Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1920-08-19

We have at hand the first issue of
the Louisiana Wampus Cat. 1t is as
refreshing as a summer breezel
1t takes hard wallop at the hide
bound conventions and superstitions of
the day; but its spirit is so construc-
tive and optimistic.
Success to the Wampus Cat; long
and often may he prowl
\ x x
W. ]. Lauck, consulting economist
for the Railroad Brotherhoods, in a
statement to the u. S. Railway Board
recently. said: IF invested wealth gets
a larger return, the man who gives
personal labor or service is bound to
get smaller proportion 49,. OF the
extraordinary increase in the price of
sugar. now amounting to 300 per cent,
the increase in labor cost paid by the
consumer is less than 5 per cent. The
increases in the prices Of meats be-
tween 1914 and 1918 is shown as s
times the total labor cost, and the 1918
price is reported as twenty-five times
the total labor item"
The higher wages paid to labor, es-
pecially in some lines of industry, dur
ing the last few years, has been liber-
ally branded as the primary reason be-
nd the soaring prices of the necessar-
Of life. But this erroneous idea,-
stored and encouraged BY those who
zap their billions, the profiteers who
wax fat from the blood and misery of
the masses, and then seek to load their
yictoms with the responsibility for the
results of their own criminal greed
this idea, | say, has been completely
and forever exploded by scientific in
vestigation. Its falicy is amply demon
strated by the figures in the above
statement, as we'll as by statistics from
all other reliable sources.
But it was ever thus. The producer
must not only be robbed of the larger
portion of his product. but he must be
taught by a subtle campaign Of educa-
ton that he is getting the best Of the
deal, and is himself to blame for the
infection of his own wounds! Of
course, if he shows any lack Of dispo-
sition to swallow the bait whole, he
is a 'bolsheyik," whatever that may
be.)
How long will those who produce the
wealth Of the nation continue to be de-
cieved by the organized campaign of
hes and misstatements of truth FILLING
1hr columns of the daily pressp How
long will the masses ct the people re-
main content to allow someone ,lSe TO
d, Their thinging for them
tiow long, oh Lord, how long?
4 X 4
All those who oppose intellectual
truths merely stir ,lp the fire; the en-
ders fly about and set fire 10 that
which else they had not touched.
Goethe.
***
From the Canadian CO-operator I
take the following paragraph:
The quality of democracy is. not
determined by the governmental meth
DDS adopted, but by the average Of in
telligence and character of the people
Of which it is composed. The mission
IF the cooperative movement Is to de-
gelop BOTH
A training in democracy. Did you
ever stop to think that such training
is necessary
By working hand in hand with our
fellows toward a common end; learn
ing their habits of thought. their de-
sires, disLkes, and fears; learning to
be tolerant toward the idea that differs
from ours; learning to submerge self
for the good Of the community; learn
ing to place ourselves in the other
fellows boots learning self-control.
patience, understanding Of our fellows
and his motives; learning to drown
suspicion. jealousy. and envy, and to
promote hamony.-in other words, by
cooperative endeayor, we attain that
class Of intelligence which is most nee
essay to our national life. And thru
that devotion to an ideal which all true
co-operators possess. do we tend 10 de-
velop that class Of character which
makes for a cleaner and purer democ-
racy.
If you feel blue. mo account,
.a sou need q good cleaning out