The Lexington progress. (Lexington, Tenn.) 1884-current, 1920-04-30
NUMBER 80
TONGUE LASHING
THE PROFITEERS.

iuoyf DSlaNOi NdppSl, hSpuul-
can, of Kansas, made statements in
regard to profiteering, now rampant
in the United States, which ought to
be food for serious thought to each
and every citizen who is willing to
pursue a course of "live and let live"
Senator Capper said that the
American colonies went to war with
Europe for less cause, less outrages
than are now being perpetrated and
made the statement that Capt Kidd,
the infamous bucanneer Of history
lapsed into a Sunday school character
when compared with the present day
profit hogs" When he got down to
sugar in his remarks, he did not coat
what he had to say with that sweet
ening, but called attention to the an
nual boosting of sugar prices in an
ticipation of the canning and pre-
serving season, as robbery of the
poor which prevents them from put
ting up vegetables and fruits neces-
sary to a wholesom ediet. Directly
on the sugar question he said
"For years the sugar interests have
openly and shamelessly robbed Amer
ican housewives during the canning
season. They have with their extor-
tionate charges as regularly blghted
the poor families only hope of put
ting up and storing away cheap and
wholesome supply Of fruits and veg
etables for winter. Every principle
of healthful living demands just these
things in the family diet. But the su-
gar trust is allowed to prey on the
health and welfare of this nation ev-
cry year in the canning season that it
might enrich itself further by profits
running high in the hundreds Of mill
lions. The people are helpless, there
is no real substitute for sugar. 1t Is
piracy SO colossal and so criminal
that Capt. Kidd and the famous pi-
rates of history become Sunday
school charactersIa..b by scomparison.
How long is this government going
to stand for it?
Sugar spectators blandIy pre-
dict sugar will sell at 80 cents or
more per pound retail when the can
ming season opens. Conservative
wholesalers say the price to the con-
sumner will reach or exceed so cents
pound before it closes. One billion
pounds of sugar have recently been
exported from these shores to Great
Britain in addition to the millions of
pounds shipped abroad during re-
cent weeks or months, says current
news report. This government owes
it to itself and to the American peo-
pie to declare at once an embargo on
sugar and to seize Immediately every
stock of this commodity in the United
States for distribution to the consum-
er at cost, because a government that
is sworn to protect its people per-
mits this robbery and puts no curb
upon it."
Senator Capper did not confine
himself to remarks about sugar prof
iteering, but went on and said:
"The United States has become a
robbers roost," said Senator Capper.
Declaring the proof of profiteering
was in the margin of profit, the sena-
tor said that in one year alone during
the war the gross income Of Ameri-
can corporations rose from $685.
100000 to $S4 500, 900, 900. He read
to the Senate a list of corporations
whose profits were placed at any
where from 20 to 200 per cent.
"Wall Streets melon patches" he
declared. continue to be warmed by
the sun of privilege, fertilized by the
perspiration of labor and watered by
the tears of poverty, and this
year will raise a record breaking crop
free from the blight Of income tax,
while the people are being urged to
BUY their coal early and be robbed
Tor less, to abstain from steak one
lay week, and to purchase war saw
ngs stamps that the United States
nay live in $1,000 ,0OO,O0 style on a
'6, ,000, ,000, 900 income"
Nor did the Senator stop at this.
or he had other and general profit
'ering statistics, which he gave as
ollows:
''The National Candy Company's
arnings last year showed an in
rease of 545 per cent over 1915;
Burns Brothers, the largest retail
oal dealers in the United States
made a net profit of 40 cents a ton,
Igainst 2Sh cents in 1916; the earn
ngs of the United Drug Company,
Ioing business Of $50, 900 900 annu-
lily were 242 per cent greater than
-916. American Ice Company, which