The Connecticut labor press., 1920-09-18
THE OMOOkER ~ cock my hat as ' please,
 indoors or out ':-WaH Whitnaan

About to drop, eh," I said, ''just about when will the drop come?'' The man aager was kindly soul so he let me down easy by replying: "Oh, well, sometime along the last of December or maybe the first of next year"
 Speaking about meat prices, here's a real good and true story For some time past some of the New York and other big city papers have carried flaming ads" headed Government Acts to Lower Living Costs" Then followed statements as to meats for sale by the government. Bacon was quoted at l0 cents a pound, but mo order would be accepted for less than $l5O." That's of course, disqua1ified the most of us, but made it a good thing for the retailers to buy at a re- duced price.
 Buying the bacon at 1o cents would, therefore, give the retailer a happy chance to quote reasonably low price to the consumer. Recently some of th1s government bacon was placed on sale i'll New Haven markets. The price was 42 cents pound. You can draw your own conclusions, but a market man explained 1t all away He said that
 regular bacon" was selling at from SO to o5 cents a pound, and really the government brand at 42 cents was a
 mighty fine bargain" Now is that all clear to you?
 There are mighty good reasons why the republicans sidestepped some of the Connecticut Federation of Labor reso- lut1ons, such for instance as the direct election of judges by the people" The G. Q. F., or big business back of 1t. needs all the judges 1t can muster for the perfect working of the party machinery.
 And 1t isn't to be wondered at that they should turn down cold anything in the nature of the legal manufacture and sale of light wines and beers" The truly good and the fanatics must be kept in line by pretence and party plat form; the sinners and hoaters will be attended to by "slush fund" methods. It's great game to be able to pull two extremes toward the desired middle.
 But when 1t comes to fighting shy of compulsory health insurance" and an "eight-hour maximum workday for women and children" and other righte- Odo idDOl iCSlSidlIOIl, IL WOulQ seem IIldl the c. o. P. flies in the face of Provi- dence to shunt the measures to the side ] tracks. But the party gets away with it by throwing the bull and pulling the wool.
 Cattle and sheep raisers making a great outcry that they need financial assistance. Well, we'll, will wonders never cease? What's become of all the money paid in the past few years for meat, wool and leather? Can 1t be that all that vast number of new1y-made millionaires are made up solely of packers, cloth, and shoe manufacturers Looks like 1t, but there's also probably few middle men in the makeup.
 But we needn't go west and listen to the poverty howl of the cattle and sheep raisers. There are producers nearer at home, right here Ill the land of steady habits in fact, who are crying aloud that they are being trimmed out of the profits of their products. Branford farmer was telling about 1t the other day. Worked all summer, early and late and never saved daylight a darn bit, over his fields or garden truck, tomatoes and potatoes. Bringing the stuff to market the commission men were ready buyers-at their price. Farmer got mere pittance of profit. Retail prices way up ali right but profits about all absorbed by the middle men and the retai1eIs As I remarked some where up above, it's a great game If you are able to pull both ends toward the middle.