Arizona republican., 1919-08-13
An IneompIete Comparison

Tn discussions of the high cost of living we gen. orally have to listen to comparison of the present prices of commodities with the prices in 1915 previous period, that learn that prices have advanced since then about 100 per cent We are told the time that the supply these commodities is great and, in many cases greater than they 1915 and that therefore, there is no reason why prices should be higher.
 Such comparisons are misleading in that they purport to be comparisons of all the factors which entered prices four years ago with those which enter into prices If we go father, beyond the commodities which furnish us food. clothing and shelter find that there has been the same price advance Everything is higher. things which are be- yond the reach of possible manipulation by profiteers Land is higher, horses higher and everything is higher except which is the cheapest thing there is. No account is taken in these comparisons of the value of money in 1915.
 All of have heard since we can remember old speak of the value of the dollar before the civil war; the wheat the of the sugar or the meat that could be bought with the ante-war dollar The farmer who worth s10o00 then was accounted rich man in his community. And then s1oooo was considerable It was not so much of a sum a few later during civil war and for some time thereafter when of the necessities of life which had been so cheap, became dear though they were as plentiful as ever
 Later prices went down. struck bottom Wheat which in the carly '7os had sold at s2 a bushe fell IS low as SO cents. Everything fell in like ratio Money had become much dearer than it was during the war period.
 There are many Of who have no easier access to the cheap money of today than we had to the dearer money of yesterday and there are some of us who had more money than any thing else when it was dearer We of the two classes are those who chiefly feel the pinch of H C. L. to us it seems that things are going up. illusion the opposite of that of the balloonist whom seems the earth is falling away from him.
 When after the civil war there was demonetiza- ton and the volume currency began to be reduced those who had money or mortgages had their innings It then first heard that "he rich are getting richer the poor are getting poorer The man who had fixed income wage that did not yield shared prosperity just the holders of capital bonds and mortgages will share when things settle down again.
 This accounts in a large measure for our apparent high prices, but does not fully account for is In such changes the profiteer finds fertile field He work amid the confusion without much danger of detection. It is hard to how much of the ad- in prices is due to natural conditions end how much to his manipulations. He was a potent figure in the civil period when the foundations of many of great fortunes laid. We suspect tlat his operations then pitifuI though m comparison with those of the profeers of the present day and of the last two years.
 The first thing to be done in attacking the high cost of living find what part of it has been built up by manipulation, unearth the manspuators and pdnish them not by fines but by imprisonment.