The Ocala evening star., 1919-09-02
PACKERS
AND PIKERS

the word protiteer. we may neverthe-
less arrive at its true meaning by al
process of exclusion,
Profiteers are not editors, nor are
they inmates of the aSylums for the
conviets under sentence of the law at
hard labor. All others, even the pix
erS. are protiteerS>
In late months have travelled much
and far and by reason of illness have
been only consumer Of the ex
p,ofiteer-piker class, yet the pikers
responding 70 no ties of brotherly af-
fsction have robbed me at every turn
and at every point from Florida to
California.
The piker subdivision of the prof.
teer class is ubiquitous; yea, more
than that, he is amphibious!
His numbers are as the sands of the
sea.
Unless you want to buy hotel, or
to buy railroad, or to buy meat or
coal at wholesale, the piker is the man
who gets your coin.
But every piker has his day, nor
SlOuIu we DC LOO Nasty tOAA SnS
knell of his parting day.
There can be no war on one part of
our industrial fabric with no i'll effect
upon every other part, and we must
remember that if the really destruc-
tive artillery of the government is
turned upon to lay in waste the
citadels of vast capital now organized
and entrenched for the collection, pre-
paration and distribution of our es-
sential foods, or other essentials, then
we all will suffer more, but not in the
degree of our guilt. Mark what l said,
obstructive artillery"
Regulation ther must be; and as an
administrative necessity it can only
be made to apply to big business, even
though the degree of offense there
found be not so fragrant as you may
daily discover in your dealing with the
piker.
Regulation there must be; and as an
there must be, but we want nothing
that resembles government manage
ment of Americas great industries.
Punch, pound and pillory if you
like. Rant and regulate. 1t will all
help to reduce prices to their proper
lever. It will help shake down a few
cred market. 1t may destroy pikers
by the thousand, those aspiring on
borrowed money to be the real thing.
The first interest of the conserva-
tive business man, the capitalist, the
packer, is profit, not prices. Such a
man will in the long run profit by
your successful efforts in eliminating
from the markets for many days, per-
haps years, the financial weak specu-
lator. 1t tends to put prices where
they really belong as fixed by the law
! of supply and emand. Prices need to
) be punched down, if for nothing more
than to find out if they are really
: sound. If they are sound, we only lose
one crop of pikers by this punching
process. While the vast majority of
the people, and legitimate business
has profted by thus skimming off the
froth of speculation.
1t is a very dangerous thing for the
government to take any step for the
avowed or obvious purpose of putting
. market prices up or for putting then
down.
We remember that from about 1891
to 1898 the farmer and the producer
had very hard road to travel. They
were glad to see the piking Speculation
or any other buyer in those days.
: But the piker of today is our indus
trial magnate of tomorrow. In hi:
vision, his thrift and his energy lii
our hope for the future upbuilding o.
the rapidly growing commerce of thi:
country, with it's new vista of tn,
trade of the world.
, So don't let us be too hard on the
piker and the small profteer for i
may be that in the main financial in
fiatation and the operation Of the Law
I OF supply and demand are the rea
) causes of most of the apparent abuses
Of which we complain.
But we must investigate thorough!
and act vigorously to end all monop
olies of any of the essentials of life
and permit no combinations in re
straint of fair trade.
: If organized labor ever falls unde
5 the leadership of those who are will
ing to go to the extremes announce,
by some of it's votaries, then tina
/, monopoly must be destroyed, or
Il very radical change made in our form
: OF government.
So much for the piker class. Tn
: packers is my next. Sincerely,
: William Hooker.
e Denver Colo AupuSt 26