Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1920-03-04
No. 81

wanted Jobs was much greater than
the number of places available. The
returning soldier seeking job was
ofIered a much smaller wage than he
anew was paid for the same work
while he had been fighting. It In
| censed him. lie figured that he had
given four years out of his life, had
come home tired and broke. He look
ed upon the decline IN wages as
positive discrimination against him.
Comparison Breeds Discomfort
Everywhere l have heard these men
say: I'VE are out of luck, The
bands played and we We're applauded
when we left to fight. While we were
gone the wages went up. We don't
begrudge the men who stayed at
home the wages they got but it's
damn funny that when we come back
down go wages. The cost of living
don't 20 down. l guess we're out Of
luck"
found two phrases inseparable In
the speech of the discontented, ''the
high cost Of living;" ''the Rrofteer."
Workingmen with whoIR I talked,
freely admitted that somesof the high
cost of living was the legltimate re-
suit of the great demaA for eyery-
thing and the natural 'slApTtages but IN
the same breath they 1pasted that
much of it was due to Tie nereenary.
ghoulish profteer.
The proiiteer took blq@a money dur
ing the worlds greateka tragedy. He
exacted usury from the Sailer AT home
and the fighting man1at the fronts.
He drew. dividends an ef the teaf8
and walls of .hyQkea hearted woinsn
ard fright-stfleSen childEep ~
minted his gold ont Of agony, starya
ton, heartaclies. He stands today
the Judas df the war the most A.
spfsed man of earth,
The profiteer Is not an Englishman,
a Frenchlnan gItalssaes AinAEiran
He is found very country of the
world. man Without nationality,
without conscience, without humanity.
fIe Ii the piinp of cixllizatl0n. HE ~
still on tbs Job.
The pranteer has glTen tsAe United
States Il tHEeibla blaN eTe! colaAS
mon cefnrab ut, III fnr0pe TilN
TJpised es made pp5ieS osf of tne
Mill naple 4 \, Elpt fefss ~
she ~
Ihsy p5ihs !. !.
has been given g#at publicity III Eu-
rope, that in August.. 1914, there were
about 1000 millionaifes in the United
States, While at the time of the sign
ng of the armistice it was estimated
he millionaire colony had increased
1y $4,000, making total of 10000
in the United States. The
Drofiteer is still on the job, He is
holding up the world, starving, cold
yorIa,
Profiteerinq Case in Point.
Under date of November IL 1919, J.
:. Bache & Co, members of he New
ork stock exchange. in their financial
etter say: "In mercantile circles
here is proceeding at the present time
vast amount Of speculation on n
cry large scale in commodities. An
Incident is cited to MS of one con-
ern that is carrying $15,000,000 worth
f vegetable oils, which are in great
emand and the concern is holding
hem for higher prices. This is
istinct damage to the consumers, and
eeps living prices in these things,
sed daily, at top and increasing lev
Is. Speculation of this kind is q
aa detriment to the community"
The pair of shoes the workingman
nee bought for $3.50 are now So and
TO- 1t is true that the cost of labor
nd material have gone up, but not
nough to warrant any such exorbi--
mt prices. Business men have TAX
n advantage of the situation, and jus
fy their IarccnieS ON the ground of
ne law of supply and demand. A
zoe man with prominent Chicago
rim, a man long in the business, told
e that the present unwarranted and
ltrageous price of shoes was due to
le fact that American shoe manufac-
Irers could get almost any price for
loeS from the harefooted people Of
urope.
Governments are blamed for not
Ealing with this species of holdup.
ne discontented ask "Why isn't
treason-why shouldn't
ese Fagans be sent to the wall with
firing squad as an escort?"
opyright. 1920. Western Newspaper Unionl