Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1854-08-31
EVENING STAR.
HIGH PRICES LID TEE POOP

+1uc pTtStHt Sldte Ut tfle prices iOr Ine
necessi ties of life and the sudden pros.
pect of dull season among the factories,
promise a gloomy winter for the poor.
Never before, at this season of the year,
have the prices Of provisions, fael, and
rent been so high as at this time. and
the sudden falling off of the work, in
many of TIE large manufacturing estab
lishments has already had the effect to
produce anxiety in the minds of those
who are entirely, dependent upon their
daily labor for the support of themselves
and families. tits only necessary to pass
through, the markets to get an idea of the
immense cost of living, even the .most
common articles being sold at twice their
real worth. For. this there must be q
cause, and that cause is easily seen. 81
far as the prices of meats are concerned,
they are lower now than for some TINE
past, but in everything else there is ex-
tortion added to imposition. Scarce an
article can be procured from even second
hand. There are lew men of means
who have their agents constantly on the
lookout for any kind of article sold i'm the
markets and before the wagon or vessel
conveying it reaches the city,. it is pur-
chased and re-sold to the smaller dealers
at an immense profit. To enable the
latter class to make living, they, in
turn, are obliged to charge profit which
makes the cost to the consumer more by
far than it should be. What is to be the
result Of It's, in connection with the de-
cline in the price of labor, which must
follow want of work, remains to be
seen, and we fear the approaching winter
will present many sorrowful spectacle,
and much destitution and suffering must
ensue- a-ra s,E1... .....- = 81
The high prices bear heavily upon tie
legitimate dealers, whose sales cannot
reach half the amount they would under
more desirable condition Of things. A
refuge for the laboring man cannot be
found in the other cities, for precisely the
same state of things exist in them as in
this. A time of oppression is approach
ing, and great caution is used BY those
who deal in the extensive departments of
trade, but for the poor there seems to he
no remedy. There is way, however,
to ameliorate the approaching difficulty,
and now is the time to begin There are
few who cannot in one way or another
retrench their expenses, and if that re-
trenchment is begun at once, those ne
cesSarieS of life which sustain nature
must come down in price. The purchase
Of no more than is absolutely necessary
will have the markets filled, and the eS-
orbitant prices which are now charged
will find their proper level, or loss must
accrue to the dealer. Of course, it is the
right of every one to obtain the largest
price he can for any article he may have
for sale, but at the same time, it is the
duty of every one in the more limited
pecuniary condition of life to obtain the
article at the cheapest possible rate. es-
pecially when the future promises but
little labor and consequently low rate.
The poor being much the larger number,
the burden must fall upon that class of
our community. They must be led and
a shelter must be provided, and neither
can be obtained without labor is TO be
had. The house owner will demand his
rent, and if the demand is not complied
with distress will follow, and the house
hold must seek other quarters or be ex-
posed to the chilling blast of winter. 1t
is always better to prepare for emergen-
cies, and though our citizens maT live as
economically as other communities, there
arc many needless expenses. or at least
expenses which could be avoided dwithout
great inconvenience, which might be cut
Oft from almost every household. This
done when the winter has passed, the
summer returned and the desrth of EN-
ployment be known no more, there would
be quite as much happiness and great
anxiety would be avoided. = i