Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-08-01

eral hundred thousand employees
Perhaps the frankest talk which gov
ernment oihcials have heard in Ions
time came In this, connection, in me
statement OF w. {. Lee. president OF
the trainmen. before the wage ad-
.m increases Not solution.
Mr.. Lee told the board that an In
crease In wages was not the proper
solution of the present ccon"m.s
.rd1sh!ps; nnder which worG 1,'S len
followed by new Increases in the cost
.sct everything which would more than
,absorh the additional pay un,ii All
Stng" he said. the only thing for every
sQne TO do is TO set all the wages ne
oan,. course which he declared would
result eventually m precipitatiaG the
"upheavar now staring the country in
AS step toward breaking the high
prices. plans are being made by Secre-
tary Baker. Postmaster General Burie-
son and Representative Kelly. of Penn
sylvania. TO sell through the parcel
post surplus army food stocks valued
at sI24.o00.ooo.
Generals conference declined TO dis
cuSs what took place. Mr.. Palmer stated
that the conference was called chiefly
for the purpose of making a survey OF
the situation, developing any infor-
nation on which the head of tho ma
lion,s la" enfSrcsmem, machinery
1T seems 10 be a universal pas
time. putting this thing up TO the Al
torney-General" MIR. Palmer said. Sml-
insiy: Even the Governors have taken
sting price levels"
In response TO questions MIR, Palmer
which prices could be lowered direct
~ but he declined to say whether new
Y e = 10, lad ~
department; TO punish men who may
be guilty OF profteerinG.
Plenty Of Good LAW.
There is a great deal of good law
on the statute books" the Attorney
Genera declared.
When a course OF action is decided
upon, the Federal Trade Commission
is understood 10 be ready to supply the
most extensive collection OF induSt rial
information ever gathered by any gov
eminent. Production-cos figures have
been obtained by the commission on In
dustries representing S30.o0o. 100000
worth of capital. as the result of its
activities during the war in advising
the government what prices 10 pay
for the millions of dollars of purchases
made by it. For this reason; IL is be-
lieved the commission is ready 10 urge
that further investigations, which seem
70 he foreshadowed by resolutions
pending In Congress would only mud
die the situation. causing the loss OF
valuable time and the waste OF the
money involved
The commissions investigations dur
ing the war. all of which dealt only
with the most authoritative intorn'a-
tion derived from the books of com
panies involved. are said to have shown
that pronteerinC was al a minimum in
the retail trades. most OF the cXorbi-
tant profits which arc being made go
ing to the manufacturers and whole
salers. AS remedy, the commission
generally is understood to favor "A
licensing system for corporations doing
be applied first in those cases where
the mulctins OF the public has been
most nagrant.
UphcavnI Is Predicted
Presiden, Lee OF the Railroad Train
men, made public an abstract OF the
report OF the hearings recently held
by the board OF railroad wages on the
,raiumens demands, at which he de-
this country than ever before. due TO
the unrest arising from mounting l!N-
ing costs. The railroads and govern
ment departments had better he assist
ing TO crush prohteertnc" by The
packers and other industries" he said,
than shouting across the table al
s s;il f G'nf ncre assF"s TO S'"soe
- All OF us are TO blame" I've said
because We are exer;ing every enor,
better conditions. Every day we must
realize that the profi,eers are tax ing
double from the workins men what
is gwen lncrn. anu Tue lToupi' " ~
the people on the hill ucanitoD wiki
us and with every corporation ana
: with everybody. is that We arc cXcr,-
Ing ourselves 10 get the dollar while
tho work ing man is merely EXISTING
and while the protitccrinE is pilins MP
millions
II viii ADM, to YOU gentlemen that
we are going the wrong way admit
TO you that ii is time TO call a halt;
and l admit 10 YOU that until we get
together until We commence together
to stop this. there VIII be hell in this
coun,ry-and 1t il nearer today than
] ever knew 4; in my years of cXpcr-
fence. Just let somebody drop a match
in this country OF ours and ii vii! be
sorry day for US all.
Nearer Nnr than In 1914
obscure. then there Is something com
ing TO us pretty soon in this country
that had better take notice of. We
had something Of peace in this coun-
try prior 10 the war conditions. We
were getting along fairly we'll until
rroflteer!ns became 80 noticeable every
where and until the commodities that
working people are compelled TO pay
for were pesmItte9 TO be Increased.
doubled and .trenled. withou, any
question and often seemingly with the
approval OF the government.
We nearer war in this world
today. ! believe. than when the Kaiser
makers are TO blame, in my opinion.
bccauscs the masses OF the people
would be behind them II they would
attempt 10 correct il and surely there
IL power TO correct IL. but instead
they are playing politics. as some Of
politics. and il is the same all down
the line"