Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1919-08-15
Regulations To Curb the High
Cost of Living
THE ISSUE MUST BE FACED
Extension OF Lever Act, Penalties For
Profiteering, Cold Storage Super.
vision, And Plain PrIce-making Ad.
vocated-Subtle Hit At Labor And
Warning Against Attempt At
Coercion.

Washington. - President Woodrow
Wilson in message to Congress,
called upon that body to assume full
control over the processes of food dis.
tribution in this country as the only
effective means Of giving relief to the
American people from the high cost
of living.
At the same time he struck straight
at violence in the form of Bolshevism
or any other form, when he solemnly
declared that there must be no
threats" that brute force will not be
tolerated and that those who resort
to arbitrary and coercive action "only
prepare their own destruction"
No message that has proceeded
from him since he entered the White
House has gone more directly to the
root of domestic evil and none has
been delivered that will strike home
more surely. 1t inevitably must pro.
duce two effects. It will give reasur.
ance to the legitimate business Of the
nation, now racked by doubts and ap.
prehensions, and 1t will give notice
to the profteers and money-grabbers
that ruin and Imprisonment await
them if they do not yield to the popu-
lar demand for fair dealing.
After detailing to the House and
Senate what proceedings are now un.
der way to provide relief; after show
ing that the expectation Of wheat was
being limited; after showing that the
Government was unloading dts surplus
food and clothing supplies; after show
ing that food hoarders are to be prose-
cuted, and after reciting official re-
ports to the effect that vast amounts
Of food products are in storage as a
means of maintaining excessive prices,
the President offered his program for
action by Congress.
Extension OF Food Control.
He urged an extension of the War
time Food Control act, which other
wise will expire with the proclamation
of peace, and asked that It's provisions
against boarding be made to apply not
only to food but to feeds, fuel and
to clothing.
He urged that teeth be put into this
same act by provision which would
lay down penalties. BY curious cir
cumstance, the present law provides
no penalties for the violators.
He urged the passage of a cold
storage regulation act, limiting the
period during which food might be
held, stamping all goods so stored
with the date of receipt and marking
upon each package the price at which
they left the hands Of dealers.
And he urged that all goods in inter
state commerce be marked plainly
with the price at which they left the
hands of the producer, that the ulti-
mate consumer might know how much
profit the middleman exacted Of hiF.
At this point the President offered
his plan for the licensing of every cor
poration engaged in Interstate COM
merce, which, of course, is the most
sweeping and far-reaching piece of
legislation Of purely domestic sort
ever advocated by President of the
United States. .,.
Our Purpose And Duty.
In this connection he said:
"And it does not seem to me that
we can conflne ourselves to detailed
measures Of this kind, if 1t Is indeed
cur purpose to assume national con-
troll of the processes Of distribution.
I take il for granted that that IS our
purpose and our duty. Nothing less
will suffice. We need not hesitate to
handle national question in ma.
tional way. We should be beyond
the measures I have suggested. We
should formulate a law. requiring
Federal license Of all corporations en-.
gagged in interstate commerce and en-
bodying in the license, or in the condi.
tions under which 1t is to be issued,
specific regulation designed to secure
competitive selling and prevent un.
considerable profits in the method of
marketing. e.. -
"Such law would afford welcome
opportunity to- effect other much.
needed reforms in the business OF in.
terstate shipment and in the methods
OF corporations which are engaged in
It; but for the moment I confne my
recommendations to the object imme-
diately in hand, which is to lower the
cost of living"
Would Halt Speculation.
Finally, the President urged the pas.
sage of legislation, such as that pro.
posed by the capital issues committee,
designed to stop speculation and to
prevent fraudulent methods of promo.
tion by giving the Government control
of security issues.
1t is of no use to minimize the fact
thatthe Presidents Program is rerolu.
tionary in it's character It is exactly
that. 1t would Liace almost every
business in the nasion under the direct