Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1920-06-18
FRIDAY, JUNE Is. 1920.
STUPENDOUS pROFITEERlNG

What is probably the most stupcn-
dous prOfiteering deal ever success
fully attempted in the history of the
world is now reaping untold profits
for its instigators and manipulators.
Almost worldwide in it's scope, it is
demanding and receiving tribute from
the poor and rich alike in nearly
every country of the civilized world.
In the United States those who are in
n position to know the facts in the
case estimate that not less than one
billion dollars has gone down into
the Unsuitable nav of the combination
in excess of all reasonable profits
and the end is not yet. One billion
dollars means $50 for each family in
the United States--It is more than the
entire annual expense of the Govern
ment a half dozen year ago.
That it is burning outrage all
are agreed, and that we are power
less to put stop to it is a reflec-
tion on the common sense of American
citizenship, especially on that portion
of our citizenship to whom we have
delegated our law-making power.
Herbert Hoover says that the
profiteering would not have been pos
sible had the government purchased
the Cuban crop at six and one half
cents per pound as it had an oppor-
tunity to do. Perhaps he is right;
but, as has been said, discussion
as to how it might have been pre-
vented puts no sugar on the pantry
shelf.
Now come an order ratOnng sugar
10 boarding houses, hotels and res
taurants and the American people
will have to stand for it, however lit
tie we may relish being told how
much we shall eat of anything SO
long as we have the price to pay for
it. But rationing it will not bring the
price down, nor will it materially re-
duce the amount consumed. The high
price has already automatically ra-
toned sugar to the patrons Of the
majority of public eating places. 1t is
treating symtom while the disease
is permitted to continue its course.
The fact is that there is no world
wide scarcity of sugar. The sugar
production of the last year was about
up to the usual amount. In Australia
it has been selling recently for nine
cents per pound while we were pay
ing twenty-five or thirty cents. In
Utah at the same time, where some
of the homc-produccd sugar is evil
IDENTIFY not in the hands of the COM
bination, sugar has been retailing for
seventeen cents.
The New York American is author
ity for the statement that sugar has
advanced 400 per cent since 1913 and
that out of that advance labor has
received Is per cent. II that is true,
and it probably is, 3S3 per cent out
of the 400 per cent has gone into
the pockets of those who have done
little if anything to merit it.
The significant part of the situation
is, however, the fact that all author
ities agree that the present high
prices may and probably will con-
tinue indefinitely. In other words
the sugar pirates have their hands on
the throats of the people and there
is no power on earth which can break
their hold. That, of course, is untrue,
There can be no condition brought
about by the exercise Of human cuss-
edncss that cannot be corrected by
human effort, assisted perhaps by a
club.
One thing certain-sugar is not
necessity to the maintenance Of hu-
man life, and while our right to "the
pursuit of happiness" may he in
fringed on if we have to 90 without
sugar in our coffee, no real harm
is going to be done, and after all
it is our feelings which are the most
badly hurt. Our contributions to the
sugar pirates are, to great extent
voluntary.