New-York tribune., 1918-03-24

ion. If the present income tax law does
not cover the matter it can be made
to do so.
How 1t Affects
The Very Poor
Next there is the question, what
about the very poor and the people
with small fixed incomes, incomes of
the kind that do not rise with the ris
ing tide of prices as do wages and SAL
aries generally? The very poor, like
| the very rich, constitute but a small
part of the population. In peace times
they are "helped" by the communities
in which they live. Higher costs will
affect them by increasing the amount
of help they will need. Is there any
one who fears that the communities
that have been helping them will not
meet this increase in their needs?
AS to the man with the small fixed
income which cannot be expanded, that
is different matter. He will be verv
much worse off. He will be obliged to
go out and get job if he is able to
work, and if not he will be obliged to
live on "short rations." This will not
be pleasant if he is accustomed to COM
forts.
But neither is freezing to death on
guard duty pleasant, nor running into
bayonet pleasant, nor anything else
that grows out of the war.
Because of the fact that the very
poor stir our sympathy and the very
rlch our resentment we arc apt to give
to these two groups disproportionate
consideration. And this is a mistake.
The people of these two groups to-
gether probably make up less than one
hundredth part of our total population.
Laws of general application that are
framed with special reference to our
feelings toward either or both are s1-
most certain to be very bad laws for
the country as a whole. And so, too.
with policies and plans. 1t may be that
IN deciding to fix prices Congress was
not influenced by such feelings and
considerations. But in all probability
it was.
These are not considerations that
should be allowed to weigh undulv.
High prices will hurt the very poor and
they will hurt the man with a small in
come, and do this while sparing the
rich. But if to avoid this evil we must
commit the incalculably greater one of
sacrificing the lives of tens of thou-
sands Of soldiers, then we would bet
ter not avoid committing it. 1t is very
much the lesser Of the two.
Another argument sometimes offered
for price-fXing is that our people are
so unusually patriotic that they will
work and save as much as they should
"lthout compu!sion. That our people
are patriotic in high degree is beyond
question. They have displayed about
the finest spirit imaginable ever since
war was declared; they have piven
money and time without stint; they have
voluntarily denied themselves a great
many things which they wanted and
could afford to buy.
Saving Requires
Judgment
But this matter OF working as hard
as we would and saving as much as wa
should to win the war quickly is not
so much a matter of patriotism as it
$ matter of judgment. In times past
we have been guided in our Judgment
as TO how much we should work and
now little we should buy by the price
OF 1hings. Price-fixing takes away this
guide. We are at sea. Moreover. there
are many people who are frankly un-
patriotic and will deny themselves
eh'ngs they want only when forced to
40 so oy some power beyond their con-
orol' And such people corrupt and in
nuence others who if left to their own
devices would be patriotic.
so, lacking conclusive proof. the pre-
sumption would be that we will not
work as steadily as we should and save
as much as we would without compul-
sion. But we have conclusive proof
we are not doing so now. If we were
oolng so prices would not need fixing
ne TACT that prices need fixing is con-
elusive proof that we are consumjnc
too much or producing too little or
both.
10 put it another way: If we were
wiling and able to do as much work
as we should and live on as littl. as
we should to win this war quickly, with
out being compelled ID do so by high
prices, and did so, tn en- there would
be no high prices. Prices cannot be
high If production meets or exceeds de.
mand.
In every city in the land we read and
near OF combinations of dealers in va
rlous lines in violation of the antitrust
law, and in every city in the land we
near nigh prices charged to such local
combinations. That there have bccn
such combinations will not be denied.
but that they have ever been success
ful in holding prices much above their
natural levels for any considerable
period of time is quite impossible. Thew
never have and thew never can Tb.