Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-08-09
EVENTS OF A WEEK

during the week. 1t has occupied q good deal of the at
tention of the individual citizen for some time, has been
occasionally discussed in congress, and on Friday it was
made the subject Of a special address to con-
gress. which convened in joint session for the
purpose Of hearing what the executive had to
say on the subject. If there were any who
expected that the president would solve the problem at
one stroke, and would remove the difacultics with one
wave Of his hand, those persons would be disappointed.
The presidents address contained no hint of magic. 1t
recited conditions which are undeniable, and with which
most persons are familiar, and ascribed these conditions
to a multitude of reasons, most of which are either di-
rectly or indirectly the outgrowth of the war.
He used the present price conditions as the basis
OF an appeal for the early ratification of the peace treaty,
for, he said, there can be no peace prices so long as our
financial and economic system is on a war basis. Aside
from the disturbance inseparable from war conditions
he declared that some of the methods by which prices
are advanced are illegal. and some are criminal. and
added that steps were being taken to bring the full force
of the law to bear in cases where it applied. Some
methods in vogue. he said, were not covered by existing
legislation, and he declared new statutes necessary. Con-
cretely he recommended stringent laws against profiteer-
Ing, regulations providing for the stamping Of the prices
paid to producers on goods entering into interstate COM
merce, and a federal licensing system for corporations
engaged in interstate commerce.
The attention of the country has been brought foct-
bly, in the direction of the cost of living Of late by the
labor disturbances which have involved, or threatened
to involve the entire country. Already a great strike
Of railway shopmen is in progress. this having been pre-
cipitated prematurely without authority from the central
organization. A strike of the great railway brotherhoods
is threatened. Strikes of shipbuilders. docknen and
freight handlers have tied up ocean trade. and here tn
the center of the continent we Of North Dakota are feel
ing the effect of some Of these strikes in the failure. Of
the sugar supply, due in part to transportation troubles.
There is not an important industry in the country in
which a strike is not on, or in prospect.
The question of wages enters into all these labor
troubles, and inseparably connected with the question
Of wages is that Of the cost Of commodities. In some
cases the demand for more wages has been accompanied
by the alternative that the cost of living be lowered, and
there seems to be growing a recognition of the fact that
the present race between incomes and living costs is
bound to be as interminable as it must be useless unless
means are found to stabilize the situation on something
like an equitable basis.
Prosecutions have been started by the federal gov
eminent against the five great packing companies, on
charges of having violated the antitrust laws in order
to extort undue profits from the public. There VIII be
general satisfaction that this matter has at last assumed
NS~~NANo ASHAAf 0ASSA sS o66AA "uASH ave
been employed by the federal trade commission.
s>ss
The only development Of importance in the contro-
versy over the peace treaty has been the issuance by the
president Of a statement on the shantung agreement in
which he described in greater detail than has formerly
been done the understanding with Japan with reference
to the shantuns territory, and expressed full confidence
that Japan would act in good faith in the matter and re-
store to China full control Of the occupied territory
within q reasonable time.
The railway unions. with the backing Of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor, have declared for full govern
mont ownership Of the railroads through purchase Of the
properties. with operation by a commission of fifteen,
composed Of five representatives Of the government. five
Representatives of the operators, and five representing
the mass Of employees. The plan advocated is substan-
TALLY that proposed in the Plumb bill in the house Of rep
Fesentahves. and It includes provisions for the regulation
Of wages and fixing Of charges. together with the dis
tribution Of profits. We have seen no mention made Of
any provision for recouptns losses, which, under existing
circumstances y . very practical problem.
81 ono Of those coups to which the world has become
acc1stcned, the Peidll government in Hungary has been
overfhrown, and another administration headed nv the
@anehdse, Joseph. has succeeded it. The new govern
8nsnt, IKE those which have recently preceded II, Is prac-
tArally . dictatorship with the archduke 1t Il, head. The
- ruler - . military man Of some note. and held
tnnortant cornnnands Ia the Austrian armies during the
SNar n has sympathizsd with the aspirations Of Hun-
GAsey Tor complste separation from the Austrian alliance.
anAds Ms rendered Hungary effective aid In establishinr
tnAspsndenes. HI asunpton Of control 10 generally
as11ardsd With satisfaction ii the Allied countries.
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