Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-08-08
WILSON'S HAND AT THROTTLE
PRESIDENT WILL
OFFER REMEDY
FOR H. c. OF L.
Delivers Address Before Con-
gress This Afternoon if
Quorum Is Present.

Washington, Aug. 7.-(By The
Associated Press. )-President vii
son put the finishing touches or
his high cost of living address to
congress tonight and prepared tc
deliver it in person tomorrow after.
noon at 4 o'clock.
One possibility loomed up te
threaten the presidents plans.
1t was that the leaders might not
be able to round up a quorum in the
house and that some member in,
sisting on parliamentary rule. by
raising the point, might forestall the
joint session of the house and sen.
ate.
Representative Blanton, democrat
of Texas, served notice on Republi.
can Leader Mondell that he, for one
would insist on legal quorum.
Telegraph Wires Hot.
Republican and democratic lead
ers both, accordingly, made the tele-
graph wires hot tonight with mes
sages, ordering absentees back in
time for tomorrow afternoon.
The address will be confined to
laying before congress what meas
ures in the opinion of the president
and of the subcommittee appointed
by Attorney General Palmer should
be enacted at once to bring relief
to the public from the existing high
prices. All the elements that have
helped create the condition the
country finds itself in today, in the
view of these men, will be delt with
These include, it was learned au-
thoritatively, labor problems and
strikes resulting from them, and
production which would be inter-
ferred with by strikes.
Railroad Wages Included.
To this extent the matter of rail-
road wages will be included in the
address. but solution of the entire
railroad problem will not be sug-
gested beyond the suggestion al
ready made to congress by the pres
ident in his letter to the chalrmen
of the senate and house interstate
commerce committees.
No recommendation will be made
for licensing system of producers
manufacturers or dealers.
No recommendation will be made
for law limiting the1 margin OF
profit on commodities.
No Concrete Law Asked.
No concrete law clearly defining
boarding and profiteering will be
asked, although recommendations
will be made for laws designed to
bolster up the existing laws under
which the attorney general expects
to reach price gougers and hoard
ers.
The president will ask for an ex-
tension of the Lever food control
act to make it applicable as peace
time measure and to include all
commodities, shoes, clothing and
life necessities, as we'll as food.
This much as to the contents OF
the address was learned after Presi-
dent Wilson had called into confer
ence late today members of the cab
met and the Palmer subcommittee
and revised it to meet their sugges-
tions.
1t is considered probable by Of
ficials that the president also will
suggest the necessity for throwing
the "full light of publicity" on the
question of costs, with view to
enabling the public to protect itself
against extortion. This idea may
even go so far as to include the
marking the cost of manufacture on
the article.
Another contribution to the inves-
tigation of high prices was a report
today by the federal trade commits
sion showing that stocks of food in
storage were higher by 20 per cent
last June 1 than they were year
ago, with prices of all foods show
ing an increase.