Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-08-07
Wheat, Wilson and the
High Cost of Living

profit, wastage, &C. This gives all
told $3.50.
But put the ten bushels of grain
into the steer at So to 1925 a bush
ell, or $40 to $22.50. Put the five
days of labor into him at an aver
age of 81 a day, or $40. These to-
gether make $40 to $42.50. Add
the Is per cent as before and this
gives all told $46 to $50.
That is exactly the way feed and
labor, without protiteering or any
thing else, make the difference be-
, tween steers at $17.60 and steers at
| SAG. 1t is exactly what makes the
difference, without profiteering, be-
tween 20 cent steak and so cent
steak. 1t is exactly what makes
the difference, without profiteering,
between 20 cent ham and so cent
ham, between 80 cent butter and
rs cent butter; between the old
reasonable food costs which the
American people could meet on
| reasonable incomes and the fero-
clous food prices of to-day which,
the higher their wages and incomes
are inflated, the less the American
| people can stand.
There are dozens of men in Con-
gress sane enough and intelligent
enough to see this economic truth
as The Sun sees it and has tried
to make others see it since the sign
ing of the armistice nine months
ago. Are there no men in Congress
| of enough genuine public spirit, of
enough plain political honesty, to
declare that truth and fight for that
| truth, as The Sun has fought for it
and is going to go on fighting for
it?
Is there nobody in Congress who
will lay the blame for this whole
mass of food price imitation, this
whole structure of high cost of liv-
! ing, at the door where it belongs
the White House? For, as you have
just seen, it all begins with grain.
1t is grain which you pay for
when you buy your chops and
! steaks, your milk and butter, your
eggs and cheese, at terrific prices.
1t is grain which you pay for when
you buy Your coat or your hat or
your shoes at terrific prices. 1t tis
grain which you pay for when you
| buy your inflated passenger ticket
| or your theater ticket. 1t is grain
which you pay for when you buy a
high priced cradle for your baby
coming into the world. 1t is grain
which your family will pay for when
| IL puyS your nlSn prlCeQ COlIlln TO
send you out of the world. 1t is
grain which causes it all, because
the dear grain makes the dear food
which makes the dear wage which
makes the dear everything.
And it is Mr.. Wilson's Food Ad-
| ministration which, making dear
wheat, makes the dear corn, which
makes the dear food of all kinds
1t is Mr.. Wilson's Food Administra-
ton which does this by holding
wheat back from the American
people, doing it out at famine
prices to show a Treasury profit
when there is and will be more
wheat in this country by hundreds OF
millions of bushels than under the
normal conditions of a free wheat
market would be worth burning ur
for fuel.
There is talk here, there and
everywhere of investigating the
packers, investigating the cold
storage people, investigating the
profiteers, investigating this, thai
and the other thing. Go ahead with
such work, by all means, for what
little it may help. But the fiat
truth of this terrific crisis is that
only the investigating which begins
with the Washington Administration
will knock the bottom out of the
wickedly and dangerously high cost
of living