OCR Text |
Show SHOULD NOT BE POLITICAL. It is suggested from Washington that the food prico inquiry undertaken by Congress is likely to take n political turn, and that it is especially likely to bo directed towards the vindication of tho tariff as having nothing to do with tho increased price of foods."" It must bo evident, however, that an inquiry along channels like that cannot bo of much advnntagc to the people. The main question is not tho vindication vindica-tion of tho now tariff law; it is not. whethor one party or another is to blame in the way of imposing upon the peoplo measures that conduce to combinations com-binations in raising tho price of the necessities of life, but to ascertain the actual facts in tho case. Whethor there aro such combinations; whethor the combinations do in fact increase the prices of -foods, and in what wa3r. thoy do it. Further, how it is possible for the people to shake themselves free from combination greed, in case it is found, as a candid inquiry would probably prob-ably indicate, that tho increased prico of foods is largely the result of trade combination and collusion To offset that partisan probability in tho wn3 of diverting tho inquiry away from dangerous points of party politics, it is said that tho President is in earnest in desiring to got at tho factfi of the. ensc. Another thing that, will tend to thoroughness in this investiga tion is tho fact that members of Congress Con-gress come up for re-election next fall, and if they do not sntisfy the peoplo on this point the.y are likolj to have formidable rivals for the nominations, or if nominated against opposition, the3 ma3' face defeat at tho hands of their Democratic opponents. As tho law of self -preservation in office of-fice if the highest, law known to politicians, pol-iticians, it is sure that tho latter incentive in-centive will be the great and governing govern-ing one, so far as members of Congress are concerned. It will be necessary for them to satisfy their constituents in this inquiry. Thoso constituents aro tho mass of tho people. It is tho peoplo peo-plo who are suffering b3' reason of the combinations and speculative trusts, that put up the prices of the necessities necessi-ties of life. The voters will not be content with a report that will go to the exculpation of the now tariff law, or that will simply laud the Republican Republi-can party and endeavor to excuse it in this connection. What the people want is tho facts in the case, and next, they want just as fervently, somo remedy rem-edy applied that will bo effectual for their relief. |