE autocratic authori-
ties" created through the false eco.
nomic principles upon which we are
fighting this whole war" are squander.
ing millions of dollars in absurd" in.
vestigations and administration. while
Philadelphia is forbidden to construct
badly needed transit facilities, Senator
Penrose has served notice on the Sen.
ate he has reached the limit of his
patience" and intends in the future to
fight every appropriation asked of Con-
gress fer "r1onstrous" purpose.
The activities of the food and fuel
administrations and of the Agricul-
tural Department have approached a
public scandal, he said. Senator Pen.
rose made the food.production bill the
vehicle for his attacks upon what he
charged to be misuse of funds" He
opened the filibuster against the prohi-
bition rider to the bill, and said he had
only begun his speech when the Sen.
ate adjourned after he had spoken for
an hour.
He cited provisions in the food-pro.
duction bill and the general agricul-
tural bill. which was vetoed by Presi.
dent Wilson to show the absurdity of
departmental activities in time of war.
The Senate was corvulsed with
laughter while the Senator sought to
hold up the Department of Agriculture
to ridicule for asking an appropriation
of almost half n million dollars with
which to investigate skunks, squirrels.
coyotes. oysters and cottage cheese.
The Bolsheviki in Russia have not
acted as absurdly as the Department of
Agriculture purposes" Mr.. Penrose con-
tinucd
Philadelphia Work Stopped
The city of Philadelphia, the third
city In the country. has been notified by
the Treasury Department, through it's
securities corporation. that that great
municipality shall not be permitted to
go on with certain improvements. Either
the securities will not be indorsed or
through priority orders and other arbi-
trary powers Of these autocratic minons
that have been set up over us In the
last eight or nine months they will be
prevented from going on with the work.
The city has spent thousands of dollars.
and the people were anxiously awaiting
for the development of a system of
transportation which would solve many
of the problems confronting in the most
acute form that great metropolitan CEN
ter of nearly 100000 people; and yet
they are held up and unable to go on
with those improvements, while the Sem
ator from Texas is anxious to encourage
the Department of Agriculture to squan-
der millions in the investigation of all
kinds of insects and vermin."