Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-09-16
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About the Cost of LIVING.

Omaha, Sept. 9.--To the Editor
of The Bee: | wish to express my
gratitude to you and your paper for
the stand you are taking against
those INSCRIPTIONS, selfish profiteers
for the welfare and benefit of the
people, notwithstanding the fact
that The Bee no doubt will be the
loser by some ads, and, it Is very
complimentary to know that the
people have one paper in their
midst to champion their cause. 1t
is not only the rent protiteer we
have to combat, but every one who
deals in necessities of life including
wearing apparel. To start with, the
packing monopoly is the greatest
combination Of proflteers to cope
with; then come the cold storage
houses, the middlemen. and last
but not least, the retailer.
Some Of our wise students of
economy and high tinanciers are
trying to make the people believe
that there is an abundance of
money in the country and, there
fore. the 1O0-cent dollar is only
worth about so cents in purchasing
value. which story is creation of
their own. We will admit that
money is plentiful; does the laborer
or layman derive any benefit from
it at prevailing prices Of neCessi-
ties? No. The secret is. big bust
ness knew this war was coming, no
doubt partly through their influence
They started boarding food supplies,
clothing and hides in order to ere
ate a temporary shortage. The law
of supply and demand governs the
price of commodities. therefore,
the prices are rising, the supply is
withheld from the market by the
profteers and spectators and right
here we have the greatest source of
evil. We're it not for colo storage
house perishable goods would not
be boarded, but sold directly to the
consumer from the producer, es-
pecially meats, butter, eggs and
fruits, and then there would not be
any shortage in perishable and sea-
sonable commodities.
Another great unnecessary evil
we have to contend with is Wall
street and the grain SPECTATOR
Those ere in socialstc parlance
parasites. who never produce any
thing but are a great detriment to
society at large. They create panics
and hard times at their will. That
class of people should not be al
lowed to follow their vocation at
the expense of others in a so-called
democratic country. as in course Of
time such things have tendency
to spread anarchism and bolshevism
among the working class, who have
to suffer on their account.
| bought at the Auditorium a
side of so-called army bacon at "a
or IS cents a pound, which would
have been cheap enough if it was
bacon, but when ] got it home
discovered that it was nothing but
half cured sowbelly, all fat, dear at
70 cents a pound at today's prices.
merely mention this instance to
snow how the combination Of pack
ers robbed the government and the
government to my understanding Is
the people, who eventually have to
foot the bills. This is only one in
cident. The same graft happened
IN clothing and shoes. Also, l read
an article in some paper where the
government got even cheated in am
munition and in wartime at that.
what did those crooks get as pun
lshment? Never heard any more
OF It, 1T l were judge and had to
mete out justice to such kind Of
grafters, l would condemn them to
be shot to death.
Since there has been so much
agitation against profiteering in
some instances the prices have been
lowered a few cents on some arti-
cles, but not in general President
Wilson'S slogan is, produce more to
bring prices down. 1t would not
nave any effect. Get the profiteers.
klll them or put them for life in
the penitentiary and there will be
an end to profiteering.
L. PHILLIPSON.
1918 Davenport.