The New York herald., 1864-10-06


the decline in -four, pork, butter, and pro-
visions generally in wholesale circles, our
readers would be astonished at tho exhibition
Of weakness and rottenness in the market.
Everybody has been speculating, and nearly
everybody has been caught in the trap. The
retail dealers have not yet felt the influence OF
the fall very decidedly; bnt within week
they will be in the same plight as the whole
sale merchants. Leaven takes little time to
lump. Already the retailers are alarmed.
Some Of them put signs in their windows stating
that some article or other is reduced In price,
hoping to catch customers by this bait; but II
the people will have the patience to wait q
week or two more there will bs q reduc-
ten in everything. One large house has
marked down its silks and laces . dollar
or SO q yard; but it must mark them
much lower before long in order to cores
pond with the fall in gold, in produce, in mer-
chsndise Of every sort The dealers are very
anxious to delay the decline for a few weeks,
though they never delayed in raising prices;
but they have shown no mercy to their custom
ers, and no mercy should be shown to them.
Every lady who goes shopping to-day throws
the greater part OF her money away; for pr Ices
will be down within a fortnight, and she can
certainly do without new dress or a new bon
net until then. As it is, many Of the most fash
ionable modstes have not yet had their
openings. They arrived here from Paris with
quantities of new goods and new styles, in
tapdipU n oalr nna hp ndrad dnllara ho,
net and thousand dollars for a dress. To
their surprise they discovered that gold had
gone down during their annual sojourn abroad,
aud now they are waiting for it to go up again.
They wait in vain. Bonnets will be dear at
fifty dollars in month. The modistes may be
ruined, but their customers will not be, and
we rejoice with the customers.
The truth is that this high price nuisance,
which has nearly ruined the country and will
now ruin those who caused it, has been the re :
suit, not Of the war, but of speculation. Gold
ought never to have been higher than les, and
yet it reached 290. Potatoes do not grow less
plentifully because of the war; nor does any
body pay gold for them, aud yet they ad.
vanced from dollar and half to eight dol
lars bushel. Flour is not at oil scarce
hundreds of thousands of barrels Of 1t are in
store here-and yet its price advanced from
ten to eighteen dollars barrel. Hens are
not copperheads and do not refuse to lay eggs
in war time, and yet the spectators made
ham and eggs . more expensive dish than
game used to be in the good old piping times
of peace. Cows do not read the Daily Ners
(though calves may edit it), and consequently
they have not objected to- giving milk to sup
port those who support the war and yet but
ter has treblsd In price. Rags have been
more numerous than ever since the outbreak
Of the war, aud yet the paper makers
combined to increase their prices, and so forced
the newspapers from two to four cents a copy.
Thus the spectators clutched everything we
eat, drink, wear, burn, read or use, and all the
necessaries and comforts, to say nothing Of the
luxuries Of lie became extravagantly dear.
The lsborlng people bad to strike for higher
wages. Employees demanded higher salaries
and employers demanded higher prices These
demands were Inevitable under the circun-
stances aad nobody srunbled al them; but
everybody gruInblsd a. the spectators who
had taken advantage OF the distress OF the na-
ton to cppress the poor and grind the face of
the people.
Now, shanks 70 Grant and The BeRA1D.
our national distress is about over and the
spectators are soon to have their reward.
are On y4s eys 9! crsis worse than that Of
1851 and al dresdfa! sa lhst Il 1897, Thoss
who suffer wiz receive iltlls sJ'nhpa!by; for tie
whole country WI DO boaoated by their
losses. just az they have grown rioh upon 5e
suferings Of the country. From The price Of .
thsaEe.t,ssJ to Wy reDi Of 2 dwelling bsuSe,
everytAIhE huss come dowd, gtorm u on
,be eve Of bursting ~ Wsll meet and win
soon rage Ike tempest ever the Isastb and
GssdA 81 TIA Issd