Evening journal., 1919-08-09


session OF Congress today President
Wilson said:
Gentlemen Of The Congress:
81 have sought this opportunity to
address yon because 10 Is clearly my
duty 70 call your attention 30 the pres
ent cost Of living and TO urge upon You
with all the persuasive force OF which
/ am capable the legislative measures
witch would be most effective in con-
trolling Il and bringing II down.
The prices the people or this country
sre paying for everything that 10 Is
necessary for them 10 use In order 10
live are not Justified by a shortage in
sigply. either present or prospective
anx are in many c3ses artincially and
deliberately created by vicious prac-
tees which ought Immediately to be
checked by law.
They constitute a burden upon us
which Is the more unbearable because
we know that Il Is wilfully imposed by
those who have the power. and that it
can. by vigorous public action. be great
ly lightened and made 20 square with
the actual conditions OF supply and
demand. Some OF the methods by
which these prices are produced are
already Illegal. some Of them criminal.
and those who employ them will be en-
crgetlcally proceeded against; but Others
have not yet been brought under the
law and should be dealt with at once
by legislation.
need not reclte the particulars Of
this critical matter. The prices de-
manded and paid at the sources Of sup
ply, at the factory, in the food markets.
at the shops. in the restaurants and
hotels. are alike in the city and VIII
lage. They are familiar 10 you. They
are the talk Of every domestic circle
and Of every group OF casual acquain-
tsnces even.
1T Is a matter Of familiar knowl-
edge. also. that a process has set in
which Is likely, unless something Is
done. 10 push prices and rents and the
whole cost OF living higher and yet
higher IN a vicious circle 90 which
there Is no logical or natural end
Increased Wages Asked.
with the increase in prices, OF the
necessaries OF lie come demands for
increases in wages-demands which are
justified n there be no other means Of
enabling men TO live. Upon the in
crease OF wages there follows close an
Increase IN the price Of the products
whose producers have been accorded |
the fncrease-not a proportionate in
crease, for The manufacturer does not /
content himself with that-but an in
crease considerably greater than the
added wage cost. and for which the ]
added wage cost Is Oftentimes hardly I
more than an excuse.
''The laborers who do not get an /
increase in pay when they demand 70 4
are likely 10 strike and the strike only
makes matters worse. 10 checks pro-
ducliOn. lt Affects The railroads, IL
prevents distribution and strips the
91rkeis. so that there Is presently n)Sh-
Ing 10 buy. and there is another excess
,'ye addition TO prices resulting foOm
he scarcity.
These are facts and forces with
which we have become only too famll-
lar; but we are not justified, because OF
pur familiarity with them or because OF
my hasiy and shallow conclusion that
hey are natural" and Inevitable. I'm
sitting inactIvely by and letting them
work their fatal results IT there
is anything that we can do TO
check. correct or reverse them. / have
sought this opportunity TO inform the
Congress what the executive IS doing
by way Of remedy and control, and 70
~NAAt'Na MNlflN fMNNAlNN Aa-AA ANAAAAtN~
are lacking and may he supplied.
I'VE must I think. frankly admit that
here Is no complete. immediate remedy
10 be had from legislation and execu-
tive action. lThe free process OF sup
ply and demand will not operate OF them
selves and no legislative or executive
action can force them into full and
natural operation until there is peace.
World Waiting for Peace.
There Is now neither peace nor war
All the world Is waiting-with what
unnerving Tears and haunting doubts
who can adequately ssy?-waiting TO
know when IL comes; peace in which
zach nation shall make shift for itself
rs II can, OF a peace buttressed and
supported by the will and concert Of
Inc nations that have The purpose and
the power TO do and TO enforce what IS
rieht
Politically. economically, socially the
world Is on the operating table. and II
has not been possible 10 administer any
anaeslhetlc 10 Is conscious. t even
watches the capital operation upon
which it knows that its hope OF health
ful life depends. II cannot think its
business out or make plans or give in
telligent and proyideut direction TO its
affairs while in such a case. Where 1
there Is no peace Of mind there can be !
no energy IN endeavor. There can be $
no confidence in industry. no calcula- 7
Bile basis for credits no confident buy D
ing or systematic selling no certain y
prospect Of employment, no normal res
iOralion Of business, no hopeful attempt d
at reconstruction or the proper reas- 4;
sembling Of the dislocsled elements or
enterprise until peace has been estab-
lished and, so far as IL may be, guar
anleed.
our national life has no doubt been
less radically disturbed and dlsmember-
ed than the national life Of other peo-
pies whom the war more directly az
fected. with all its terrible ravaging and
destructive force. but ID has been,
nevertheless, profoundly affected and
disarranged and our industries, our
credits. our productive capacity, our
economic processes are ineXtricably in
teryvoyen with those OF other nations
and peOples-most intimately Of all with
the nations and peoples upon whom tho
chief burden and confusion OF the war
fell. and who are now most dependent E
upon the cooperative activity Of the
world
Exports Setting Record.
We are just now shipping more goods
out OF our ports TO foreign markets
than we ever shipped befOre-nOt food