The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-08-02
Cut Grain Prices or Living Costs
VIII Stay Up.

More power to the Attorney Gen.
eral Of the United States, setting out
to check food profteering! More
power to other Federal officers and to
State and municipal officers enlisted
In the same cause! They cannot get
into this work too fast; they cannot
60 through It too thoroughly, and they
cannot achieve results too fully to
suit THE SUN and every one who
realizes the Importance Of this ma
ttonal problem.
But let us not fool ourselves. If
this food profiteering, which Is SO
odious wherever it exists that 1t might
well be called privateering, were re-
duoed to insignificance, II 1t were OBJ
liberated, we still should face these
terrifying living costs just so long as
there remained a shortage Of produc-
ton, and, shortage or no shortage,
just so long as the Washington Ad-
ministration persisted, as 1t does in
the case of our prodigious grain sur
Plus, In compelling the consumer to
pay famine prices.
The country can produce more and
more food and the Government and
the public can scotch guilty profiteer-
ing. but we shall never have cheaper
food-we shall always be in danger
Of still dearer food-if the Washing
ton Administration, or Congress, or
somebody, or something does not let
our stupendous grain surplus go to
American consumers on reasonable
basis Of supply and demand. For as
We have said from the very first-long
before a single Federal officer inter-
ested himself In this vital question
and as we want to go on saying till
somebody makes the Government
move in the right direction and the
only direction to bring cheaper food,
the whole problem-cost Of bread, cost
OF meat, cost of clothes, cost of shoes,
cost of housing. cost Of everything
depends on the wheat which is in the
absolute control Of Mr.. WILSON'S Ad-
minlstTation.
The Wilson Administration cannot
sell our Incompatible national supply
Of wheat to American consumers at a
profit of millions to the United States
Treasury without costing the Ameri-
can people in all their food costs tens
of billions. The Wilson Administration
could sell this national supply of
wheat at a loss to the Treasury Of
tens or hundreds of millions, and yet
IN all their food costs billions Of
dollars.
1t is the American people who own
everything in the United States Treas
ury, who supply all that goes into 1t
and who must foot all that comes out
of 1t. What stupid thing that the
Grain Administration should act as
IL the vast national wheat supply,
bought and paid for by the American
people, belonged to some private busi-
ness corporation and should be dis
glory of some individual manager
What a monstrous thing that to show
n Treasury bookkeeping profit on SELL
Ing the American peoples grain to the
American people themselves the Ad-
ministration should be willing and
should be determined to lay a crush
Ing and insufferable burden of hun
dreds of millions, Of billions, upon
their bending backsl
If the Washington Administration
will pull the plug out Of It's wheat
profiteering reservoir It will not be
merely our. bread which will come
down. AS the corn which must feed
the live stock and the poultry of the
nation likewise comes down, beef,
mutton, pork, poultry, milk, butter,
cheese and eggs-all food will come
down. As food comes down, labor
can, live on its wage. AS labor again