Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-07-13
by y. q. MESSENGER.

TINE republican leaders in Con-
gress began this session with
Il distinct Discrimination to
tackle, legislatively. the prob
lem of the soaring cost of existence.
IT isn't called high cost of living any
more: it has come to be a question OF
existence to many people. with the
prices of every necessary of life sky
rocketing The politicians in Con-
gress felt that the question of in
creasing prices touched at its. cir
conference and center the question OF
wagcs-and Immediately they dis
cerned a danger signal-the red sema-
phore denoting stop" No party
could survive the next election. they
argued, that dared to take any legis-
lative action which would lower
wages - or. probably. the emolu-
ments of labor would be d more fit
ting term.
But it is beginning to appear that
they may have to devise some means
of relieving a situation which every
week is growing more distress ing.
and to this end must get their heads
together and plan course which Will
afford at least partial relief, without
encroaching upon wages. How can
it be done? They haven't decided yet,
but they are sitting up nights with
the problem.
How to make the law of supply and
demand conform to statutory regula-
tion is considerable of a problem,
they realize. Yet. if things keep on
as they are going. the politicians fear
that the country may demand an ac-
counting in the next campaign for
p Congress and hold them in part re-
isponsible.
The Secretary of the Treasury only
this week pointed out that heavy
taxes must be ex
HEAVY TAXES pected for some
TO BE LAID. years to come. There
can be no relief from
the burdens of existence in the les
SEEMING of the load of taxes the citi-
zenry must bear. The war had cost
the United States over thirty billions
of dollars up to June 80 last. About
20 per cent of the war cost was raised
by taxes. 1t will cost the government
about four billion dollars year to
run for the next few years and 1t is
proposed to raise all of this money
by taxes. Every citizen knows now
how much taxes he is paying and can
count on the obligation continuing
for, some years. That is fixed
charge, of course, which must be met
60 fret 1S-hefher
cas- or not. or wears old clothes or
new.
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1t would be superfuous TO descant
upon the details of the increasing
burden of existence
NOT A RELIEF levied by the soaring
is IN SIGHT. prices of necessaries
Not only are the ex-
listing facts familiar to every one.
but there is ample warning of more
trouble to come. From shoes TO spec
tacIes and the price of d shave, every
&hing promises to cost more a year
tlence-even with the war long over
SIND the league of nations spreading
its benefcence broadcast over the
world
And here last Friday came the Fed
erai Trade Commission with warning
of an approaching domination of the
nations food supply by the big five"
chicago meat packers. \ fine outlook
indeed, did this governmental agency
forebode AN approaching packer
domination of all important foods in
this country and an international
xf with foreign
companies seems a certainty unless
fundamental action is taken to pre-
vent it, was the boards official ut
terance "A fair consideration OF III.
course the five packers have follow
ed and the position they have already
reached must lead to the conclG-
sion that they threaten the freedom
Of the market of the country's food
industries and of the by-product in
dustries therein linked. The meat
packer control over other foods will
not require long in developing
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The fundamental action" referred
to in the report is the proposition that
perplexes the
EVERYTHING GRisT politicians in
TO PACKERS MILL. Congre $
here are
several bills already pending in the
senate which propose action along
specific lines. One of them. the Ken
yon bill. would divorce the big five"
packers from their grasp upon other
food products than meat. The report
of the Federal Trade Commission told
something about the extent of this
packer control. In addition to meat
products" said the report. they pro-
duce and deal in such divers com
modities as fresh tomatoes and banjo
strings; leather and cottonseed Oil !;
breakfast foods and curled hair: pep
Sin and washing powders" and so on
The report went on to charge that
the packers have interests large
enough TO exert "a dominating infu-
.uce in most Of the services connect
ed with the production o. animal food
aud by-products. They are factors
in cattle loan companies making
loans TO cattle raiserS: in railway
transportation; own private car sys-
TENS for Transporting cattle and
dressed beef: interested in stockyard
companies. which are the markets for
cattle. and in live stock trade papers,
upon which growers and feeders rely
ed in banks from which their com
petitors borrow money: in companies
supplying machinery. ice. salt boxes