El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-10-08
IT'S PRODUCTION WE NEED AND LESS
COMPETING OF NATIONS FOR GOODS

COMETuLES 1t is good idea to take cognizance Of our
- curious characteristics not with the idea Of Tidiculng
ourselves but merely for the sake Of taking stock Of or
own Pecuhaues SO that we nay know ourselves better
appTass ourselves exactly and apply corrective to
Whatever defects Of thought action may discover
This leads 70 the suggestion that:
We Americans curious people. We impulsiTe
and sensational and revolutionary in zeal to attack
and overthrow an established order suspicion that
something about It needs changing This does mani
fsst Itself ordinarily IN commandments BY firearms but IN
broadsdes Of publicity and baTrsges Of eloquence and
death dealing charges Of inveigatng committees Usually
some hard work attends onslaught and sometimes
accomplish something, provided have struck off the
night track at the beginning. not, find mis-
take before long and either charge off in direction
shout ourselves hoarse and cal it day and 60 off
to the baseball game.
Our recent hostities against profiteeTng-what has
become Of that fight anyhow Has anyone forgotten how
var declared PROTECTING; how al OF sudden
column after column and page after page Of the daily
papers was filled with the declarauon OF var and the
Inauguration OF hostties all the way from Maine to
California; how congressional committees and government
department hurled themselves into the fray, crying death
and destruction al malsactors Of great wealth who
were alleged responsible for multiplying outrageous
fashion the already prices demanded Tor such
necessities Of life food clothing medicines, and roof
the head2 wholesalers and retailers were accused
and farmers and manufacturers and commission merchants
and packers and cold storage firms And everybody thus
assaied defended himself with plea Of not guilty and
pointed the finger at somebody else Government pToseeu
tons threatened and few be undertakensone-
tine Il the meantime th prices CT few commodities
dropped little because holders were appIehsnsive and
eager to take loss IN order 70 unload.
What has become Of al the agitation against the high
cost Of living? has it gone IL ike relapse Of the
measles? Certainly L is receiving very little attention N
public way The government agencies to have for
gotten about It The thunder Of the guns IS no longer
heard The magazines and the newspapers have very lit
tie to say about it any more The federal trade
sion has rsapsed into It's normal state Of s0mnoenee The
smoke Of hattie s clearing away. Prices remain about as
they were and threaten to 90 even higher
The truth is that when We Americans get going on
campaign Of that kind apt to ourselves ont
OF breath drop from exhaustion We take up vital
ztter Ike The high cost Of living and write print speak
and read 50 much about that get heartily tired Of It
and the mention Of It bores We get so We hate
the sound Of the words and avoid the Wearsoe topic
Just much we-can The same old conditions may
stand but look at something fTssher and coz
seguently mere interesting Il
This was one Of the times when thought we saw a
real enemy and charged what turned out to be something
Of dummy position Pr0fiteering isn't AZ the bottom
our high problem though It is doubtless one factor
and one 10 be combstted With utmost vgor Neither Is
the high prcs o. labs the basic evil although it. too, is
things we have to buy.
I've Targsr factors are insufficient production and the
fact that bidding against each other and the rest
Of the countries Of the world for supply Of goods that
IS not large enough to 60 arouEd-
Il don't need wool; need production vas the retort
Of a u1oVner 70 who had wool to sell The man-
1acturer having his labor troubles he couldn't get
capacity production Of his mill His wanted top
pay with very short work days and little actual labor in
The hours they supposed to be at work That con
on very general IN industry Owners cannot get the
lcs from their machines because their human agencies
ne only half szerng themselves That makes the cost
II manufactured articles higher than It ought 70 be- The
ost food sus is ont Of al proportion 70 its actual
rcr because enough food is being produced TO meet
re urgent demand for It. Bear IN mind that IN such sit
la0n the temptation rake in exorbitant profits BE-
ouaes strong. That IS profteerinE.
Furthermore IN the scramble to get necessities to the
eopie who them, there is species Of competing
is reminder Of auction sale with everybody ex
tied AID shouting ont higher offers p
aHow much offered for barrel Of hour7' eTiss
Minneapolis.
alIihe-sxty,7 shouts 81 Paso. i
alFns-seTenty-fi7s,H bids London
aaIeu dollars" Roma ealis
aIea-fifty,' is stockhoIm's offeL P
Il Is knocked down to the highest bidder, which Is
toczholn and $3.50 barrel straightway becomes the
Ming price Minneapolis flour until somebody offers
lore Why should the milerz sen to 81 Paso at prices