The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-08-10
MANS NATURE
EREASON FOR
PRICEBOOS1INC
ey RICHARD sPILLANE

~
| For weeks and months the public Is
going To be flooded with discussion In
| and cut Of congress, IN reports OF IN
ycst:fating committees and IN Ell to.iAl
exrression on the causes and cures OF
the high cost of living
| Men VIII. study and think and those
who neither study nor think will tax
We may expect something win be dons
l in The ro.m of a mild corrective but inc
. trouble is too deep rooted and human
ma turc is too imperfect to provide a
sovereign cure.
Frc,, some Of the ideas advanced It
would seem the problem is new 1t Is
not. Il is as old as time 1t is COM
mandirg iisistent attention now because
lit is particularly aggravating and OPP
lpressive 1t never will be solved unless
human nature is changed or man In his
wisdom eevises some marvellous syg-em
to make the whole social, financial, IN
dustrial ard distributative organization
function with the precision of a ma
chine.
That high cost of living should be-
come q national menace now in America
| is an anachorism Specifically the
country lever was r1o-e prosperous or
reduction so wonderfully big. Here we
have two-fifths of the wealth OF the
world more than one-half of the Leading
products of the world in metals and va
ricus foodstuffs and J-ner essentials
And yet, with an increase in riches that
has been without parallel, the problem
of living has been becoming more and
more difficult The necessities OF life
food. clothing, homes-have gone beyond
ell bounds in price and the dollar, the
standard of value, has deprecated until
today it has only one-haf of its normal
worth.
While the problem o. the high cost Oh
living antedates recorded history, con-
ditions in this country within the last
few years afford a sufficient liiustrati IN
to make the general trouble plain
Nothing more hopeful and inspiring IN
the life of any nation was evidenced
than America furnished few years ago.
To feed stricken Belgium and supply
that part of Europe threatened with
starvation it deprived itself Of luxur1es,
curtailed it's extravagances, cut down It's
foods eliminated many o. it's wastes
and practiced virtues that mad been for
gotten almost. This it did in It's nome.
In its factories and shops it did more
when we entered the war. 1t stripped
its production to the bare essentials and
Increased it's output of them.
On the farm it did likewise. The world
demanded bread and beef. The Amer
lean farm increased it's production of
meats and grains between % and SO per
cent.
flee and national good. Liberty loans
were floated for sumo unheard of pre-
,viously in magnitude. Rich and poor
were exaulted by the work they did for
God and man and country. There was
discipline and patriotism stronger than
that OF any military body On the mere
request to use no gasoline on Sunday in
order to save precious oil for wars needs
millions of cars stood unused on various
Sabbaths until the crisis was over
Men, women and children gave their
time their money, their talents to the
welfare of the world and joyed in the
giving and were exalted by the act. The
Brotherhood of Man. long a dream. was
almost a reality.
How does it come in the face of all
this that the spectacle or today is pre-
sented?
How does it come that the banker
who was preaching patriotism and prac-
ticing it. too, and who would denounce
as scoundrel and traitor anyone who
did anything to the nations injury two
years ago one year ago. today coun-
tenances and sees wrong in unholy
profits and in flotations of properties
that are scandalously r-capitalized?
How is it that the FARMER who bore
his war burdens heroically. thinks now
OF profits only and no longer of man
kind?
How Is it hat the worker who answer
e. as labor never answered before with
production. thinks now of how much he
can get out of his employment and not