The Columbus dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 19??-1922, 1919-08-17
GOVERNMENT SURE
AFTER PROFTEERS
CONGRESS is PLANNING
DRASTIC LEGISLATION.
FOOD BEING SEIZED.
HOARDERS HELD UP
Pat Harrison Predicts ReyOlu-
tion Unless PrOfteering Ends.
Other Measures.

tions of the real punch behind the
governments campaign to reduce the
high cost of living were given today
in unmistakable fashion in many
cities
While Attorney General Palmer
was telling the Senate agriculture
committee that he intended to prose
cute every dealer guilty Of selling
at higher prices than those listed by
the fair price committees of each
county. word came from Chicago, st.
Louis and Birmingham Of seizures of
great quantities of foodstuffs by fed
eral officials, who recently were IN
structed to proceed under the food
control act to stop boarding In Chi
cago ], ,2s2 tubs of butter, worth $780,
600, were seized; in St. Louis 2S4,lsi
pounds of coffee, which has been
showing rapid advances in prices,
and in Birmingham 100 barrels of
sugar.
Mr.. Palmer told the Senate commit
tee tha the believed the great ma
iority of farmers and food dealers
were not profteering, but that the
suggested amendment TO the food
control act extending it to clothing
and providing criminal penalty Of
$4,000 fine or two years imprison-
nient, or both, was necessary TO make
effective the campaign against those
who are dishonesty gouging the pub
lie. There was division of opinion
among the senator's as to the ad-
visibility Of the legislation, several
declaring that the amendment gave
he Department Of Justice too drasti'
4 questioned the constitutionality OF
powers over commerce, while Others
extending the life Of the food cOntro'
act beyond the declaration Of peace
as has been suggested.
Will Break Practice
"Given this penalty, we can break
the backbone of this profteering in
60 days." Mr.. Palmer retOrted crisp
ly, land then you won't have to wOr
nv about constitutionality."
Under the present law, Mr.. Palmer
, said, the fair price list was argel
matter of cooperation and publi'
sentiment and violations of fair price
lists issued during the war were not
legally punishable except by use OF
licensing powers.
I'VE want to stop the gOugers,
said Mr.. Palmer. The general deal
er is not a gouger, Ee is fair-the
, great ma. ority."
Senators Smith Of South Carolina
and Smith of Georgia and Ransdel
of Louisiana, democrats, asked time
), to consider the legislation. The
Georgia senator said he was lOathy
! to punish unfair" charges without
prescribing fair price standards
, Otherwise, he said, every merchant
would be left in the air, subject tC
the whim Of a jury" and business
would be left in confusion.
Senator Ransdell said the legisls
tion vas more drastice than any Con.
gress was asked TO pass during th'
war.
What we should 90 is to consider
whether conditions are worse now
than they were during the war" saic
he
Predicts Revolution.
you let the profteers continue
and you'll have a revolution" sale
Senator Harrison, democrat, OF Mis-
sissippi.
The house agricultural commit.e,
, proceeded with cold storage legisla.
tion today, and announced that to-
morrow the amendment to the foOC
control act would be taken up, with
Assistant Attorney General Ames
discussing the need for it in the cam.
paign to reduce prices Mayors Of
: 30 New Jersey cities n ade arrange
ments to appear befoi ,he commit
tee Monday to demand that some.
thing effective be done to mitigate
the hardships under which the mar
of average income is suffering.
Absent members Of the house were
ordered tonight to return 10 Wash
! ington at once, when II became ap-
parent that the agricultural commit
tee would report out the new legis-
lation this week Republican Leader