The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1919-08-14
PRESIDENT WILSON SPEAKS.
ASKS CONGRESS FOR LAWS TO
CURB THE PROFITEER.
Says Country Is Neither At Peace
Nor At War.

Congress on the high cost of living.
Mr.. Wilson pointed out in plain
words the many evils under which
| the common people are suffering at
the hands of the manufactures, the
! jobber, the commission merchant, the
| wholesaler, and the retailer. Each
Of these demands and receives a pro-
| fit on all food stuffs and necessaries,
| often out of all proportion to the ac-
! tual costs, until the consumer is
practically being robbed on all sides
and in many cases wages, though
higher than ever before, are still not
high enough to meet the demands.
"The prices the people of this
country are paying for everything
that it is necessary for them to use
| in order to live are not justified by
shortage in supply, either present or
prospective, and are in many. cases
artificially and deliberately created
by vicious practices which ought i'm
mcdiately to be checked by law"
This was almost the first sentence the
President hurled at the law makers.
He said that there is reason to be-
lieve that prices of necessaries have
been set and maintained illegally by
combinations of profiteers, that shoes,
clothing and foodstuffs have been
held off the market to create an inn
preston of q shortage so that prices
might be made to soar to unheard of
heights.
He recommended legislation to
curb the profiteer and the hoarder,
whether he be wholesaler, jobber,
manufacturer or retailer. He sug-
gested that the people be informed
| through bureau of information and
the newspapers of the cost of neces-
saries and the supplies in storage, so
that it would be impossible to longer
fool the buyer by claiming ficticious
high cost of producing and shortage
as an excuse for price boosting.
Back Of all Of President Wilson'S
recommendations for the protection
Of the public against profiteering and
thn maintainance, so far as power
exists in Government, of reasonable
prices for the necessarics of life,
stands the vital fact that he COM
pressed into single sentence, ,"Thcre
is now neither peace nor war" And
as we are neither at peace nor at
| war, we lack all the elements OF sta
biiity that attach to either state.
The general condition of the world
cannot be better described than
| President Wilson described it inths
timely address to Congress.
"There can be no confidence in
industry, no calculable basis for
credits, no confident buying or sys-
tomatic selling, no certain prospect
of employment, no normal restor-
| alton of business, no hopeful at
tempt at reconstruction or the proper
rcassembling of the dislocated ele-
ments Of enterprise until peace has
been established, and SO far as may
be, guaranteed"
Some Of the Presidents specific
recommendations are as follows:
Early ratification of the peace
treaty, so that the world may be ac-
tually at peace and that wartime fluc-
tuations and uncertainties may not
help the profteers by furnishing ex-
cuses for constant price boosting.
Limiting and controlling wheat
shipments and credits to facilitate the
purchase of wheat in such way as
not TO raise, but rather to lower, the
price of flour at home.
/, Sale of surplus stocks of food and
1 Iclothing in the hands Of the govern
ment.
Time forced Withdrawal from stor-
! age and sale Of surplus stocks in pri-
Vate hands.
| General Recommendations
| General recommendation included :
Increase of production.
| Careful buying by housewives.
Fair dealing with the people on the
Fair dealing with the people on the
part of producers, middlemen and
merchants.
That there be no threats and undue
insistence upon the interest of sim
glo class.
Correction of "many things" in re-
lation between capital and labor in
respect to wages and condition of la
Dor.
In concluding the President made
a plea for deliberate, intelligent ac-
ton, reminding Congress that an un-
balanced world was looking to the
United States.
eve and we alone" he said,' "now
hold the world steady. Upon stead
fastness and self possession depend