The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1919-08-15
WOULD EXTEND
war CONTROL
OF ALL FOOD
That, and Provision Of Penalties
for PROTECTING. Advocated
by the President.
TO FORCE SALE OF SURPLUS
IN Address to Congress the Chief Ex-
seutive Makes Assertion That We
Are Dealing With Very criti-
cal and Difficult Matters"

Neutrality-suspicious. congress
and proposing remedies tn check the |
high cost of living. President Wilson
declared existing laws were made
quate and high prices were not justi-
fed by shortage of supplies, present
or prospective, but were created in
many cases "artificially and deliber-
ately" by vicious practices"
He spoke practically as follows:
Gentlemen OF the Congress:
! have sought this opportunity to ad
dress you because IL is0rlearly my duty
to call your attention to the present cost
OF living and to urge upon you with all
the persuasive force OF which am capable
the legislative measures which would be
most effective in controlling 1t and bring
Ing II down.
The prices the people of this country are
paying for everything that II is necessary
for them to use in order to live are not
justified by shortage in supply. either
present or prospective. and are In many
cases artificially and deliberately created
by vicious practices which ought imme
diately to be checked by law.
Profiteers lawhreakers.
Some of the methods by which these
prices are produced are already illegal.
some OF them criminal, and those who
| employ them will be energetically pro-
| ceeded against. But others have not yet
been brought under the law. and should
| be dealt with at once by legislation.
With the increase in the prices of the
| necessaries of life come demands for in
| creases in wages-demands which are
| justified II there be no other means of
| enabling men to live
| Upon the increase of wages there fol-
! lows close an increase in the price OF the
| products whose producers have been ac-
corded the increase-not a proportionate
increase, for the manufacturer does not
content himself with that. but an in
crease considerably greater than the
added wage cost and for which the added
wage cost is oftentimes hardly more than
an excuse.
The laborers who do not get an increase
In pay when they demand 1t are likely
to strike. and the strike only makes mat
tiers worse.
1t checks production II 1t affects the
railways it prevents distribution and
strips the markets. so that there is pres
entity nothing to buy. and there is another
excessive addition to prices resulting from
the scarcity.
/ Conditions Not Natural"
These are facts and forces with which
We have become only too familiar; bu
| We are nOl JuSllIIcU because OIL our tamil
iarity with them or because of any hast,
and shallow conclusion that they ar,
natural and inevitable. in sitting mac
lively by and letting them work their IA
tai results II there Is anything that w
can do to check, correct or reverse them
We must, | think. frankly admit tina
there is no complete immediate remed
to be had from legislation and executiv
action. The free processes of supply an
Anv, md yxyil Of thatv, a1x,as
and no legislative Or executive action ca
force them into full and natural operatio
until there is peace.
Must Know Terms Of Peace.
. There can be no confidence in indus
, try, no calculable basis for credits, n
confident buying of systematic selling
no certain prospect of employment n
, normal restoration of business. n
hopeful attempt at reconstruction or
, proper reassembling of the dislocate
: elements of enterprise until peace ha
! been established. and. so far as may b.
r guaranteed. Our national life has n
doubt been less radically disturbed an
dismembered than the national life
other peoples whom the war more d
: rectly affected. with all Its terrib
r ravaging and destructive force. but
has been nevertheless profoundly a
y fected and disarranged. and our indu,
u tries. our credits. our productive CT
i pacity, our economic processes are IL
t extricabiy interviewer with those
other nations and peoples-most int
mately Of all with the nations and pc,
( pies upon whom the chief burden ar
8 confusion of the war fell and wi
~ are now most dependent upon the c.
operative action Of the world.
Exports Greatest In History.
We are just now shipping more goo
out of our ports to foreign markets th
we ever shipped before-not foodstu
% merely but stuffs and materials Of eve
II sort: but this is no index of what o
=. foreign sales will continue to be or
'e the effect the volume of our expol
II will have on supplies and prices. 1t
n. impossible yet to pSedict how far
- how long foreign purchasers will
able to find the money or the credit
y pay for or sustain such purchases
such scale; how soon or to what exte
=, foreign manufacturers can resume tn
IL former production. foreign farmers
u their accustomed crops from their O.
q fields; foreign mines resume their form
H., output. foreign merchants set up ag;
le their old machinery Of trade with
~ ends OF the earth All these things m
IN remain uncertain until peace is est;
M lished and the nations of the world hs
70 concerted the methods by which morn
life and industry are to be restored.
er All that we shall do in the mea
% time to restrain profteering and
-, the life of our people upon a tolera
u" footing will be makeshift and pro
hg sionaL There can be no settled con
Ii ton here or elsewhere until the tire;
aa of peace is out OF the way and
- work of lo,tidat ting the war has
Nv come the chief concern of our COVE
ment and of the other governments
the world.
Europe will not. cannot recoup