Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-10-14
Editorial Comment
Joseph, the First Profiteersman n.

Der Of Congress co-ordinates past and
present ana shows the public how a
thing that was once looked upon as
bad is now counted good, or vice
versa. 1t has remained for Repre-
sentative Luce of Massachusetts to
show that the cold storage men Of
today are roundly damned for doing
the very same thing that won Joseph
immortal fame in Pharaoh's time
Quotation from Holy Writ Is rare in
the House of Representatives, but for
purposes Of practical businecs com
parison the Fay State member is
enabled to show from the pages OF
Genesis that the Egyptian. proletariat
was very we'll content to get food
via Josephs storage houses, and en-
Enthusiastically applauds him for his
forcs ght, even though it was neces-
cary to pay the price. whereas the
American public. which likewise has
It's food from storage houses, catsit
md kicks ete-rally about the cost
( ard against the practice. Tracing the
account from Pharaoh's dream OF
the seven fat kline who were con-
eumed by the seven lean Kline down
through !oseph's Interpretation and
the ensuing details, MIR. Luce finally
! came to this:
And when all the land Of Egypt
was famished, the people cried unto
Pharaoh for bread; andsPharaoh said
into all the Egyptians. Go unto Jo-
serh: what he saith unto you. do.
What would happen were the Chief
Executive Of the United States t.
! give like advice to the people. and
tell them to go to the cold storage mer
who know something about this stu
alton and follow their advice? The
Egyptians praised joseph IS thei.
delivrrer from starvation; but the
people Of today brand the foresiehted
storage magnates profiteers and seel,
to Rave the law arrest their pluto
cratic careers Congress is wrestling
with the problem. given IT by the
President. of regulating these cold
storers: doing 1t with very poor
grace. realizing that it has had the
buck passed to it" by the White
House. Tc Judge by the tone Of the
debate on the subject there is small
SNbO'tft''it VI oul-
side of the realm already very well
covered by the economic law Of sup
ply and demand.
Squanderets!
The high cost Of living. which II
no small measure is due to q
saturnalia of spending for luxurie:
which we were able to deny ourselves
in the past, is made the basis for de.
mards for higher pay. which make.
the cost Of living still higher. In thu
history of this country, there has
never been so much money spent fol
things that economy and thrift car
do without. The people are squan.
dering their money as il its source
were inexhaustibie. In the higher
wage and still higher wage, 70,
which they have clamored af1t
struck. and for which they are Still
clamoring and striking, they seer
to believe they have found the purse
of Prince Fortunntus. They are. sc
busy devising means for extortine
the higher wage and in spending 1t
that they have little time to give tt
earning it.
Whenever we are ready to reduce
the cost Of living. we can do so. The
means lie in return to the simple
life; abandonment of the SIS shift
and SIS shoes, and the other luxuries
that thrift avoids; the practice Of a
little economy; and the doing of q
little more work. There Is the rem
edy for the thing of which we COM
plain. and for which the constantly
advancing wage is no cure. Let us
try. voluntarily, this remedy, be-
cause if we do not, we shall, in the
near future, have to adopt it. willy
nilly.-Portland, Ore, Spectator.