Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1919-09-24
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER "a 1919
CAUSE OF HIGH COST OF LIVING

AS the New York Sun sees it, there
is but one main reason for altitudin-
Gus living costs-our own federal gov
eminent; and it argues thus:
The government, with its increased
freight and passenger rates, increased
the direct and straight out cost of liv-
ing of the American people by full
billion of dollars a year and more.
To this must be added at least an
other half billion of dollars in taxes
to make up the governments railroad
operating deficit. The government it.
self, with its increased telephone, tele-
graph, cable and postal rates, increas-
ed the direct and straight out cost of
living of the American people several
hundred millions of dollars more.
So that in the matter of its own
public service operation alone the gov
eminent itself increased the cost of
living of the American people net less
than a full two billions of dollars 2
year.
The government itself, with its fix
ed price of wheat on the basis of 1925
to the farmer and much more to the
consumer, increased the direct and
straight out cost of living of the
American people by full billion of
dollars year on the 600,O00,O0O bu-
shells consumed at home out of about
1000, 100000 bushels raised. The
government itself, with its driving up
of corn along with wheat to SO and
more bushel on 100000, 900 bush
els consumed in raising and fattening
our food animals increased the direct
and straight out cost of living of the
American people from four to five bill
lions of dollars year.
So that in the matter of only these
chief grain products the government
itself increased the cost of living of
the American people by upward of
billions of dollars a year.
The government itself, with its war
and other special taxes, increased the
direct and straight out cost of living
of the American people by upward of
eight billions of dollars.
So, without taking into account the
cumulative effect of such increased
costs, the government itself increased
the direct and straight out cost of
livingof the American people on those
foregoing items alone-public service
by two billions, grain products by six
billions and taxes by eight billions
full sixteen billions of dollars a year.
In the whole United States there
are some 25,000,000 families. The
United States government itself, then
with its sixteen billions of dollars
slapped upon the 25,000,O0O families,
increased the direct and straight out
cost of living of the average Ameri-
can family $640 year
Before we get down to the finer de-
tails of whiting off the minor items
of this nations stupendously increased
cost of living let US begin with the
reduction where the monstrous in
crease began-the government itself.
Let the government slash it's expendi-
lures, and that will come off the cost
of living of the American people Let
the government offer freely its vast
wheat supply-so vast that half of it
cannot be consumed here and so vast
that if the foreign markets could
consume the other half there are not
ships enough to- transport it across
the seas-and put it on our market
at normal and reasonable price; and
that will come off the cost of living
of the American people. = Madison
Democrat.