The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1919-08-28

DoSClrreQ nlmSoI TO speak aDOuC II
the concrete results of the campaign
SO far are pretty slim. A few retail
grocers have been arrested and fined
for charging extortionate prices and
a number Of seizures of storage sup
plies have been made which may re-
suit in condemnation and public sale.
The high cost of investigating the
high cost Of living is a preliminary
very much to the fore right now, how
yer Already special appropriations
totaling nearly 100000 have been
asked of congress by various govern
msnt bureaus anxious to make capital
out of the general public sentiment
that something must be DONE" OF all
these requests there would appear to
Be only one-a request for $500,00
from the federal trade commission
that has any direct bearing or the
regulation of food monopolists, which
is recognized as the only real solution
Of the p%rofiteering problem. "Invss-
tigation" is again to be a method Of
sidetracking the Issue.
Ready to Investigate.
Thus the department of commerce
demands 100000 to adequately mobi-
lie itself for the high cost of living
campaign. Just how helpful it would
be is seen in the admission that q
large percentage of this sum would
be used in demonstrating to packers"
how certain new species of fish can
be made a profitable venture for the
market. In other words, while one
arm of the government is prosecut-
ing the packers for violation of the
antitrust laws, another arm seeks to
appropriate money to teach them how
to make greater profits.
Secretary of Agriculture Houston,
who has a better record at securing
appropriations than in making the
money secured at all helpful to the
farmers, says he will be content with
an emergency gift Of 100000. This.
it is said, would be expended in get.
ting out reports.
The department of justice only
wants o1,S00,00O., This sum Is $60O,.
900 less than tho : 2,000,0 900 given At.
OAAOJ OCAOAOA 0AAAAOA a 4O" AxOQtAO
ago to track down" bomb plotters
and anarchists. Not one anarchist,
SO far as known, has been arrested as
the result of this gift, although q
number of innocent citizens have been
arrested, held in jail, and later re-
leased without apologies.
Even the treasury department
wants to dip it's fingers in the gen.
eral outpouring Of gold. Secretary
Glass, says that for $4,000 he can
redisguise his secret service force 20
that they will be as successful now
in running down proiteers as they
were in running down prot Germans"
during the war.
Judging by the expense necessary
to outfit the crusade against the prof.
iteers it ought to be a pretty i'm.
posing affair, ono it gets under way.
Pref'teers Defended.
Congress has got to prove within
the next few weeks whether or not It
is sincere in the question of eliminat.
ing ~profteering. So far the indica.
lions are that the Sixty-sixth con.
gress. like most Of it's predecessors,
is far more interested in defending
the citadel of big business than IN
Smelling out tho respectable thieves
who hide within.
Southern Democrats on the senate
agriculture committee, for instance,
headed by Senator Ellison D. Smith
Of South Carolina, have already sue.
ceedsd in blocking the request Of At
torney General Palmer that q drastic
penalty clause be included In the food
control act, and that its provisions
be extended to prevent prodteerina
in wearing apparel.
Smith objects to this strenuously
At hearings this week he tried to ex
plain Why.
II am alarmed" he said, "by this
constant tendency Of socializing bust
ness. The people are happy and con
tented. The only unrest l have beer
able to find is due to the fear Of what
congress may do next. I'd rather
have q revolution than destroy oul
splendid form Of government by thi,
anrt of legislation"
To Lepaiize Cooperation.
That congress pass pending legisla
ton clearly defining the legality o
farmers cooperative organizations 4
nnw being insistently demanded by tn,
spokesmen Of the farmers at Wash
ington. Recent prosecutions OF mill
producers organisations and other CO
operative agencies under the fedora
antitrust laws have aroused a storm
OF indignation. It Is pointed out tina
the government has nev been stronI
enough to use these laws to break VI
big business monopolists, Is was til
intention of their enactment, and tina
insult Is now being heaped on injur
BY twisting them 80 as to eliminat
one OF the few means BY which til
public ID able to get ~sustenance with
out paying tribute to the food trust.
Grades DeciaFSd Unjust.
What Representatives Baer and Sir
I clair Of North Dakota characterize 9
''complete justification Of the Mort
nakota yiAunofnf f0Warda the Whoo