February 21, 1917
FOOD RIOTS IN U.S. VERY SERIOUS; THOUSANDS STARVING AMID PLENTY
STARVING HORDES THREATEN REIGN ANARCHY IN CHICAGO AND NEW YORK
Vast Army of Desperate Women Sweep Down on New York. Officials, Demanding Million Dollars to Buy Food— Mayor Mitchell Promises To Consider It.
CHICAGO IN SIMILAR PREDICAMENT; APPEAL TO PRES. WILSON IS MADE
DANGER OF ANARCHY
Chicago, Feb. 21. — President J. P. Griffin of the Chicago
Board of Trade, today telegraphed to .the Interstate Commerce Commission and to
the presidents of the eastern railroads, insisting that unless an immediate
embargo were placed on all products eastbound but of Chicago, except fuel and
foodstuffs, the country will face the danger of anarchy and rioting.
Riots in Berlin
New York, Feb. 21.—Women of the New York tenements have
taken the food situation into their own hands and planned a series of public
demonstrations to convince the mayor and city officials that something must be
done to reduce prices. One of the wildest protest meetings the city has ever
known broke up early today after making arrangements for a great parade of
women and children to march all day through Wall Street, and at night through
Fifth Avenue.
An appeal was sent to President Wilson and a committee was
appointed to demand that the city appropriate $1,000,000 to be used immediately
for buying and distributing food among the poor at cost. Impassioned speakers
called upon the poor of the east side to organize, and pledged the financial
support of the Hebrew trades unions. Capitalists were blamed for the high cost
of food on the ground that they were amassing wealth by sending food to Europe.
Mass meetings and demonstrations continued today. The police were on the alert
to stop fresh outbreaks of rioting such as put many push cart vendors out of
business Monday and Tuesday. Mayor Mitchell, who was absent when several
hundred women tried to force their way into his office yesterday, promised to
receive a committee today if it came quietly.
A thousand or more women attended last night’s mass meeting
and at least 5000 more fought to get into the hall. Two hours elapsed before
there was order enough for the transaction of business. The following appeal to
the president was carried With' a shout: "We, the housewives of the City
of New York, mothers, and wives of Workmen, desire to call your attention, Mr.
President, to the fact that, in the midst of plenty, we and our families are
facing starvation.
The rise in the cost of living has been so great and
uncalled for that even now we are compelled to deny, ourselves and our children
the necessaries of life. We pay for our needs out of the wages of our husbands,
and the United States standard of living cannot be maintained, when potatoes
are seven cents a pound, bread six cents, cabbage twenty cents, onions
eighteen, and so forth. We call to you, Mr. President, in this crisis that we
are facing, to recommend to congress or other authority measures for our
relief.”
As yet no date has been set for the parade on Wall street
and Fifth Ave. Organizers say they expect to have several hundred thousand
women and children inline. A movement has been started to call a strike of
school children living in the tenements on the ground that the high cost of
living makes it necessary for all children old enough to go to work.
According to railroad officials, efficiency experts are at
work in behalf of virtually all trunk lines, particularly at Chicago, Detroit,
Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburg and other points where freight congestion is most
serious endeavoring to make it possible for food trains to be rushed to New
York. Indications were, they asserted, that shipments of perishable foodstuffs
were now reaching here in greater volume than at any time during the last few
weeks.
Will Consider It
New York, Feb. 21.—After Mayor Mitchell had been informed by
the east side housewives today that their children were “staring to death by…
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THE STARVING HORDES
…hunger because of the high cost of food," he promised
to place before the board of estimates on Friday their plea that $1,000,000 be
appropriated by the city to buy foods for distribution at reasonable prices.
Policemen guarding the city Hall prevented today another
demonstration by east side women intent upon personally calling to draw Mayor Mitchell's
attention to the increased cost of food.
About 200 of the women approached the building to find
patrolmen blocking their progress at every entrance. Reserves went among them, informing
them that if they dispersed quietly the mayor later would talk with a
committee.
The women scattered, some of them weeping. Earlier in the
day groups of women attempted to gather in the east side public square but the
police forced them to move on. They assembled later, however, near the city hall,
led by Marie Ganz, a member of the industrial workers of the world. Miss Ganz
was arrested yesterday for addressing hundreds of housewives who made the first
demonstration at the city hall. She was released on her plea that she urged
the women not to resort to violence. Mayor Mitchell, before seeing the
committee, said he was not certain just what the city administration could do
to relieve the food situation, but would be glad to have the women present any
plan. "For one committee which comes now asking for food there will be one
hundred committees if this country is not prepared," he said.
High Prices In Chicago
Chicago, Feb. 21.—Potatoes touched $1 a peck today. This was
the retail price quoted by first class grocers in better residential districts.
In other parts of the city they sold at 90 cents retail and in the west side
district as low as 80 cents. Cabbage sold at 10 to 12 ½ cents a pound depending
on the neighborhood, and onions at 15 cents. Other vegetables were
proportionately high.
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