New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-10-09

II s not TO be disguised that the high pnce OF
provisions which has everywhere prevailed for sew
eral years. and which even now continues notwith'
standing an enormous reduction Of the currency,
the discharge Of Thousands Of operatives and their
consequent inability to purchase largely as they
did year ago. is primarily owing to the failure OF
production to keep pace with the increase Of popu.
lation. All employments have beer engaged in to
excess but agriculture alone has shown no signs OF
advancement II is not an inflated currency nor
the combination Of spectators that has put up the
prices Of food In isolated arsicles such as sugar,
specuators may have combined successfully to fore
stall the market, and in the cattle market it is
doubtless po sble that such concert Of action among
the dealers there may have produced an occasional
but temp orary rise. But even here their success in
msintaining high prices has been owing to the same
general cause, widespread falling off in the pro-
duction Of cattle-and herein is the reason why
provisions of all kinds are dear. No fact eau b
more conclusively estsbli,hed than this. The
figures Of the last census afford melancholy evidence
that it is even so.
In 1s4O the United States produced "a 800, 900
bushels of wheat 100 900 900 bushels of potatoes;
IA $40, 900 head of cattle. Now had agriculture
remained absolutely stationary, that u.s. had its pro-
ceases undergone no improvement by which larger
yield could have been gathered from the came acre.
the products, increasing pro rata with the populs
ton, should have amounted in 1850 10 rs 240 600
bushels Of wheat; LAG, 900, 900 bushels of potatoes
&c, $40, 900 head of cattle But instead of doing
this the production in 1850 was actually less than
in l640 by Ia, 700 900 bushels of wheat AZ. 900 900
bushels of potatoes; 81 900 head of cattle.
1t is impossible that this enormous dminution of
the supply of provisions could have any other effect
than to make bread and meat excessively dear. But
to sggravate prices, it happens that while agricu
tuIe proved itself unable TO keep pace with pOpu-
aton, there was heavy expectation Of breadstuffs
which reacted on the home market These eXporta
tons have been increasing in value every year.
Their average annual value has been: From 1880 to
1910, $4,000, 900; from 1910 to 1885, So, OOO,-
COO; and from 1850 to 1856, Sal 900 900. This
rate of increase is very rapid, more than doubling
in ten years to 1850, and nearly doubling in the last
seven years Present indications point to an i'm
mense expectation of the bOuntifl crop so recently
housed, very probably exceeding the last septen-
Dal average.
The policy of the Government originating in a
diseased appetite for public plumber, aud perpet.
uated by whatever shameless imposture it may find
necessary to secure the qualification of that apps-
tlte, has plunged the nation 80 hOpelessly in debt
that alb its cotton, tobacco, stocks and go d, abun
dant as they in quantity and value, are utterly
unable to keep down the balance which Free Trade
is constantly rolling up against US. The food of
the million must go too, and hence, having foreign
countries to feed as well as our own, it is easy to
explain why the provision of a family oost' moro
han twice what it cost five years ago. Bread |
must go to satisfy, not hunger. but debt. So dan
gerOusly has the country been drained, and so
alarming is the palsy to credit which this drain ha.
,rt duced, that while millions Of bushels Of wheat
pouring into the great grain ceners of the West,
stops there, where ii is not wanted because there
& neither money nor credit to transport IT here,
: here it is.
Thus we have an actual decrease In the pro-
uction of food total arrest of the exchanges, and
he downfall of banks and merchants as the climax
# ten years. experience of British FREQ Trade.
Have the people yet had enough of it, or will they
ny it few years longer