The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1920-04-30
FIXING RESPONSIBILITY

There is shortage OF neede0
goods in America. Whatever adj
ditional causes may Influence
present high prices, we shall ney
er permanently reduce prices un-
til we either increase the supply
of goods sufficient to meet the
demand or decrease our demands
consistent with the supply. The
principle of supply and demand
has always been and now is, q
fundamental principle in price
fixing, says The Director.
From the standpoint of supply
and demand, the responsibility
for reducing prices falls squarely
upon the people who distribute
the goods. Whether the cause
for the high cost of living lies
with the underproduction OF IN
dustrial forces, with an eXtraVa-
CANT public, or with mscrupu-
lous profiteers, we shall neither
discover the full cause for high
prices nor apply the proper rem
edy until producers, distributors
and consumers recognize that
each has a responsibility to the
entire public in the production,
distribution and use Of materials,
and that if either breaks faith
with the public in meeting that
responsibility, all of that public
must suffer.
We shall never settle this ques-
ton until producers, distributors
and consumers approach the prob
lem in the spirit of cooperation
and endeavor to determine what
ne responsibility Of each is to-
ward the public 1t is not a
question of the consuming public
against organized producers and
distributors, and we can not set
lie it in the spirit Of antagonlsm
So long as dealers and diStrlbu-
tors lay the cause for high prices
exclusively to under-productloh
of the working forces and eXtraV-
aeance of the consuming public,
SO long as the consuming publlc
laws the cause exclusively to sell
fish producers or distributors,
each will defend himself in his
own position and neither will try
to find the whole truth.
Every producer and distributor
who charges too much for his
goods either through conscious
dishonesty, absence OF mental IN
tegrity, or lack Of efficient busl-
ness methods in the production
and distribution of goods is a
profiteer Every workman who
deliberately restricts output IN
the face of need for the mate
rial which he produces, is prof.
iteer. Every consumer who by
extravaoant use of goods makes
it more difficult and more eXpen-
sive for other people to buy the
goods they need, is a profiteer.
The economic effect upon the IN
dividual is the same whether the
individual is charged eXhorbitant
prices for goods or whether he
buys and uses goods in such
reckless and extravagant way as
TO waste them. There may be a
moral difference, but the econom-
ic effect upon the individual is
the same
This question of high cost OF
living is the most universal and
far reaching question the people
of this nation. or any nation, can
face. 1t reaches down into the
private pockets of every man,
woman and child in the land. 1t
may be that the cause when fully
discovered can be traced to every
man. woman and child who either
produces, distributes or uses the
materials. Hence, this becomes
a universal question Of the peo-
pie. 1t can not be worked out di-
rect from Washington any more
than the war could be operated
direct from Washington. 1t is
the peoples responsibility, and
the full cause can only be discov-
cred when the people unite in
searching for the cause down in
their own communities where
they produce and distribute and
buy the common necessities of
life.