The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1921-01-31
MONDAY, JANUARY II, 1921
UNCONSTITUTIONAL

pening before the Oklahoma house
and senate is a bill which, should it
be passed, would develop into dan
gerous piece OF legislation and would
lay down the bars for almost endless
and ultra expensive legislation, the
final costs OF which would. Of neces-
sity, be borne by the consumer.
The measure, Senate Eli No. Sc,
would create a commission whose dut-
les would be 10 fix the prices at
which all commodities are TO be sold
by the retailer.
At first blush the results to be
accomplished by this act seem good
and of interest to the general well
fare.
But, shorn OF all sentiment against
alleged profiteering upon the part OF
the retail dealer, there will be much
found in this proposed law which can
be classed as being against public
policy. If 1t indeed might not be con-
strued by the courts to be untonsu-
tutlonal.
Such q law would place the price
fixing power upon everything we eat,
every thing We wear. everything We
buy for any purpose whatsoever. in
The hands OF q commission composed
Of 'lcw men. This in itself would
be dangerous and would empower the
men whose duties I would BE- 10 lix
the price with arbitrary rights which
could Ice exercised, were the members
ot the commission 80 minded, both
TO the de! e!riment OF the purchaser and
he detriment Of the small dealer. II
would empower the commissio. with
arbitrary rights which would enable
1t 10 cut prices down 20 the danger
llne--so lCx that only The very big
gcst dealers, the fellows who buy in
traia-load lots and take over the en-
tire output OF factories would be-
able to enter the retail trade Such
system OF too low price fixing
would drive the smal! merchant out
OF business. would drpopulate the com
mercl;L portions Of The smaller cities.
towns and haIulcts. leaving only the
merchant princes Of the larger cities
In business.
oasthc other hand, used as u blow
against the consumer. the commission
might be made to see things In tho
same light through the same glasses
with which the Interstate Corporation
Commission saw things when 1t in
creased, automatically, the rates on
railway tariffs. telephone and tcle-
graph charges and express rates. \
state commission, such as the bill
proposes might enable the proposed
commission 70 even borrow the spec
tacles which have been so dcXtcrous'
ly focused By Cam Russell and his
fellow members Of the Oklahoma
state Corporation Commission whcr
rate hikes were granted 20 oklahom'
street car operating companies, ga'
and electric companies and othc
public utilities concerns operating u
this state.
In other words, Tho proposed Law
would become a two-cdsod sword, cut
ting TO tho right and to the left
welded by hands which had neve
been trained in the art Of fencing.
We all know that tho couutr.
duting the past two years has beet
infested with the more or less az
gresslvc profitccr. But this protitee
has not been found exclusively in IN
retail trade. on tho contrary he ha
been found with the MANUFACTURER
the jobber and the distributor Il
tho words OF one big dealer they al
got II while getting was good. Bu
those days ore past The country !
returning 20 state OF norinalc
and prices. wholesale and retail. ar
reAdlusting themselves without TIA
mid Of any pricc-flSihg commission.
We believe. We know that the Pre-
nosed law ia dangerous thing.
something which will develop into
boomerang which. thrown by unskille
hands will return and smite the one
whose interests II seems, supernclali'
10 have been intended to protect
In a word. Senate Blll No. 30 is
,,lltloal bat which the nrofession'
no,l,lc,ans are attempting to use
q political game Of pa,'ledoor an
shu,,le cock, game In which DOT
The dealer and the consumer VIII U
halted from pillar to post Wl'hou
anything good being gained for any
one.