Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-09-01
MIR. SHERMAN HITS
FOOD PRICES HERE
Higher Than in Any Other
Capital in World, He
S Says, in Senate.
SUGGESTS INVESTIGATION

Excessive prices charged for food
stuffs in the District of Columbia
were attacked by Senator Sherman of
Illinois in the Senate yesterday after
noon He insisted that prices charged
for food were higher in Wash
ington than in any other capital in
the world today, and that the matter
was becoming a national scandal"
Other senators Joined with Senator
Sherman in his denunciation of the
high prices of foods in Washington.
Senator King of Utah, who, like Sena-
tor Sherman, is member of the Sen
ate District committee, said he had
investigated market conditions here
and his Investigations had led to the
belief that the board of District Com
missioners had not exercised all the
powers it possessed for the regula-
ton of prices of foods in the restau-
rants and other places in the District.
Need Basis for Legislation.
Senator Sherman said he believed
that the Senate District committee
could do fine service if it would be-
gin, an investigation of conditions
here with relation to the sale of food
stUf1s. He said that the committee
could call witnesses and bring to light
much valuable information regarding
markets and their prices and also the
charges being made for food by res
taurants. hotels and boarding houses.
This information, he said. could be
utilized to frame legislation. perhaps
along the line Of the salisbury reso-
luton to prevent profiteering in
rents. to prevent profteering in food
stuffs.
Senator Sherman also attacked
Washington landlords, declaring that
their power to nullify the salisbury
resolution and to bluff the people
here into paying higher rents. he
said he thought it likely that the
landlords would send out notices to
their tenants to quit" on September
so, the end of the present renting
year Notwithstanding the fact that
the Salisbury resolution says that the
tenants may not be disturbed during
the war and their rents are not to be
increased.
Gives Dare to Landlord.
Il wish one of the landlords would
send me such a notice" he said. Il
would take it up with my attorney
and fight the thing to finish"
Senator Sherman suggested that the
food administration could do more to
prevent the excessive prOntS on lOou-
stuffs. He said he had noticed that
the District food administration had
closed up five dealers places in the
last four days.
This looks like step in the right
direction" he said. II hope it is only
the beginning of a campaign"
Profits of the meat packers. recently
declared in the federal trade COM
missions profiteering report to be
excessive, and Henry Ford, Detroit
i. ,f,,,,
pared by Senator Sherman.
Packers Profits Limited.
Although the packers profits are
limited by the food administration to
per cent Senator Sherman declared
the profits of Ford's company in 1916
were e9.5 per cent.
profits the trade commission would
have been speechless with indigna-
tion," said Senator Sherman.
Referring to Ford's promise to re-
Of profits on recent war orders, Sena-
tor Sherman said it would help undo
what he did as a pacifist before the
war" and added that the promise
might better have been made before
and not after he became a candidate
for the United States Senate in Michi-
gan.
Ford's twenty-three-year- son.
Senator Sherman said. had been kept
from military service because he was
Indispensable to manage nent of the
Ford concerns business with war Or
ders.
Thus he became the sole support
of his millionaire father" Senator
Sherman continued. picturing Ford as
the charter member of the Ancient
Order of Dependent Fathers"
Big Aid to q. S. Now.
Senator Thomas Of Colorado inter-
rupted to state that while he believed
Ford could do more for his country in
his present position than in the Senate
and for that reason he would not like to
see him elected to the Senate. in justice
TO Mr.. Ford he was told last June by
the Detroit NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. he
was a candidate for the Senate-that
he intended to return all profits on gov
eminent war contracts to the Treasury
"Ford's record as pacifist will not be
balanced by return of $4,000. 900, of
profits" Senator Sherman replied.
Ford now is a patriot while some of
his former pacifist associates are under
bonds or in jail
Declaring that 'rBilr' Heywood Of the
J. ". w. sentenced at Chicago to
twenty years in the penitentiary, had
not changed his mind about the war
quicker than Mr.. Ford, Senator Sher-
man asked:
why send Haywood to the peniten-
tiary and elect Ford to the Senate?"
The Federal Trade Commission, Sen
ator Sherman suggested, had made no
complaint about the Ford profits, but