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Show mW CITIZEN COMPLAINS TO H THE STANDARD. H "Editor Standard: I have noticed H in your editorial columns of lato re- H pcated appeals to every patriotic clt- H Izen who will not be drawn into tho H regular army, to Join the Ogden Homo H Guards in order to protect the lifo and H property of the business mon of Og- H den. Tho necessity of repealed ap- H peals to this class of citizens is an H evidence that there is not tho response H expected, and tho question naturally H arises, are these men lacking in pat- H rlotism in failing to 'do their bit' Or H is it from some other cause of graver H Importance? Arc tho business insti- , tutions of Ogden exhibiting any very H great amount of patriotism, by cxam- H pie as well as precept, in order to stim- H ulato their employes and laboring H classes generally, whoso duty you say l it Is to Join tho Home uuarasr iet Hj us consider for a few moments a few H things that have transpired right hero H In Ogden in which I have taken part, H and see if the rank and file aro not H justified to some extent in refraining H from answering this call. Some tlmo H; ago there appeared in the columns of H the Standard various suggestions on MW how to reduce the high cost of living. H One suggestion was to uso whole H wheat flour instead of high patent or H straight grade, it being more nutrlt- H ious ami much cheaper. These very H i timely suggestions were acted upon Hi by many of your readers, at least as H far as using whole wheal flour is con- H cerned, the result being a very largo H , demand for it. At that time it sold H ) at one dollar and twenty-five cents per H hundred-weight less than the other H grades. No sooner was this discovered H by those engaged in this business, H than a corner was effected and up H went tho price, and today it is only B fifty cents per hundred less than Hj straight grade. H "This morning's paper brings us the H, news that a number of our concerns K have refused to give employment to H their employes who have been patrl- Hjj otic enough to join the National H Guard, because they may be deprived H of their services when the guards are Mm mustered into the line. Mnny of these M young men are aiding their parents in H keeping tho wolf from the door dur- m ing these trying times and their par- H ents realize that, in tho near future. M they will have to face a condition M where they will be unable to make M ends meet, especially if our city gov- H ernment continues its program of reck- 1 less expenditure of public funds. I H notice also that those members who W have already joined the Home Guard Mm will do without uniforms becausp mM many of them cannot afford to pay $8 MM for uniforms, and ?7 for shoes Are MM there not enough well-to-do men with B the true patriotic spirit who will meet this obligation? Business may yet need tho services of tho Home Guard Warnings of Impending trouble are already al-ready being sounded through the press, if present conditions are, continued con-tinued and prices of necessaries of life aro kept up. . Mr. Hoover and others say wheat should not bo more than ono dollar per bushel, that thoro is no shortage of tho neccssarlos of lifo for tho pooplo of tho United Statos or her allies. Tho big Interests of this city should lead and como out in the open and, by their acls, as well as voice, denounce and decry any move that may be mado to increase the already al-ready heavy burden of tho laboring classes. "Those, Mr. Editor, aro a few of the things that aro causing people to think and to think hard. Why, in tho namo of all that Is patriotic, or that patriotism pat-riotism implies, should the people of this God-blessed country bo handicapped handicap-ped by the very men who would bo the first to demand protection should danger arise? "Thoro aro many other things I would mention, but I think this will suffice for the present. (Signed) "WM. M. PURRINGTON, "369 Healy Avonuo, Ogden." Tho Standard Is not aware of any business houso discriminating against tho members of the National Guard. Our employers must bo scrupulously careful to avoid creating a condition which might prove discouraging to recruiting. re-cruiting. The Standard will investigate why wholo wheat flour advanced out of proportion to the increaso in the price of high patent. There will be Irregularities and Inequalities In-equalities which tho people generally will bo called on to enduro, but we must submit in good grace, unless the wrongs complained of are unbearable. All classes aro to be required to mako sacrifices, but in all classes there will bo few "slackers." There will bo business bus-iness men who will not answer as they should to their country's appeal, and there will be ordinary citizens who likewise will fall short of doing their duty. We must shamo them to their tasks, but, in tho meantime, let us not fail to do our part simply because some ono else has not met tho expectations expec-tations of true Americans. |