The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-22

GUS bills nor the vigorous speeches on
the subject, 10 far as we have read
and examined them, fix, aim at or
even mention the fundamental trou-
ble-the hardpan cause
In the Senate, for example, Mr..
KENYON or Mr.. KENDRrcK or some
body else introduces a measure 10 IL
cense packers OF meat products, manu-.
facturers Of dairy products, &C., un-
der the Department Of Agriculture
We see no large objection to the II.
cense as such. Probably the average
manufacturer or merchant would
rather do business under a Federal
charter like that than under some
other regulations and restrictions,
State and municipal. These Senate
bills and similar House bills as q
matter of fact do not seem to threaten
anything not already provided for in
existing law except mass Of new
officeholders, with several million more
Government reports to file and the
usual red tape that winds every Gov
eminent bureau into a condition of
partial or total paralysis.
1t isn't lawful now to conspire to
raise the price of food any more than
1t Is the law now to poison food. IT
isn't lawful now to combine, agree
or arrange with anybody to suppress
competition any more than It is the
law now to counterfeit the coin. So
when 1t is proposed to give the De
partment of Agriculture special charge
Of such matters, where food is con-
cerned, 1t is only proposed to shift au-
thority, with the possible risk OF max
Ing worse mess of II than ever. since
the Department Of Agriculture has
never been very strong on anything
but theories.
But IL the Department Of Agricul-
ture were in fact the keenest possible
sleuth In running down crime, If the
Department of Agriculture could show
the sternest front to offenders. there
would be no chance Of this new ma
cbinery getting into operation before
we had all been eaten up by the ra-
paclOus cost of living
Furthermore-and this Is the grave
side of the matter-there is nothing in
any of the bills, as we look over them,
to show that the men who introduced
them know or will acknowledge what
the basic cause Of the high cost of
living is, and this arouses the suspi-
cion that If they are not ignorant Of
what has been going on in the world
OF economics they are simply trying,
with high cost OF living speeches, res
olutions and enactmente. to humbug
the public.
If You stun thirty dollars of corn
into a steer instead OF ten dollars,
II you use fifty dollars OF labor on
him instead OF twenty-five dollars,
getting him ready for the dinner ia
BILE all the way from the cattle range
| and through the stockyards and
slaughter pens TO the retail butcher
shop, you have put hard fact cost
into roasts and steaks that you can't
get out by legislative enactment
against the conspiracy Of packers or
the suppression Of competition by
wholesalers. Until the legislative
branch of the United States Govern
ment can compel the executive branch
of the United States Government to
| stop stuffing increased grain costs
into live stock and poultry you can't
bring down the cost of living in this
| country.
1t is of no use to blame the labor
for needing more money to pay The
high prices fixed by the administrative
branch of the United States Govern!
ment Labor may be very foolish 10
| think that when It stuffs more and
more wages into steers 1t can eat
cheaper steaks and chops But labor
didn't begin the thing. II was Mr.
WILSON'S Grain Administration which
began the thing. Labor has only been
trying-and trying In valn-to keep
up with it.
In not a single one of these Con-
gress bills to bring down the cost Of
living have We seen a reference TO or
discovered n squlnt at the enormously
increased cost of feeding and fatten-
ing live stock and poultry to prepare
them for the table OF the American
people. Corn Is up from normal
prices not mere 80 per cent. nor vet
100 per cent; nor yet, again, $50 per
cent. Corn is up from a normal 80
or 90 cents a bushel to $3.50, $1.90
and so bushel.
And corn Is very largely up this
some $50 70 300 per cent. not because
the Government guaranteed a price
Of 1929 to the farmer for his wheat.
That's not the reason. The reason IS
that when the Governments guaran-
tee. which viii be, as II ought to he.
scrnpulously fulfilled, produced more
wheat than this country can possibly
consume by at least half billion
bushels. the Government will not per-
init this $2.28 wheat to go on the
market under the law OF supply and
demand.
If anybody else had had to pay the
farmers 1925 a bushel for their crop
| the Government would insist that he