The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1919-09-03

pHOIS anu dShSu MIN "RAA1 A4S "N'N
paving for potatoes. The grocery
man replied that he was paying 81
per bushel My informant said that
a few hours later he called at the
store of the same groceryman and
asked him how he was selling potato
es, and the merchant replied, Fifty
cents a gallon" To use provincial
ism common in this country, Can
you beat that?" Four hundred per
cent profit! Now, what possible ex-
cuse or extenuation can there be for
such dastardly, downright highwayry
as this?
And still this deplorable condition
prevails throughout the length and
breadth of this Nation-from the
rockbound coast of Maine to the
Golden Gates of California. This
condition is nothing more nor less
than a disease, a supurating cancer
gnawing at the vitals of the very body
of the Nation, and the sooner the
surgeons knife is applied, and applf.
ed vigorously, the better.
Mr.. Speaker, l have never believed
in the doctrine of Government owner
ship, and l am still unwilling to sub
scribe thereto, because, in my opin-
ion, it smacks too much of socialism,
paternalism, and kindred govern
mental diseases. However, l do be-
lieve in Government regulation. The
Government must protect the weak
against the aggressions of the strong
and vicious if it is to long endure
1t must safeguard and secure even its
humblest citizens from those intoler-
able conditions which, if continued,
will Russianize and Mexicanize this
fair Republic.
Importance of Contentment.
The progress and prosperity of a
nation depend, in very large mea-
sure, upon the contentment of its
citizens. No nation can prosper or
advance if it's people are unhappy and
disconnected. Up until few months
ago the American people were the
most happy and contented people on
earth, and the American Reublic was
the most progressive and prosperous
Nation in the whole world. Our wage
earners were being we'll paid for their
labor, and with a full dinner pail and
money sufficient to provide the com.
forts and necessaries of life THEN
families were happy and contented
Capital was receiving a fair return
on the investment, and peace, pros
perity, and good will prevailed
throughout every nook and corner OF
our great country. Strife, jealousy
and di5cord, except in remote anC
isolated instances, were unknown
Capital respected labor and labor &C.
corded to capital its full need of sup
port and confidence.
The War Responsible Originally
The war came on. 1t became ne,
cessary, practically overnight, tc
raise a vast Army in this country tc
meet and master that great foe OF
civilization, the German Kaiser; anC
in order to perform this great task
vast sums of money were expended
Bonds up into the millions were is.
sued by the Government and put
upon the market, and money was
spent with lavish hand. The lar,
gest Army ever marshaled by Uncle
Sam had to be sustained on foreign
soil, and our allies, less fortunate
than we, had to be fed and clothed
Millions of our boys from the fac.
tory and the farm, from every
avenue of industry, and from every
walk of life, true to the traditions OF
their fathers and in typical Ameri-
can fashion, responded to the call to
the colors and marched forth to the
united strains of Yankee Doodle and
Dixie to fight, and, if need be, die
for the eternal right AS a result
of this great draft on our man power
and resources our production was
necessarily materially reduced. 1t
is a well-known rule of supply and
demand that the scarcer the article
the higher the price thereof. Money
was the most plentiful as we'll as the
cheapest thing we had, and it's pul
chasing power automatically declin-
ed as the price of commodities ad-
vanced.
War Profiteering.
Mr.. Speaker, there were, perhaps,
few soulless individuals and cor
porations in this country who took
advantage of the wars horrors and
difficulties to amass large fortunes.
While the average American citizen
was making every possible sacrifice
to back up the Government in the
tremendous task which the war i'm
posed these financial ghouls, with
fiendish glee, coined fortunes out Of
the misery of the people. They
were not patriots. They were not
even fit to be called American citi-