The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1920-04-16
By WARREN S. SCHUCK.

Mr. Herbert Johnsons eloquenty illustrative of the
mistaken attitude of the public in general Honest business
has been harried suspected investigated and regulated and
of the thousands of prosecutions and Investigations the
merchant has with coors flying The convictions have
been SO few that they have scarcely been noticeable
And still the proteer hunt merrily Federal de-
parments having taken up slow renquish the chase
Cold storage houses have been ded and the thrown
the market without making old y Cost bat eye
Labor unions clubs, political organizations individuals
and state and county officials have all joined the mad pu
poseless hunt for the profiteer
Much dust raised everybody became busy nvestga
ting everybody else The chase led the general public around
wide circle, but the quarry proved elusive.
gradually dawned upon good many people that the prof
teer not to be found among the merchants Government
officials first to admit failure and the first to admit that
the merchants of the country pretty close 100
honest of the thousands upon thousands of Investigations
accusations and prosecutions but pay few have been found
who were really guilty of exactng too large margin of profit
Government officials, returning from the hunt with
empty game bags, have agreed with noted economists
that the merchant has had nothing whatever to do with
rising prices and that the profteer existing only in iso
lated cases. the result of the condition of initiation
and high prices rather than the of them.
The public also has by this time become rather gener
ally convinced that the merchant not the profeer that
everybody has been out cunning for People becom
ing convinced that there Deep underlying for
high prices 1t is generally understood that the
merchants of any community honest and respect
able they used be in the good old days when the shoe
man gave away shoe strings to his customers and the
butcher occasionally S'threw in'' soup bone.
If the legislation which attempted in Montana had
been designed that it would have been possible to do
away with the merchants net profit altogether the
ing to the public would have been slight that it would
scarcely have been noticeable and would have had
effect whatever the general condition existing
On the other hand the public should know that the retailers
this and throughout the nation have actually made
smaller profits during the long period of rising prices and rising
operating than they made in normal times The
should know that the merchant be with
sideaby lower margin of profit his years volume of
business and that high prices have brought him any
ditional prosperity.
Few have stopped to think that every merchant with
increasing uneasnes the time when prices will commence to go
down and find him helpless with stock of high priced nerch
andise his shelves
And during the coming months whether prices
down continue rise the merchants of the will
gradually win back the confidence of the public which
told it will found the retailer fought good fight
far he able the tide of rising prices 1t will
found he has the
aged of the probably did
other factor keeping prices nearly possible within the
bounds of
of the condition of initiation resulting high prices
have real benefits and that the
public should welcome general falling of prices The
now and ALL nation has never been SO
well fed today There have been soup kitchens
bread lines any the United States during the past
ter needed.