Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1919-09-09
Unsettled Conditions.
SOUTH PORTLAND, Me-, S-25-'19.

Edttor Democrat:
We submit that one of the reasons for
the unsettled conditions In our country
to-day, Is owing to the fact that too
many OF our professional and business
men and moving picture theatres are pre-
senting problems instead of solving them,
and then applying the remedy, whatever
It may be. If John Smith has q half
bushel of plums In the house, which are
spelling because he can't get the neces-
sary sugar to preserve them, of what
benefit is 1t to him to pick up the morn.
ing paper and read that the Department
Of Justice agents have seized, at the store.
house OF John Doe, million pounds of
sugar? 1t makes no difference to John
Smith whether the government or John
Doe withholds the Sugar from the mar
ket, 80 long as he cannot get IL. II the
President would instruct the agents of
the Department Of Justice to seize the
surplus of food stuffs held In storage and
put 1t on the market at reasonable
price, 1t would be real help. II this
were done We suppose someone would
scratch their head and say: "I wonder If
that is law;ul?" With the people of our
country in the frame OF mind they are to.
day, 1t isn't q question of claw" it is
"give us chance TO get the goods at
reasonable price," and then, some cold
day next winter, we will discuss the
claw" part of the question. Now some.
one may say this is radicalism, or social
ism, but to our mind 1t is just plain com
mon sense Conservatism, II you please).
It is no use to try and settle conditions
by boosting wages 20 per cent and then
have the cost of living 60 up 30 per cent.
The laboring man has right to expect Il
reasonable wage for his efforts, and be
must expect to pay a reasonable price for
the product of labor. There Is, in our
country to-day, sufficient amount OF
clothing, food stuffs, boots, shoes, etc.,
to supply the reasonable demands of ev-
cry man, woman and child in 1t, and
when they cannot be had at a fair price,
and some things not at any price, (such,
for instance, as sugar., there is "some-
thing rotten 10 Denmark" The time to
do something is now. We venture the
assertion that bad 1t not been for the
methods adopted by the late Col. Tbeo.
dore Roosevelt we would not to-day be-
enjoying the wonderful possibilities of
the Panama Canal. No doubt Congress
would still be discussing whether to build
canal or not, just as they are still dis
cussing whether or not we shall pay an
indemnity of 1926, ,0O0,000 for the land We
took through which to build the canal.
Doubtless you will recall that it was Col.
Roosevelt who said, in substance, "Never
strike a man unless you have to. If It
becomes necessary, strike him first, and
strike hard, and argue afterwards"
Would that this country had few thou
sand Tor hundred thoussnd) Roosevelts.
If Congress really wants to reduce the
high cost of living, there are several
ways in which 1t can be done, and done
effectually:
/. Pass law prohibiting the export
ing of goods which we need at home.
2. Pass law making 1t crime to
gamble on the stock exchange in food
stuffs, punishable by term in prison
for the offender.
8. Pass law regulating the time and
amount In which food stuffs can be KEEP
in storage, with term in prison for the
violator.
4. Put wheat On the market at the
market price, and pay the difference
between the market price and 1926,
the guaranteed price to the farmer, ou'
of the billion dollars already appro-
priated for that purpose, and give the
consumer the benefit of the difference
1t is of no use to pass laws with only
fines attached, for the dealer would mere
~ laugh, add few cents to the price of
the commodity, get bis fine back and
few million dollars extra. The consumer
would ultimately pay the fine and the
added profits. The fine would have to
be paid but once Gf at ally and the in
creased price would, like Tennyson's
Brook, Ego on for ever" What the peo
pie want most, just now, is immediate
relief, or as near that as possible. We
can talk about laws later. Vo1 popnli su-
prena est le1 (the voice of the people lie
the supreme law. Some writer's assert
that the people themselves are to blame
for the high cost Of living. This may be
true in some instances, especially With
those who live, or have lived, extrava.
gantly. For such We hold no brief.
There is a vast difference between the
high cost of living and the cost of high
living.
Yours very respectfully,
I. n. STANLEY.