Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1921-11-03
SPENDMORE, ,ISSUGGESTION
Of JUDGE T. Il. GARY

iedSoHdDIe III prices up GO tuo pEtoeIft
time, which need not discuss now, for
it is the purchasing public which ae-
cides these questions, yet it must be
, admitted, think, that there have been
and still are charged and collected
for certain commodities unreasonable
and unfair, if not extortionate, prices.
They apply to particular lines and
persons. They do not pertain to the
majority. The present offenders, gen
orally speaking, were not subject to
limitations by the Government during
the war and they have continued and
even increased the high prices then OBJ
tained.- They have done themselves
especially great injury and in doing
SO have injured others. This applies
in varying degrees to sellers of pro-
ructs and also to members of different
trades. | am not inclined to deal in
personalities. It is necessary only to
refer to two or three subjects and to
make some illustrations. The public
is aware Of the facts. Eyes have been
opened. Different products have been
! purchased from the farmer, manufac-
turer or others at low cost and then
passed on in one way or another and
finally sold to the consumer at outrag-
eous prices. Retail prices, especially,
for many commodities are much too
high. Without justification Workmen
! have been classified and reclassifed
I SO as to designate them as skilled men.
We have heard of persons whose daily
J wage was advanced from So to SO or
! $12 at one time under this practice
You know of hundreds of cases illus
trating what has been said and it
would be useless to further specify.
Workers Are Fair.
The vast majority of business men
and workmen are sincere and fair, but
there is and perhaps always will be a
minority that ignore the principles of
common honesty. They are sufficient
in number to seriously affect the whole
situation. Until these are aroused to
the necessity of getting in line with
sound and decent standards of conduct.
the full return to satisfactory busi-
ness conditions will be more or less i'm
peded.
All that have said during or since
the war concerning a return to great
prosperity in this country has been
predicated on business being managed
in accordance with the principles of
reason, fairness and honesty.
However, in considering the ques-
tion of prices it is to be remembered
that many criticisms, favorable or un-
favorable, are made which are not JUS
titled. The reader or listener should
be sure of the truth before reaching a
conclusion. The fair-minded man, if
he has any facts, will disclose them
upon request. Occasionally a writer,
through ineXperience or lack of know
ledge or otherwise, will misrepresent
or misinterpret. Every one of us has
been subjected to a convincing argu-
ment against the validity or sound
ness Of attributed statements which
we never made. 1t is quite common to
build astraw-man in order to give
evidence of strength in destroying him.
But this should never disturb our e.
quanimity. We must admit we are
sometimes wrong when we think we
are right.
Now what, if anything, can be done
to improve the general situation |
answer the first thing for insistenee,
throughout the world, is the observ
ance and enforcement of law.
Right Is Right.
There is no standard for safe and
certain progress in economic effort ex-
cept an established rule of law which
| fixes and protects the rights of every
one without discrimination. There
are degrees of virtue and offense; but
right is right, and wrong is wrong.
Wrong cannot properly be comprom-
ised nor fostered; and so long as law
is in existence it must furnish the rule
for conduct.
Recently we have read of convic-
tions for violations of the criminal
law by certain business men. They
had controlled selling prices and limit
ed production to the injury of consum-
ers. am not familiar with the facts
and do not know whether or not moral
urpitude was charged. The men plead
ed guilty, and, of course, deserved pun
ishment.
And nearly every day for months
we have read of strikers violently at
tacking men who had taken or were
offering to fill the places made vacant.
Indeed, it seems to be common to at
tempt by force to prevent operation of
producing plants or transportation
: lines. The freedom of men to work,
when and where they pleased, has been
interferred with. Many have been
| seriously injured and some killed
If laws shall be enforced and peace
| maintained, the other questions re-
; lating to economic progress and a
ehievement will be solved The law
: of supply and demand will steadily, if
, GRADUALLY bring about necessary ad-