El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-12-07
Profiteers Liued
During Resolution
During The Birth OF The Nation
War Hogs Piled Their Trade and
The POpulace Starved and Suf-
fered Beneath Their Rule.
BY MADISON c. PETERs.

w in these days of stress and strain
and unparalleled trial. by persons who
take advantage OF prevailing condi-
lions to boost the price Of the neces-
stiles Of life and thereby enrich them
selves. Such war hogs are anathema
to the sections in which they operate
and especially are they an evil scourge
to the poor and the unfortunate.
Profiteers at such A time as the
present shock the sense OF morality,
Of justice, of rectitude. Of brotherly
love-not to speak Of decency and fair
play and square dealing and honor.
The shock is liable TO make US eX-
press ourselves in strong language. IN
righteous indignation some OF US eX-
claim-.How can there be individuals
so base, so grasping so lost to shame.
so unpatriotic that in their greed they
make profit out Of their country when
it is Just recovering from a life and
death grapple with an unsparing and
relentless fOe2
The government has put a stop to
some base profiteers. halted them IN
their evil march Of greed and COM
PEELED them to act on the square Her
bert Hoover. backed by the govern
ment has eliminated some, among
manufacturers, wholesalers but the
retailers swindle on.
ProfIteers as Old as Hills.
Some are under the impression that
profiteers are a growth, or rather
parasite excrescences. of the goth CEN
trry, particularly flOurishing since the
war began. But the growth is as old
as the hills, il originated with the hu-
man race and stuck to 1t down through
the centuries.
In the life race there has always
been keen competition. Many adopt
- raf# IA u1n 81
take the hindmOst, and jostle their
competitors to get ahead. or take to
paths other than straight to reach the
goal never stopping to realize that 1t
is only by straight paths they can
reach a winning post OF honor and re-
spectability. But they damn honor
and sing respectability and forge
ahead in their own way which in the
end is sure to lead to the goal OF fall
ure. and always to the contempt Of
their fellowmen.
There were profiteers from the be-
ginning, among the Jews there were
grain holders, those who held over the
grain in anticipation of famine or a
time of great scarcity. Twas the same
in Egypt Old Rome was notorious for
wealthy tyrants who monopolized all
the goods they could seize by force
and abrogated to themselves the best
OF what common people produced,
leaving the latter to starve and die
Almost from the days Of the Ro-
man empire down to the dawn Of the
18th century nearly every country in
Europe crushed and oppressed their
poor, taking away from them the re-
suits Of their labOrs and treating
them as beasts Of burden.
In Medieval Times.
In medieval times England was a
merciless landlord to her working
classes, her feudal lords and barons
~,1r ~ faT 70
their great castles and parks and
cater to their pleasures and debauch-
cries.
When England became a great
manufacturing and commercial coun-
try her merchant princes were al
most as bad as the feudal lords had
been. They treated their employees in
their mills and factories as dogs. CIV
ing them little or no wages and COM
PEELED them in the big manufacturing
centers to live in huts and dens. worse
than kennels, reeking with filth and
infested with yermin.
Herbert Hoover as the agent Of
the American government has clipped
the wings OF food profiteering in this
country But the agent OF the British
government has given it a closer clip
in England. But for this clipping the
have flown away with the peoples
rights to construct well lined nests
for themselves in which 10 repose and
enjoy an easy life.
Profiteers are nothing new. The
brood has been with US a long time
emphasizing their evil presence in
periods Of stress and struggle and bit
ter trial They were with US at the
birth Of our nation trying to strangle
the delicate little yOungster with the
cords Of their greed and ayarice. That
was a time in some respects like the
q hwn
strong, upright, men Of character. who
were sincere, whose hearts were loyal
and who could be depended upon to do
the duty Of men Such men were re-
quired to offset the traitors and
scoundrels and the venal and corrupt
own sordid ends in view. while many
OF them prOfessed to be simon pure
PARROTS. Yes, there were 'slackers."
''pacifists." and 'prOfiteers" out for
gain in those days, just as now. There
were rascals round the cradle OF our
nation when It was being rocked with
loving care by the early fathers, ras-
Gals who would have accomplished a
mighty lot OF harm had they not been
restrained
The battle for liberty had been
fought and won, but the tussle left
men weak and the country in state
OF collapse. Farming had to be neg
lected, manufacturers had to cease and
as a consequence both food and ma
terials were scarce. Prices went sky
rocketing and there was little money
IN circulation. Awaiting themselves Of
the opportunities such conditions af-
forded many merchants and farmers
began to hoard with the object Of sell
ing later at enormous profits
Some OF the Prices.
As a result OF the boarding prices
went up so. 100, 200 and even as high
as 500 percent A loaf Of bread which
before the war sold for six pence went
up to half a crown. or five times the
/ former price. Oatmeal sold at 81 for
II pounds, flour at a dollar pound.
Sweet milk was rs cents a quart, but
ter 50 to 50 a pound. Potatoes went
10 $50 a hundred pounds. Green peas
to SIS a peck and other necessary
commodities sold accordingly. Cloth
| ing materials rose in proportion. A
pair Of trousers cost SIS, shoes just
as much. It took $50 to buy a decent
hat Women's clothing was much
higher. woman's pocket handkerchief
cost $40. These prices prevailed in the
year 1777-1779. but they were TO &c
much higher on account OF hoardine