The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1920-02-06
LOW PRICE PROMISES
MAKE CONGRESS LAUGH
While Palmer Declares He Will Save
Other Administration Producer

Washington, Feb. 3.-Attorney
General A. Mitchell Palmer's bid for
popularity conveyed in his promise to
reduce the high cost of living is meet
ing with considerable merriment in
Congress, especially as the Depart
ment of Labor persists in refuting his
statements with facts to show that
prices are still coaring.
Representative Phil Campbell, of
Kansas, in the House reminded the
Democratic leaders that they were ex-
perienced in buncombe, having made
the same promise in 1910 and 1912 in
order to assist in securing power, and
after eight years of that power hav-
ing done so little to accomplish the
rest promised, that prices have more
than doubled"
Palmer has declared that he will
follow the profteers to their lair and
destroy them. The United States Food
Controller, another Democratic Off
cial, recently said: "If it were posi-
BILE to abolish profiteering altogeth-
er, you would not materially affect
the present level Of the high prices"
This last statement agrees entirely
with the expressed opinion of the Re-
publican leaders all along that high
prices are caused by cheapening of the
circulating medium and imitation, and
that they can come down only
thrught reservation of normal condi-
ton, defation, and the promotion of
industrial prosperity. These leaders
have said for eight years that promis-
es otherfise are purely for political
purposes are now that they are akin
to "thank God for Wilson-he kept us
out of war"
Bradsteet has pointed out that
prices are still going up. Everybody
who buys anything agrees they are
going up. But Attorney General Pal
mer agrees that they will come down
and that he will bring them down.
Cincinnati and other cities have been
told of the arrival of experts from the
Department who would assist in the
work of reducing the high cost of liv-
ing. After the experts have left and
the populace is in fine state of ex-
pectation the prices go on up.
The man who has spilled the Palmer
beans and shown up the Administra-
ton team work, though, is Royal c..
Meeker, United States Commissioner
of Labor Statistics: This is what he
says:
able fall of prices for several years
to come. 1t will be impossible for
the governments of the world to pay
off their debts very rapidly. On the
contrary, there is every reason to
apprehend that credits must be issued
to foreign governments, foreign man.
ufacturers, and foreign business men
in order to rehabilitate the broken
and shattered industries Of Europe.
This being the case, we may expect
that larger volumes of checks and Gre
dit instruments will be thrown into
circulation, boosting prices higher"
"As long as the people have twice
as many dollars, with which to buy a
smaller number of commodities, prices
are bound to remain high. II will take
long time to debate the worlds in
fated currencies or to initiate the
worlds debated supply of goods. The
profiteer is being blamed on all hands
for the increase in prices. Undoubt-
eddy, profteering of most reprehen-
sible sort has existed and does exist
today, but the profiteer is result of
ever-increasing prices rather than a
cause thereof. His influence in boost
ing prices is neglible. If all the pro-
fiteers in the world could be appre-
hended and thrown into Jail or lined
up and shot, it would have no appreci-
able influence upon prices.