Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 82, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 April 1910 — CURE FOR HIGH PRICES. [ARTICLE]

CURE FOR HIGH PRICES.

Retarn to the Thrifty Hablta of Oar Forefather* the Remedy. It U not surprising to see Bradstreot’a index number of commodity prices reaching the unprecedented figure of 9,2310 on Jan. 1. This easily surpasses the previous record of t. 1293 of March 1, 1907. The advance in the 96 commodities represented has been fairly uniform, and the most serious problem before the world at present is strikingly emphasized. Practically any index number, here or abroad, would make a similar showing, and congress when It investigates high prices will probably be surprised to find at the outset that the condition is world-wide, the Wall street Journal says. Nothing would ever convince the grower of wheat or cotton that th* particular commodity he has to sell could be too high. No doubt he bombards his congressman with letters about the high prices of the things he has to buy. Ttie class is one not deeply versed in economics, and it Is in the rural districts that the belief 1b most firmly held that government is a sort of vague entity possessing boundless wealth and power derived from some mysterious source other than the people themselves. It is to the interest of our politicians to persuade people that most of the evils they suffer from can be cured by legislation. It would never do to tell the farmer the truth—that he and not the legislature possesses the remedy for most of the evils from which he suffers. Probably the politician does not know any better. The representatives .of a people are not ordinarily very much wiser than the people they represent. Commodities do not advance forever. High and low prices have their cycles. Cotton at 16 cents is followed by a greatly increased acreage which brings the price down automatically. But there is one way in which the high price of commodities can be fought here and now. When President Ripley of the Atchison blames it all on the women, he is neither gallant nor Just. But there Is no doubt that domestic expenditure can be enormously curtailed. Our waste leaves us a margin which could be used to bring down the -price of _jdl commodities. What we need is a return to the thrifty habits of our forefathers. The meat strike, if it does nothing else, will at least teach a great many people bow much it Is possible to do without, and that without seriously reducing tbs standard of comfort. Everybody would be a great deal better and healthier if he confined his consumption of meat to one meal a day. This would automatically reduce prices. -* No one can say that the Index numbers commodity prices have reached their zenlth. htftjt-is not difficult to prove that the first steps to a reduction lies In the practice of individual economy.