Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1919-08-08

pecially well patronized by, the people
of small towns and rural districts, and
it was predicted that the supplies
would be disposed Of within week.
OF course such a measure as this
is only drop In the bucket, and 1t is
being more and more forcibly impress
ed on the government that it must do
something to make the cost of life's
necessities square with the incomes
of the people. The advisory board Of
the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engi-
neers took up the matter directly with
the president, presenting to him a
memorandum which he characterized
as an impressive document" and
ordered made public. The board APP
pealed to the president and cabinet
for government action to increase tile
purchasing power of the dollar, fail
ing in which, it said, the engineers
would have to ask a. further increase
in wages. The memorandum asserted
that the spirit of unrest existing
among all classes, especially wage
earners, was due mainly to the con-
scienceless prof1teering by the great
interests who have secured control of
all the necessaries of life" The en-
gineers are wise enough to see and
to admit that increasing the wages
is but temporary relief so long as
prices continue to soar.
Just before the engineers visited the
White House Democratic National
Chairman Cummings reported to the
president on his political inspection
trip over the country, telling Mr.. Will
son of the growing importance of ac-
tion to reduce the cost of living. What
form that action will take. when it
comes, cannot be conjectured even
from the fact that official investiga-
tions of various kinds of alleged prof.
teering are under way or proposed,
The immediate result of all this was
a conference of cabinet members and
heads of bureaus called by Attorney
General Palmer for the purpose OF
discussing the situation and possible
remedies. The government will seeR
| to stop and punish profiteering, to de
| termine the contributing causes fol
high prices and to devise remedies fol
immediate relief for the public.
The administration is gravely con
| cerned over the manifest discomfort
of the American farmers, which come:
just at a time when the official es
Inmates of the nations wheat croI
have had to be greatly reduced. Tht
farmers have been dissatisfied will
the system of grading fixed by the bu
reau of markets of the department OF
agriculture, and now, as Chairman
Barnes of the government grain cor
poration told the president, they arr
protesting against an order from th'
corporation fixing a schedule of dis
counts for the lower grades of wheat
This, they assert, deprives them of al
unreasonably large part of the guar
anteed price. of 1926 per bushel. thu
amount received being in some in
stances as low as S1.45 per bushel.
The Franco-American defense treat,
was submitted to the senate, and a
once became a subject of debate il
the committee on foreign relations
along with the peace treaty. Presiden
Wilson, in asking its approval, sai(
he considered the treaty with Ger
many and the covenant of the Leagu,
of Nations gave France full protec
ton, but that he had been moved t.
the treaty by considerations of friend
ship and gratitude to France. Oppo
sition senators protested that thi
pact violated the constitutional righ
of congress to make war. to which tn
presidents supporters had the obviou
retort that it created no precedent
similar action having been taken il
numerous cases in the past.
The foreign relations committee di
an unusual if not unprecedented thin
in holding public hearings on the peac
treaty. Bernard Baruch was the frs