Arizona state miner., 1919-09-12
THE LICENSE SYSTEM WILL
ABROGATE PROFITEERING

ABROGAI IL PNOFl EERlNO
Some people have peculiar notions
about business. They believe after
short commercial career that they
are a privileged class and that their
business, let it be occupation, trade
or profession, is merely to sustain
the owners or promoters engaged
therein. Business, valuable as it
becomes, is not only an asset to
community growth, but gradually
becomes a public function, or insti
tuition, that depends upon the com
munity for it's support How essen
tial it is then, that no matter how
small the business may be, it be-
comes a part of the public life and
it's owners are quasi public servants.
1t is, therefore, essential that fair
treatment, honesty and integrity,
should be the fundamentals upon
which business is established. Too
much stress cannot be laid upon the
fact that to do business and engage
in trade with the public, there must
be an equality consideration in all
transactions without discrimination
or favoritism. There should be no
special privilege to a select few as
against the great majority, which are
known nowadays as "rebating" and
discounts" which mean special ia
vors in restraint of trade.
To protect the honest tradesman
against the ''price fixing, prize
premium, trading stamp and dis
count merchants" a traders license
is absolutely necessary To illustrate
this, it were best to recall that in
1886, our martyred president, Abra-
ham Lincoln, and a man named
Berry conducted tavern in Illi-
nois. The records at Springfield
prove that license was issued to
them with a schedule of prices at
tached thereto that specified what
were considered "fair prices" in
I dealing with the public, as follows !:
! Single feed for man or beast was
| 25 to so cents; lodging, 25 cents !;
room for two persons, not over so
cents each; pint of brandy, 18 cents !;
whisky, II Il cents, etc. Attached to
this license was a bond duly executed
and filled out in the sum of $500,
guaranteeing that the prices stipu-
lated thereon should be adhered to,
or the bond and licensed privilege
granted Hereunder must be faith
fully kept, or the license would be
abrogated and the bond forfeited.
Our president reposes confidence
and trust in his appointees to fill
positions of public functions such as
postmasters, cOnsuls, and special rep
resentatives of the administration,
and a special commission therefor
is issued to the individuals selected,
showing that they are trustworthy
and confidential, to assume response
bilities and obligations in dealing
with the public that guarantees hon
est dealing, fair prices and polite
ness, which in modern business vo-
cabularies seem to have become
ignored much after the style of the
mandate quoted against the Southern
Pacific official who said that prices
SO long as he held the reins would
be "all the traffic would bear" In
our day the same arbitrary condition
is pointed out by prominent nota-
tons that prices are subject to
change at our dictation" Had there
been price commissioners schedule
attached with the usual bond consid-
Grafton such as Lincoln & Berry had
to contend with, the penalty for vio-
lation by unjust and unfair treat
ment of the public, would have been
abrogation Of the license and for
feiture of the bond-which would
mean permanent disbarment from
further privilege of trading with the
public.
Herein lies the remedy sought for
'profiteering" and the making of
millionaires in day and such com
binations in trade as shown by the
packers and big concerns who preach
scarcity of foods, fuel and other
commodities when there is abund-
ance stored away in their ware
houses, in order to swell profits ana
Increase back accounts by ''gulling
the public"
SECOND THIEF THE BEST