The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-10-25
PALMER GIVES PLAN
TO HALT PROFITEER
81. '-',, - B.. r
Depends on Tradesmen to Gust
Those Who Violate Laws,
."> He Says.
URGES BIG PRODUCTION
Insists America Can Win in
&. ~
: Present Crisis if Every
"a One Does Part.

boHTON, OCt. G4.-8ppOlntnenl DN lne
Mayor of each Massachusetts, city of a
fair price committee to cooperate with
the State Commission on Necessities
was decided upon at a cost OF living
after A. Mitchell Palmer, Attorney-Gen-
eral of the United States. had made a
vigorous address. The conference, called
by GOV. Coolidge, was attended by many
Mayors and District attorneys, mem
bers of the State Commission on Neces-
stiles, the State Attorney-General, the
Federal Marshal and the Federal Dis
trict Attorney.
In his address Attorney General
Palmer demanded the ending of the
vicious circle of higher wages and
higher prices" urged increased produc-
ton, declared that ''idleness is a sin
In this emergency" and said that the
Department Of Justice was making
every effort to punish profiteering.- He
said that SO men out Of 100 in both re-
tail and Wholesale business were TAX
Ing only fair profit" and said that it
was the Departments policy to ask the
honest business men to enforce the laws
against profiteering 80 as to avoid the
public scorn which will come to them
as a class If they do not drive out
every man who charges an unjust and
unreasonable profit"
Committees Are Planned.
Mr.. Palmer said this policy was
to be worked out through fair price
committees in every city and county Of
the country.
THE people," said Mr.. Palmer, "hnd
themselves chasing about in circle
high prices chasing higher wages and
higher wages chasing higher prices for
everything. The pepole will get nowhere
by continuing that process indefinitely
except to the point where Industrial dis
aster will overtake the United States.
$50 we have got to the time when we
must stop the operation of this vicious
circle. when we must ask the patriotic
people Of America on every side of the
economic fence to halt in their desires
to better their own conditions selflshly
and to look out for the interests of the
whole, to hold the line steady until the
natural economic forces begin to operate,
production begins to increase and the de-
mands of the public may be met at
reasonable prices.
That time will come when our four
millions of men who wore the khaki in
their country's defence get back into the
great army of industry in America
lIIu ~ sIou eonpoId uvo susoyIsmy
warehouses than any people on earth,
and when production begins to boom we
can supply America and supply the
necessities Of other parts OF the world.
Normal Production Needed.
Everybody recognizes that the one
great thing which will bring back nor
NAL conditions to America is a normal
production. We may get back to it in
the near future,
lp the meantime there are severa!
things that we can do to hasten the
time when conditions will be normal and
to relieve the conditions in the transit
ton period. The first thing of course is
to help, to encourage, TO back up every
effort at increased production every
where. Idleness is sin in this emer-
gency. The next thing that can be
done, and Just as important as increas-
Ing the supply. is TO help lessen the de-
mand.
1.-The worldwide conditions. the eco
romic causes, these things which are the
aftermath OF the war, We cannot ade-
quately reach in any campaign by the
Government against the high cost Of
living. but there are men everywhere, In
all lines OF trade, in the wholesale bust
ness and in the retail business, who take
advantage OF these natural causes and
natural conditions to add on profits for
themselves unconscionably. unreasonably
and unjustly. and seem able to do 1t be-
cause their patrons understand that con-
ditions are bad and assume that every
body is doing it, Thank God, everybody
is not doing II 80 men out of a 100 in
the retail business and in the wholesale
business are taking only a fair profit. all
conditions considered. 1t Is as much to
their interests as II is to the interests of
the, general public that the 80 men shall
see to II that the one man who goes
wrong shall be compelled 10 go straight
Now. how can we do IL? There are
a good many measures upon the statute
books that we think We can take ad-
vantage of.
The high cost of living is not by any
means entirely due to the high cost of
foodstuffs. The things ] put In my
stomach do not worry me near as much
to get as the things | put on my back
So, as our first step In this campaign,
letting the other and bigger things go
because they win be slower to get NOV
ing and slower in their effects, we have
asked the Congress to strengthen the
food control act by doing two things to
It First, to include in the necessaries
of life wearing apparel and. second, to
fix penalty for the straight out