The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-01-30
FIXING PRICES BY LAW

Let's all be for it--this happy idea
of price fixing by law. as appears to
be desired by certain of the self
designated distinguished personages
who are members of the agricultural
conference in Washington. Many of
the members are real farmers, it is
true, but it hadn't occurred to them
that all their ills and troubles were to
be banished so easily and 50 quickly as
through the mere enactment of 4 law
that would definitely ana unalterably
fix prices at which their commodities
should be sold, il people would pur-
chase, and thus put money in the
pockets of those who cultivate the soil
and produce food crops and the sta
PIES out of which are manufactured
clothing and the like.
It remained for the farmers of pub
Lefty, like J. S. Wannamaker, of South
Carolina, to propose a cure-al for the
ills suffered by real farmers, tillers of
the soil, rather than cuitivators OF
newspaper space--it remained for a
Chieftain among the comparatively
few publicity farmers to declare in the
senate agricultural hearing, as re-
ported in the Washington dispatches
of Thursday that agriculture could
be saved from r3anlIruptcy only
through governmental fixing of prices
of cotton. corn and wheat" Happy
thought! But why stop there with the
fixing of prices of only three agricul-
tural products? II it is the Saving
p
for the so-called agricultural depres-
sion, why not extend it to include ev-
crything that is produced on the
,'-->- md, then, why not make the
price fixing by law so general that its
...e..,,, ,,.44 Ue TOR all the people?
Carrying along the promised relief
that is in law made prices for cotton
corn and wheat" to other products,
and even into other channels, ought TO
work inestimable benefits, according
to the proposers Of this price fixing
remedy. OF course, if the three pro-
ducts named specifically are to t)e sold
at no price under that fixed by law, as
proposed, then why not protect and in
crea sc the income of the farmer-pro-
Queer of turnips and radishes and of
peanuts, and in fact of every other
product of the soil? Then with law
made prices for farm products in force
and effect it might be considered ad-
visable, by publicity farmers, at least,
20 extend their beneficent aid farther
and provide by law. of course, that
toothache should be abolished and that
collie should be eliminated from green
apples. Surely. if law can make prices
at which people may buy farm prod
ucts and other commodities then sure
ly law can be made to do a great many
things not deemed possible hitherto,
make water run up hill, for instance, !
or mako the horse drink that is led to
the water.
Great is the wonder that in this age
OF boosted intelligence men have not |
discovered that the real |
panacea for all the Ills and nlisfor- |
tunes TO which human beings are sub !
ject is law. Il has been demonstrated |
time and time again that enactment OF |
a law is an easy matter, Then why /
not set the law making machinery go |
ing fulI-time and over time, grind out |
laws without limit, jus: as they keep |
the printing presses running day and |
night in Russia turning out money in |
such abundance that its very plenty !
makes it mare rubbish that ID burden. |
some to carry about, and that fails TO !
provide the food that keeps from
starving those who must use il, by |
Jaw, of course.
Seriously, man made law never sue
,eeded when put in conflict with nat
lral laws just as Russia is finding out
N sorrow, starvation ana aeatn. and
as it is likely the real farmers in the